Basic Media Criticism: Compare/Contrast

Media Criticism is, despite the name, not criticizing the media or investigating media bias, but rather it is an outgrowth of literary, art, and music criticism. As culture progresses in different mediums, creative works are more dependent on a consumer’s multi-modal literacy, or familiarity with not only multiple types of media, but also the combined uses of multiple types of media and examining how they all interact, support, and distract from each other.

Still confused? Ever seen a movie with a sweeping soundtrack? Played a video game? Live-tweeted a television show or streaming series? Seen an opera or musical? Had an opinion about them besides that of the plot? Then you possess multi-modal literacy. It’s a skill that people naturally develop as they’re exposed to culture, but usually don’t know there’s a name for it.

The Goal of Criticism

Criticism can be intimidating, often because of its abstract nature and the concept that since critique is based off one’s opinion, there can be no right or wrong answers. For the more analytical, especially those who favor the sciences, the idea of there not being a wrong or right answer is frightening. After all, the sciences and mathematics work off a general principle: identify the problem, relegate it to the proper procedures, follow those procedures until a correct answer, or supported result is revealed. Afterward, anyone can follow the same procedures with the same givens and reach the same result that you did.

Media criticism throws a wrench in the works, as even if the other person watches the same movie you did, and follows your argument, there is no certainty that they will agree with your position 100%, and can cause arguments when there is disagreement, even over the slightest of details. (One only has to scroll through a comments section to bear witness to this.) Therefore, a media critic must not set out to prove that their argument is correct, and able to convince the undecided, but rather to pursue two things: relevance and validity.

Relevance is vital, as without it, no matter how brilliantly you write your essay, it will most likely be skimmed over or outright ignored. Relevance is demonstrating how your argument is something worth paying attention to beyond a clickbait title, but as something that provides worthwhile content.

Validity is also important, as without it your essay strains credibility at best and at worst sounds like you’re talking out of your ass. It isn’t just citing and referencing sources, though (you should always reference your sources to avoid plagiarism), it’s proving not that your argument is correct, but that your argument is one that invites discussion, and holds as a credible take on the subject. You aren’t trying to prove that you’re right, but rather that your voice is one that should be listened to.

Simple Criticism: Compare/Contrast

A compare/contrast essay is generally considered the simplest type of essay. “How are these 2-3 things alike? How are they different? Why? Why not?” has been the basis of many an essay in secondary school and at introductory university levels. Due to its simplicity, it’s common for writers to be waved off of this type, or for them to “outgrow” it, but a compare/contrast essay can be as poignant as other essay types, should the subjects and thesis be compelling enough.

Blogging provides a unique advantage in writing this type of essay for several reasons. Primarily, a blog entry frees one from that which hamstrings most writing: page count and word count. Whether for professional writing or academic work for a grade, suggested page counts of minimum to maximum word count is often listed, and this is often detrimental to the writing. Even if the essay subject is one that the writer is passionate, most modern word processing programs provide a running word count and a constant knowledge of how many pages have been written. Instead of concentrating on building a good argument, the writer instead tends to obsess about how long the paper is, which can lead to overwritten and filler passages.

Also, blogging provides the writer of a compare/contrast essay with the ability to include visual examples of the subjects they are addressing. Youtube videos, audio clips, and images can provide the reader with the multi-modal approach that will be more effective. Once only has to look at the most successful entries on Steemit that aren’t about cryptocurrency, and some that are about crypto, to see the multiple forms of media that are employed to make the entries more enticing and able to hold attention.

Still, even with the ability to include more media in an essay, content is still the primary driver, and a compare/contrast essay at first glance seems to be lacking in that regard. “How are they alike? How do they differ? Why?” seems like three skinny paragraphs, and it can be if one only looks to write the essay in the broadest possible strokes, and then wonders after why the essay isn’t longer.

Questions = Content

Adding content to an essay is how page count word count is increased. This seems insultingly obvious, but often the focus for some is the number of words or pages, not the breadth of an argument. Moving out of that mindset can be as simple as asking questions and trying to answer them yourself.

For example, when comparing two characters in a movie, you might go into the standard comparisons of storyline, challenges, obstacles, and outcomes with a minimal amount of discussion of symbolism and imagery. At that point, a simple 5-paragraph essay is finished and safely turned in for a secondary school B, a university C, or a Steemit “…at least it’s not shovelware” entry. It’s serviceable, but quality content goes a step further.

Every “fan theory” essay, every “deep dive”, every “Dude… you are really reaching…” begins with asking questions that the material suggests but doesn’t answer. What are the motivations? Why are certain scenes shot in a particular color? Does the tonality of the character in one monologue imply a different motivation that shown by the rest of the work? What if the character had made the right choice at the point of no return? These questions are countless, and form the basis of critical thinking, which challenges the mind to do more than accept what it’s shown at face value. It teases a consumer to look for subtext either intentional or otherwise to uncover additional layers of material to mine for critique.

Asking questions and suggesting and supposing answers to them with logic and the subtext of the material can inspire reams of words and pages in even the briefest snippets of a work. A critic can write a comparison between two characters over the course of a four book series and be done in five pages and call it a day. Another can write an essay digging into the contrast of two separate performances of a three minute scene in a film by two different actors and produce a fifteen page piece exhaustively delving into every facet of the opposing performances and how they each portray an almost completely different rendition of the same character. It’s dependent on how deep a critic is willing to dig. It can make the material lose some of it’s magic, but can inspire a greater understanding and appreciation of the works compared and contrasted, as well as honing a writer’s skill in critical thinking.

Simply put, when comparing and contrasting, the only limit on content is how many questions the writer is open to asking.

A piece of tape on the screen to hide the wordcount helps too. 😊