Criminology Emergency Remote Learning - Media Literacy #1

Hello Criminology family. Before we start I want to take a moment and send our most sincere condolences to the families grieving in Nova Scotia today. Yesterday's spree killing was the worst in Canadian history and really a horrible act that impacted so many people. I do have a friend still living there who lost two extended family members and two other people she knew. Needless to say, she's devastated. Take a moment, if you can, and wish everyone affected well, they certainly can use any goodwill.

This entry will address some of the issues that you'll need for your Scooby Doo blog post. We start this section of the course off with Media Literacy. I placed three documents in the Criminology Teams site (access through your school district Office 365 account): Media Literacy and Critical Thinking; Mass Media Theories and Crime; and Society, Culture and Crime. These documents, along with the resources on the blog will assist you for the first few posts I wish you to work through. The textbooks Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication and Media &Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital Age will also help you. We will also use Media Smarts from Canada's Center for Digital and Media Literacy and Common Sense Education as well.

Some of us will have started out watching crime through the relatively innocent eyes of Scooby Doo. As you know, Scooby Doo is a long-running animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions (and now Cartoon Network Studios) from 1969 to 1991 and 2002 to present highlighting the hi jinx of Scooby-Doo and four teenagers: Fred "Freddie" Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers. These five drive around the world in a van called the "Mystery Machine," and solve mysteries typically involving tales of ghosts and other supernatural forces. At the end of each episode, the supernatural forces turn out to have a rational explanation (usually a criminal of some sort attempting to scare people away so that he/she could commit crimes).  Main versions include:

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019-?)
Be Cool, Scooby Doo (2015-2018)
Scooby Doo, Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)
What’s New Scooby Doo (2002-2006)
The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show (1983-1984)
Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo (1979-1982)
The Scooby-Doo Show (1976-1978)
Scooby Doo Where Are You (1969-1970)
There are some other versions we will never discuss...like ever!

Now although Scooby Doo is fun, we need to look at it through a more critical eye.

So, take a look at the elements of Media Literacy...Not only are media constructions (made by humans) but that the receiving audience interprets the meaning of the message themselves.

  1. Media are constructions - Media products are created by individuals who make conscious and unconscious choices about what to include, what to leave out and how to present what is included. These decisions are based on the creators’ own point of view, which will have been shaped by their opinions, assumptions and biases – as well as media they have been exposed to. As a result of this, media products are never entirely accurate reflections of the real world – even the most objective documentary filmmaker has to decide what footage to use and what to cut, as well as where to put the camera – but we instinctively view many media products as direct representations of what is real.

2. Audiences negotiate meaning - The meaning of any media product is not created solely by its producers but is, instead, a collaboration between them and the audience – which means that different audiences can take away different meanings from the same product. Media literacy encourages us to understand how individual factors, such as age, gender, race and social status affect our interpretations of media.

 3. Media have commercial implications - Most media production is a business and must, therefore, make a profit. In addition, media industries belong to a powerful network of corporations that exert influence on content and distribution. Questions of ownership and control are central – a relatively small number of individuals control what we watch, read and hear in the media. Even in cases where media content is not made for profit – such as YouTube videos and Facebook posts -- the ways in which content is distributed are nearly always run with profit in mind.

4. Media have social and political implications - Media convey ideological messages about values, power and authority. In media literacy, what or who is absent may be more important than what or who is included. These messages may be the result of conscious decisions, but more often they are the result of unconscious biases and unquestioned assumptions – and they can have a significant influence on what we think and believe. As a result, media have great influence on politics and on forming social change. TV news coverage and advertising can greatly influence the election of a national leader on the basis of image; representations of world issues, both in journalism and fiction, can affect how much attention they receive; and society's views towards different groups can be directly influenced by how – and how often – they appear in media

5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form - The content of media depends in part on the nature of the medium. This includes the technical, commercial and storytelling demands of each medium: for instance, the interactive nature of video games leads to different forms of storytelling – and different demands on media creators – that are found in film and TV.

I'd like you to watch the “What’s New Scooby Doo” episode called “Vikings”? (It ran on the WB from 2002-2006).

How is this version of Scooby Doo different than the newer one "Beware The Beast From Below" Scooby Doo, Mystery Incorporated!

or from this even newer one "Trading Chases; Eating Crow Part 1" from Be Cool Scooby Doo

or from the original Scooby Doo, Where are You "What a night for a knight"


Lastly I'll have you watch this and then answer the questions below (about Scooby Doo in general including Scooby Doo Where are You?, The Scooby Doo Show, Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo, What's New Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Be Cool Scooby Doo):


Remember, Scooby Doo is media and media are constructions - Media products are created by individuals who make conscious and unconscious choices about what to include, what to leave out and how to present what is included. These decisions are based on the creators’ own point of view, which will have been shaped by their opinions, assumptions and biases – as well as media they have been exposed to. As a result of this, media products are never entirely accurate reflections of the real world – even the most objective documentary filmmaker has to decide what footage to use and what to cut, as well as where to put the camera – but we instinctively view many media products as direct representations of what is real...now I know Scooby Doo is a cartoon, but…

1. What assumptions or beliefs do Scooby Doo’s creators have that are reflected in the content?
2. How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people portrayed in the media product?
3. How does the commercial purpose (it's made for a profit right?) of Scooby Doo cartoons influence the content and how it's communicated?
4. Who and what is shown in a positive light? In a negative light? Why might these people and things be shown this way?
5. Who and what is not shown at all? What conclusions might audiences draw based on these facts?
6.  "How does Scooby Doo explain crime and gender roles to young people"?

👉Huffington Post article on Daphne's Curse of going from size 2 to size 8
👉Huffington Post article on Beauty Stereotypes in Scooby Doo
👉PLEASE Feel free to use the TV Tropes sites on Scooby Doo characters and Scooby Doo Analysis