Unified Consumerism: How it affects Modern Media

By Dakota Jones

As communications technology advances, society has increased the potential to connect and share thoughts and opinions. Social media platforms such as Reddit and Facebook have provided people with a safe place to form web-communities, or “fandoms”. In recent years, many prominent fandoms impacted business models for large media companies in ways that have never been seen before.  The interconnectivity that we maintain has allowed consumers to unite and voice their opinions. Ideas spread quickly over the internet, borders are nonexistent, and web-communities are formed off of the passion of others.  Not only do these communities connect people and give them a sense of belonging, but they also help people realize that their voices matter and they can make a difference.

Broken promises and terrible public relations have become more transparent since the rise of social media. Although these issues were not absent previously, the film and video game industry continues to see social change as consumers become increasingly fed up with cash-grabs. Electronic Arts (EA), a video game development studio, received international backlash after releasing the second instalment in their “Star Wars: Battlefront” series. The controversy sparked a couple months before release over the introduction of Loot Boxes, a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive random cosmetic and game-changing unlockables. Considering the initial price consumers had to pay ($80+ retail, depending on which edition) it is no doubt that people were upset. Allowing players to save time by spending extra money to accelerate the unlocking of major characters such as Darth Vader, is the definition of “pay to win”. Regardless of whether you have the money to afford these transactions; excluding content that should have already been in the game is greedy and wrong. Consumers united together to boycott EA to send a message, which was quite successful. Stocks and sales dropped as EA tried to remedy the storm with multiple PR moves. EA’s holds a notorious reputation for cover-ups after big mistakes like this. Consumer uproar ultimately leads to the scrapping of loot boxes for the debut of the game but was implemented later – big surprise. This event added to consumers’ ill will towards the company.

I remember the excitement friends and I shared over the new wave of Star Wars films. “The Force Awakens” (2015), the first of the movies, broke the record for the highest grossing film of all time at over $2 billion worldwide; it was a gentle re-introduction to the series, and despite mixed reviews, it was fun and served its purpose. Feeling refreshed and optimistic, I couldn’t wait for the next instalment. When the time came, as a long-time fan and avid film lover, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with Disney’s second film, “The Last Jedi” (2017). Now, I didn’t completely hate the film, there were some great scenes, and the visuals were terrific – but that was pretty much it. I left the theatre not knowing how to feel. It took a long while for me to come to my own conclusions on the film, and like a lot of others, it just didn’t feel like “Star Wars”. This is the film that made me realize what direction Disney was taking the series, it lacked substance and originality. Not only was the film a mess, but the backlash that followed is considered one of the most iconic outcries in recent times. Clearly, Disney is taking the series in a direction that values quantity over quality. The Last Jedi still managed to gross $1.3 Billion worldwide, although sales dropped significantly compared to the first film. The next year Disney introduced their first anthology film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018). The movie itself was enjoyable, much more than the last in the main series, but ended up being the biggest blunder of Disney era “Star Wars”. “Solo’s” failure resulted from disinterest and distrust of Disney to provide worthwhile content after many were disappointed with the previous film. The fans spoke with their wallets. Disney reactively cancelled future “Star Wars” productions following the disastrous release of Solo.

 Media companies are beginning to surrender to their audiences because without them their companies would never exist. United consumerism is a recent trend that continues to gain traction. Consumers now have a voice like they never had before, thanks to social media, and the rise of social justice. Knowing others feel the way I do about questionable business practices is reassuring. Respectable companies work together with their fans to create great content that doesn’t lack substance or originality, and don’t overcharge their fans to leech more profit; Respectable companies care for their fans and listen to their concerns. Bringing light to these issues is the best way for this movement to thrive because there is nothing more frightening than an angry fan base.

References:

Fortune.com - "EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2 Controversy."

Chicago CBS - "Opinion on the disgusting dark side of Star Wars materialism"

CNBC - "EA Vows to never offer paid loot boxes in controversial Star Wars Battlefront II game."

