Website Analysis Part 3: New media Culture Issues

On a cultural level, this website is rather interesting. As a movie news website it is immediately categorised under journalism and film, and the coverage that is its output is susceptible to a number of standard rules and legislations. Firstly, the content of an article cannot be seen as slanderous of an actor/actress/director because that would make the website liable for a court case. It cannot be defamatory of a film or person as that would also allow the subject to sue the website for damages. So we must look at how the articles are written to find its full appeal to the user.

"In the chat room, MUD or bulletin board we will often take on a nickname or handle that allows us to participate in the carnival-like masquerade of online identity play." ( Lister et al, New Media Cultures: An Introduction, page 166, section titled Networks and Identity).

Here the nickname is Joblo. On the contact us page, we can see that Joblo is really Berge Garabedian. His interests are listed alongside his position as founder of the site and we get an impression of the kind of person he is from the sort of films he likes. This is only a skin deep image based on first appearances and some hopefully reliable information. But it is within his writing style that we get a feel for what he is really like. In a review of Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, for example, he gives us the outline of the film from his own personal point of view and describes, as any movie critic would, what he likes and dislikes about the film. But, different to many critics, he gives us a sense of his own personal individual account, instead of a shared consensus that the film must instantly be a masterpiece due to the director's track record. We can read that this is an everyday man writing about his passion for a living, and not having to adhere to any codes of practice because of his profession.

"Burton is one of my favorite directors of all-time, and Depp is one of my favorite actors of all-time, and many of their previous collaborations are among my favorite films of all-time, but even all those positive preambles couldn’t get me to wanna stay put in my seat as a young homeless boy started crooning about how much he loved this girl he just saw in a window or when Depp took two minutes to sing “Hello” to his cutting blades. Even Helena Bonham Carter, looking her most Marla Singer-ish, wasn’t able to get me to pop a fanboy woodie for this flick." (http://www.joblo.com/reviews.php?mode=joblo_movies&id=1523) From this quote we can see that his appreciation for the work of the actors and director had no effect on how much he liked the film. His personality comes through in the way he speaks, and how he describes events that have occurred within the film's narrative. "As for the songs themselves? Meh. And yes, even though I’m not a fan of singing dialogue moments, I can appreciate a catchy tune if I hear one, but there weren’t many that caught my ear during this picture. Maybe you have to be a fan of the play itself or see it a few times? I don’t know." He questions himself as he knows he is just a normal man running a website which a lot of people have taken interest in, and not some brown nosing newspaper critic who over appreciates every little detail. Thus his writing style appears much more human and individualised, creating a more captivating article because of its human appeal and depth.