Interpreting Media with Feed
Example Assignment: Grade 9 Academic English (ENG 1D)
M.T Anderson’s Feed (2002) begins when Titus, a teenager with a feed (a built-in computer) connected to his brain, takes a trip with his friends to the Moon. Titus’ life is impacted heavily by the barrage of media-related messages he receives daily. Because of his feed, he is given purchase suggestions, is constantly exposed to the newest and trendiest music and shows, and can contact his friends instantly. On the Moon, Titus meets Violet, a girl who has a feed but has not always relied on one. The group is attacked by a hacker, and Violet suffers permanent damage to her feed which ultimately causes her brain to deteriorate and her body to shut down. Violet is rejected when she requests help from IT support for her feed because she is not an active enough consumer. While Titus goes to school at a company-run institution where instead of ‘traditional’ education the students learn about how to make good purchasing choices and take full advantage of their feed, Violet is homeschooled by her retired father who was once a professor. When Violet begins to shut down, Titus has no way of processing what is going on, or communicating with her about the things that she cares about (mainly world news) because he was never taught how to access critical information. In Feed Anderson therefore comments on issues such as accessibility to technology, educational approaches and content, capitalism, and the overwhelming impact media can have on the individual in a wired society.
This lesson for Feed is directly inspired by Heidi Hayes Jacobs observation in Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, when she says that, “Educators in the 21st century are slowly starting to appreciate that we no longer live solely in a print-centric world; we are surrounded by culture filled with visual images and messages, many of which work on a subconscious level” (Jacobs, 133). A text like Feed can illustrate for students the importance of understanding bias behind media, and how various forms of media such as advertising can be used to alter opinions and subconsciously shape desires. However, given Titus’ growing access to different kinds of information, the feed can also be used to empower the user. Jacobs summarizes important learning goals regarding media:
(1) all media messages are constructed, (2) media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules, (3) different people experience the same media message differently, (4) media have embedded values and points of view, and (5) most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power. (Jacobs, 139)
The goal in this assignment is to encourage students to think critically about their own experiences within contemporary media through comparing their world with what Anderson describes in Feed. Students will be asked, for example, to consider whether they think Anderson’s vision of the future could be accurate based on their current experiences within media and their roles as consumers, or whether they think he is exaggerating and, if so, why. The final assignment for this novel study could involve having students choose an aspect of media from their contemporary experiences, be it forms of advertising, censorship, and even things like the way movie trailers work, and compare it with what happens in Feed. Students will be asked to present their findings and facilitate a discussion surrounding the topic they chose. This assignment is purposefully flexible, so students can follow their interests with regards to the media object they choose and the comparisons they make to the novel.
Anticipated Time Required: This assignment would occur at the end of the novel study. Students will be given 3 class periods, or the equivalent of a week, to do research in their groups and create an informal presentation and discussion questions. Additional time may be needed outside of class time to complete this assignment, but students will be informed prior to starting the novel that this assignment will occur. Students will have been expected to take note of significant points where various forms of media play a significant role in the novel. The following week will be dedicated to these media-driven presentations and discussions. Of particular importance would be how well they critically interrogate the novel – many novels like Feed show technology as dangerous, but there are hints in the novel of the emancipatory potential of various forms of technology if access is distributed fairly and students are taught how to use technology as both a convenient and critical tool.
Expectations Addressed in this Lesson/Assignment:
Oral Communication, Overall Expectations
| 1. Listening to Understanding: listening in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes; 2. Speaking to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. |
Media Studies, Overall Expectations:
| 1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts; 2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques: identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning; 4. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as media interpreters and creators, areas for improvement, and strategies they found most helpful in understanding media texts. |
Works Cited
Anderson, M.T. (2002). Feed. New York: Random House.
Jacobs, H.H. (ed). (2009). Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World.
Alexandria: ASCD.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2007). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: English.
Retrieved from https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english910currb.pdf