Free Tuition: An Opinion Piece

Dakota Jones

Tuition – the impending thought and factor that greatly determines whether students continue their education, or even pursue it at all. College tuition prices have grown substantially over the last several decades, leaving talks for decreased tuition costs to rise to an all-time high. On average, graduates borrowed around $29,000 to complete their degrees. An affordable number for some, but numbers like that are part of the reason why many do not wish to attend secondary education – it is just not realistic for the average North American.  Loans can take years to pay off, and when one considers the current price of life and increased inflation, it is no doubt that there is a large demographic that can only dream about attending post-secondary.

The benefits of introducing free college tuition become evident by practice in  European countries which includes; Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Slovenia. The fabric of these countries has dramatically emboldened due to increased adoption of socialistic ideologies. Increased economy and increased socio-economic status for many has incentivized a diminishing of the wealth gap, which in turn presents further equality. Access to higher education has proven to be an economic and social stimulant, but it also equates to improved mental health, longer lifespan, higher rates of pay, and lower rates of unemployment. Although consensus has not concluded on the full effects that decreased tuition would introduce, working systems provide us with evidence that decreased college tuition on a grand scale, can be beneficial for many people.

Lowering or eliminating college tuition fees is not the all-solving band-aid that a majority seems to perceive it to be. Initial impacts and policies will be altered to adapt to such an essential systematic change. Setting a precedent is the most critical aspect of the free college tuition movement. Once talks originate and spread increased circulation and thought refinement would work towards a more in-depth discussion on a topic that is universally adopted. Accessibility is critical to think about when considering proposed tuition decreases. No one is saying that prestigious schools such as Harvard or Stanford should allow students to attend for free. There is still a privilege that is maintained by these schools because of the high standards they hold themselves too. Ensuring people have equal rights to access to education at a rate that does not hinder progress, is one of the outlying proposals for the free tuition movement. Regulations and policy will still filter out those who attempt to take advantage of opportunities presented, especially because tax-payer dollars will go towards free tuition. Having a set of guidelines, regulations and achievable requirements will ensure that genuine go-getters will be able to pursue higher education. 

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3KU_gB922o

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/tressie-mcmillan-cottom-why-free-college-necessary

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/080616/6-countries-virtually-free-college-tuition.asp

       

Bike Lane One Pager

Dakota Jones

           Bike lanes in Victoria have stirred up controversy in recent years. The addition of bikes lanes in places, particularly downtown and nearby areas, cost taxpayers $7 million, which generated hefty amounts of backlash. The majority of commuters in Victoria tend to use other forms of transportation because of legitimate reasons. Commuters who travel too and from work may not have the time or energy to make use of these bike lanes. In an article published by the Times Colonist, Michel Murray, a local Victorian who has been cycling for over 15 years, gives his opinion. In Michel’s research, he found that there have been 530,000 bike trips in the first 14 months of lane operation. Which roughly equates to about 1,300 rides per day. With the assumption that each rider makes a return trip on the same day, that leaves us with an underwhelming number of 650 riders using the lanes daily. Although intentions for the bike lanes were beneficial, the adverse effects that they created greatly outweighed the good-intentions of the project.
          Climate change is the most critical issue we are facing as a society, but wasting taxpayer money on something that a majority of Victorians don’t make use of is inefficient. The project is seen by Michel as a “Vanity Project” – It’s meant to allow its enthusiasts to feel good about themselves, even though the actual effects of the lane implementations is minuscule. Throughout this ordeal, those opposing the idea of bike lanes, aka most of Victoria, have been treated with disdain. Blatant disregard from Victoria’s mayor, Lisa Helps, can be paralleled to the Theresa May – Brexit situation in the UK. Pushing unwanted projects with little to no payback is not the way to go. Listening to taxpayers, and logically assessing the number of people who use the bike lanes is a step that has been unfortunately missed by the mayor.
          In conclusion, the concept behind the bike lanes was well intended and sounded good in theory, but the execution and research conducted towards the project were lacking. Even though Victoria still remains as a wonderful place to be a cyclist, there are undoubtedly many other avenues in which taxpayer money can be spent more efficiently for the betterment of everybody, not fill a specific niche to create an eco-friendly façade. It is up to the citizens of Victoria to voice their concerns to their officials; hopefully, more people speaking up will help direct our resources and concerns towards more important issues in the future.