Abstract
During the course of this essay the writer evaluates and examines the legitimacy of the claim that the US media had a role in the defeat of the United States in the Vietnam War because it turned public opinion against the war and thus made the war unwinnable. The writer maintains that this claim has to some extent been allowed to cloud the discussion over why the US were unsuccessful in Vietnam. The writer maintains that the media role was an extremely influential element in the eventual US withdrawal, but it was by no means the most important component. The writer begins by examining the role of military factors in America's defeat, ranging from flaws in the overall policy of containment to the military ineptness of US forces in the field. The writer maintains that these factors played a pivotal role in the US's inability to successfully prosecute the war. The writer then moves onto the media impact, which in itself was a tremendously important factor.

From the Paper
"As is often the case when an enemy lives and survives within the wider population, the US forces found it virtually impossible to distinguish between Vietcong fighters and South Vietnamese civilians; they simply could not tell who the enemy was. The chemical defoliant agent orange was used to destroy forests or anything else that might give cover to the enemy, very often accompanied by the explosive jelly napalm. This military strategy produced few favourable results for the US and the effect it had on anyone caught in its path was devastating. Therefore, what these types of attacks did serve to do was to alienate US forces from the wider population and therefore destroy any possibility of winning 'hearts and minds'. Furthermore, although bombing intensified and the number of troops and equipment grew rapidly, US forces still found it impossible to halt the movement of Vietcong troops and supplies from North to South along the Ho Chi Minh trail."

Tags:enemy, conflict, Japanese, armies

Abstract
This paper goes into some depth about how privacy rights are infringed upon by the Internet and the general public reaction to this. The author examines the development of the Internet and how it has spread to impact every aspect of one's life. The author discusses how society is influenced by this phenomenon.

From the Paper
"During the twentieth century the economies of most advanced societies of the world have transformed from a manufacturing-based to an information-based structure, due mostly to the rapid and advancing changes in technology. With the advent of the Information Age, the issue of information privacy is gaining widespread attention from consumers, business and industry and the government."

Tags:public, computers, society

Abstract
This essay focuses on British Soap Opera and its conventions. It gives a brief history of the soap opera genre and it origins. It gives examples of current and past british soap operas and their popularity and reasons for it. It also looks at theories of audience enjoyment and uses for such media.

From the Paper
"The soap opera genre originates from the American radio serials of the 1930's so called because of their sponsorship by major soap powder companies. Due to its incredible success the genre grew and by the 1950's it had developed into television productions. The first soap to be televised in Britain was The Groves, which first aired in 1954 and lasted for three years. It was followed by what is now the longest running and most successful soap in Britain, Coronation Street. Rival terrestrial channels soon picked up on the success of Coronation Street (and the soap opera genre in general), this resulted in the arrival of Channel 4's Brookside in 1982, followed by the BBC's EastEnders in 1986."

Tags:conventions, eastenders, genre, soap, television, viewing, opera, British, BBC

Abstract
This essays charts the emergence of 'public opinion' as a political force in Europe, through newspaper readership, books, pamphlets, and improved transport, with particular reference to Britain, France and Germany. It shows the liberalizing effect this had on the monarchy, as they slowly became answerable to their own people.

From the Paper
"Pre-eighteenth century traditional monarchies in Europe expected to be able to rule over their people without being questioned or without providing explanation for their policies. Opposition was in the form of rival families in the aristocracy, and battles were fought on the grounds of religion, land and power. Little relevance was given to political and social issues, neither by the ruling classes nor the people they ruled over."

Tags:bourgeois, britain, europe, france, french, germany, kant, monarch, news, opinion, press, public, revolution

Abstract
The paper examines how far John Fiske's theories of popular culture as resistance still apply in the 21st century, using the contemporary example of peer-to-peer file sharing. The focus is on examining file sharing as a cultural activity which is interesting in an anthropological sense, rather than the ethics or legality of file sharing. It explains how, by resisting the power of advertisers, shops and even the music industry as a whole, individuals are reclaiming culture.

From the Paper
"Arguably, the meanings attached to advertising are what is challenged the most by file sharing. If we think of advertising as a 'commodity', we can begin to examine how, like other commodities it can be used in different ways. In dominant culture, the only position a person viewing an advertisement can occupy is that of the consumer, and the only power granted to the consumer is the decision to buy or not buy; in other words, 'containing social diversity within the needs of capitalism.' In popular culture, advertisements can mean more; for example, people can attach their own individual meanings to a memorable slogan. Moreover, users of file sharing use advertisements to help them decide what songs and albums to search for and download. 'To attract customers is to attract tricksters' . "

Tags:advertising, albums, cd, certeau, commercial, dvd, films, fiske, guerilla, internet, media

Abstract
The essay looks at how factories and brands which dominate the western world can and have exploited others in developed coutries, discussing issues about whether or not people support the violation of human rights through buying such products and focusing their attention on image. The essay also considers the argument that it is people in power who have enforced these values in order to benefit themselves.

