Resources for Technology

at
Categories
Tags

Who is the author of each source – not the person, necessarily, but the publisher? Is it a recognizable source?
Is it a university press or an academic journal – these are considered more credible
Does the source include a works cited or bibliography – what sources did your source draw on? Does it include a wide variety of citations from other credible sources?
Does the author make a reasonable argument with a balance of views included?
Is there any indication the author has relevant expertise?
Is there depth to the information? Did it take you time to summarize?
Does the source provide links (if a web site) to similar sources and does it provide a date of last update for its pages or other information?
AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE
What is the tone of the source, the appearance of the source (if online or visual), and its intention?
Does it try to appeal to an audience in a way that indicates its purpose is to sell, persuade or influence?
Does it simply present information in an unbiased way?
Is it advocating for a cause or to raise funds?
Who is it aimed at – can you tell?
Sites and other sources with well-documented evidence and focused on scholarship or presenting facts in balanced ways will be most useful.
OBJECTIVITY AND BIAS
Most sources provide a point of view or a bias that is implicit or explicit, but a strong source gives a balance – a range of views about the topic or issue.
Biased sources have no place in an academic essay, even if you counter that source with other, unbiased sources. A biased source is not credible because you can’t trust it – it is not objective. A source that can’t be trusted might do the following:
Make broad, sweeping claims
Use a tone that is unreasonable or excessive or over-the-top
Exaggerate its significance or value to the topic
Include no opposing views or provide only one view
Attack opposing views rather than consider them
RELEVANCE
Your sources should be relevant not just to the general topic, but to your essay’s purpose
How does it specifically address what you think might be your thesis, or the ideas you think you want to focus on in your essay?
How recent are your sources? Do you need something more updated?
Do your sources relate or is it a stretch to make them fit what you want to say? If so, you might need to find sources that are more relevant.

Sample Solution

2004)

In 2004, Apple released a silhouette campaign that involved ‘PC vs MAC’ at the end in huge, bold text (see fig.3) (Every iPod ‘silhouette’ ads (2004-2008), 2012). This could be seen as the conflict imbedded in the story, and the PC could be seen as the ‘villain’. Windows has always been Apple’s biggest competitor and the fact that they put ‘PC vs MAC’ in one of their most memorable campaigns, gives a huge shock factor to the consumer. “As storytellers, we get our message across through conflict and its resolution” (Fog, 2004:36). The message that Apple are personifying through the use of this conflict, would be that essentially, Apple is better than PC and if you want to have fun and let loose, buy a mac. Although the ad does not flat out say ‘buy a mac’, they are asking you your own opinion, what would you prefer? By asking this question this instantly makes the consumer feel like they are part of the experience, leaving them wanting more. The fact that apple advertise a Mac computer on an iPod advert, backs up the point of selling the experience. No matter what apple product you buy, whether it be an iPod, iPad or a MacBook, you will be part of the story and overall experience.

Figure 3. Apple (2004)

The Apple silhouette campaign is an example of how a brand can create their own ‘universe’ by telling a story and getting the consumer fully immersed. Another way that brands can tell stories is by “referring to, or borrowing from, stories that we already know” (Fog, 2004:168). Depending on the consumer’s knowledge, a brand can familiarise itself with an already told ‘story’ or ‘universe’, instantly making a connection with the consumer. This use of storytelling is evidently used in Apple’s 1984 campaign for the launch of Macintosh (see fig.4). This advertisement campaign was conceived by the ad agency Chiat/Day (now known as TBWA/Chiat/Day) which was the same agency that curated the silhouette campaign (Kattan, 2012). This campaign uses George Orwell’s classic, ‘1984’, to adapt the universe already created for the launch of the new Macintosh. The science fiction novel, 1984, “describes a totalitarian society where the party controls all information and brainwashes the populace to adhere to the demands of the system” (Fog, 2004:168). People in Orwell’s ‘universe’ are under constant supervision and in fear ‘Big Brother’, who is always watching.

Figure 4. Apple (1984)

This question has been answered.

Get Answer