Media Ecology And The Matrix Film Studies Essay

This report is based on Matrix movie. The Matrix movie is a science fiction-action film which was released in America on March 31, 1999.This film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski.it is the first part of Matrix series, not even movie also the part of comic book, video games and animation. The meaning of matrix is a rectangular array of matrix.

In this movie its shows there is two different lives, one is computer generated world “dream world” and another is real, but all human living in dream word which is programed and none of them know. In this movie “Neo” is a hero and he is a computer programmer and he drawn into a rebellion against the machines. But first he wanted to know “what is matrix”. Morpheus is main character of this movie and he spends much time on matrix to find, and he also help other to find it. He is the caption of their team in their spaceship which they called Nebuchadnezzar. They always go to dream world and come back with hacked telephone line; it is only the safe exit from the matrix. In other side in dream world a group of Agent which is known as “swat” team. They want to kill the entire human, so they want to catch the Morpheus. Because he is the only person who knows all the matrix code to go back to their ship throw phone. When they catch the Morpheus then Neo come and save him from him.

Discussion

There are few issue and theories which are applied on them are following.

Media Ecology :- The effect of media on human being throw the perception feeling, understanding etc. and its change our thinking feeling and behaving system. Main source of media are TV, film, radio, mobile, books.

Issues raised in the movies are:-

Movie seen : – In this movie when Agent behind the Trinity to kill, then she ask for help from tank by her cell phone then Tank call on a local STD, when she picked up the phone then she reached at their real world from dream world (Programmed world) in form of matrix.

Answer: -Matrix movie is fully based on media ecology. In this movie telephone is used as in the form of media ecology. They used it to communicate and to move from move real to virtual or virtual to real word. Telephone decreased the way difference between both lives and makes it a global village. Virtual word is the hot media in this movie because it programed world and caring huge amount of data and telephone is cold media.

In this movie they are using number computer screens to read the matrix.

Script from movie: -as example

The ship is quiet and dark. Everyone is asleep

IN MAIN DECK

The core glows with monitor light. Cypher is in the

Operator’s chair as Neo cones up behind him.

CYPHER

Whoa! Shit, Neo, you scared me.

NEO

Sorry.

CYPHER

Midnight watches.

Neo’s eyes light up as he steps closer to the screens

That seems alive with a constant flow of data.

NEO

It is The Matrix?

CYPHER

Yeah.it is The Matrix.

Answer: -In this script you can read that neo talking about computer screens to read the information, computer show some data to which have their own value which is called matrix. Computer becomes a medium for cypher in this example and data become its information and in other words these tools make more extension for them.

Cognitive dissonance :- The uncomfortable feeling which is caused by double minded situation, and hard to decided which the person already done is good or not.

When Neo become a part of their team they he start meeting to team members. When he meets the cypher, then cypher say: –

Cypher: – I know you thinking same but I am thinking.

Neo: – what I am thinking?

Cypher: – why I not choose the blue pill, I want to go back in dream world and I am tired from this life ruled fully life. But Morpheus say it our real word.

Answer: – This theory is easily applied on Cypher, because first he decided to come in this world but now he wants to go back in virtual (programmed) world. He is double minded and feeling uncomfortable. In this line you can easy understand his feeling, action, behaviour and beliefs are out of harmony and other cause of this is his belief or exception is more than what he got, which is the main reason he feeling uncomfortable and thinking he choose wrong decision and choose red pill.

Social penetration theory: – It is also known as onion theory, it means it is referred in terms of breath and depth and every layer is show the human behaviour according to its breadth and depth. For example, how we are close to a person, its decrease the layer of personal information of that person for us.

Answer: – This theory is applied on the relationship of Neo and trinity. First Trinity and Neo was not known to each other closely, it is same like a Onion based example , when she start known about Neo and start come closer, then the interpersonal layers in start decreasing for Trinity and then she feel that he is “the one” and fall in love with Neo. Here is the script of movie which shows feeling of trinity about Neo.

TRINITY

Neo, I have to tell you something. I don’t know what it means or even

If it matters but I feel I have to say it.

I’ve never told anyone this before. I think I’ve been afraid to.

When I went to the Oracle, she told me… she told me that I would meet

A man. And that I would fall in

Love…

Social identity: – At the end part of movie when there is a fighting between Neo and agents. Agents catch the neo and kill him by gun but after some time Neo open his eyes and stand up and start fighting again and when again Agents try to shoot him then Neo stop all the bullets in air.

Answer: – In this part of movie when he was killed, at that movement he was fighting like a normal human and was not who he is. But when he starts thinking about the difference between real human and programmed created world and start compare agents and him. He finds his social identity. His social identity is he is “the one” in movie who can control his mind the see the difference between real and programed world.

Conclusion

This movie is a science based fiction-Action movie and media ecology is big part of this movie. Telephone and computer screen are both are the medium of source of information. They contact to each other through the cell phone and they travel on both worlds with telephone exception and all the information they got like position, way to go out from building are they got from computer screen in the form of matrix. So these are the tool of they use which are based on media ecology.

Cypher is a character of this movie who feel uncomfortable because he want to go back in virtual world and thinking he choose wrong option so Cognitive dissonance theory is full applied on Cypher.

According to social penetration theory human are like the onion, they have layers one after one as breadth and depth. It is same like how much you know a person, layer are start decreases and person start to come close to you same like the character of movie Trinity and Neo.

Social identity is also applied on Neo in this movie because he finds his own personality, who he is and he got the difference between his and agents.

Referencing

Griffin, E. (2006). A first look at communication theory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.