From the Paper
"In order to discuss the importance of human rights to people in developed countries, in relation to consumerism, this essay needs to look at human rights and why they are important, what is meant by the term "consumerism" and its impact on human rights in relation to people living in undeveloped countries in the "third world" and whether or not those in developed, western countries, like the US and the UK care about such issues. The essay draws on the work of many writers, including Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky and Karl Marx and attempts to analyse the media, the government and academics role in creating an awareness within the population of the western world."

Tags:ethics, exploitation, human, marketing, marxism, media, politics, power, rights, society, western

Abstract
This paper looks at a variety of theories and ideologies including culturist and Marxist. It also considers theoriests like Storey, Gramsci and Fiske for example, while drawing upon their relevence within a post modern society.

From the Paper
"Popular culture is an area of great discussion and debate. Raymond Williams claimed "culture" was "one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language." This essay seeks to discuss issues and theories surrounding its definition, as listed by Williams (but cited in Storey 2001) , whilst bringing in its position within society as defined through different ideologies."

Tags:communication, culturist, hagemony, ideology, journalism, marxism, media, modern, post, social

Abstract
This paper attemts to examine the theoretical arguments concerning grazing and consumption in general, by exploring some of the research and works of theorists on popular culture. With reference to established sources on popular culture including Adrono, Frith and Fiske, this paper investigates the notions of multiplicity of choice, 'grazing' and 'commodification' in relation to music consumption and freedom of choice. In conclusion it asks if we (as the audience of popular music) really have choice.

Outline
Commodification and Choice
Adorno
Fiske
Frith
Theories on Grazing ? Social Factors
Conclusions on Commodification and Grazing ? Do We Really Have Choice
Conclusions on Choice in Popular Music
Conclusions on Choice and Grazing

From the Paper
"Criticism of Adorno's views on mass culture is wide ranging. Much stems from the fact that his view of popular music is taken from the viewpoint of high art and therefore, misses the point of popular music in the first place. Other dissatisfaction concerns his failure to address the emergence of Rock n? Roll in the 1950s; Paddison makes the observation that ?Adorno's defence of the musical avant garde can be applied to the work of composer and performers of popular music such as frank Zappa and Henry Crow. (Shuker 2002: 137 quoting Paddison 1993). However, the elements of Marxist theory in the work of the Frankfurt school, particularly concerning commodification, have been widely accepted and expanded upon by bodies such as the Birmingham school, and even populists such as Fiske."

Tags:adorno, musicology, fiske, frith

Abstract
This paper outlines the opposing standpoints of Adorno and Benjamin on popular music, with specific reference to their view of the consumer. The value of these theories are then discussed with reference to the later theories of David Riesman and Henry Pleasants, Andrew Chester, Simon Frith, Richard Middleton and Max Paddison.

From the Paper
"Yet, even if the consumer's perceptive capacity is limited, there is still scope for individual choice, and thus for varying levels of the self-reflective in popular music. If consumers use their music to construct their identity, there will always be a market for these varying levels. As Frith suggests, 'the question should be 'how can popular music construct people?'' A reflection of the person behind the consumer in popular music rejects Adorno's claim that the industry invalidates the individual. Longhurst and Shuker explore this further in their analysis of the industry's sub-cultures, which allow mass identity to segregate and the potential for the individual to find their own route."

Tags:chester, frith, paddison, passivity, pleasants, pseudo, riesman

Abstract
This paper looks at the prevalence of Internet use and examines aspects such as the impact it has on our communication, employment, shopping habits, leisure and use of information. It discusses equality of access and the possibility that the Internet could become part of high culture as well as the positive and negative possibilities of electronic communication, including its potential use in terrorism, decentralisation of society and destruction of communities. The paper concludes that while there are arguments that suggest that the Internet is responsible for isolating people and weakening social controls and community bonds, it could also be argued that the Internet is a form of glue within modern societies, providing yet another means of communication to further strengthen the bonds within communities and families.

From the Paper
"The internet was originally developed by the US military as a form of transmitting messages and information between officers in different locations, and was then developed further by universities, with the aim of encouraging more academic debate between scholars across the world. With the advent of the personal computer and the boom in personal ownership, the internet became accessible to millions of households during the 1990s and its growth and popularity has continued, with the advance of high-speed and digital connections becoming more readily available. "

Tags:broadband, communication, communities, comunality, consumerism, culture, decentralisation, email, employment, gramsci, hegemony, social, terrorism