Yaniv Shier

     In our text titled Culture Theory and Popular Culture by John Storey, and more specifically the portion in the book regarding structuralism and post-structuralism, Ferdinand de Saussure is accepted as the father of the "signifier" and "signified" concepts. The ad that was chosen for us to analyze contains many opportunities to determine the signifier and signified, and formulate signs from what we believe those to be. The first frame of the advertisement that I have chosen to analyze is the man on the screen, the second is quickly after the screen is shattered, showing a seemingly surprised group of people with a bright light shining across their faces.

     The signifier for the first shot I have described is a man displayed on a screen. the signifier part of Saussure's process, in terms of this assignment, disregards anything the man is saying. Simply put, as the signifier stands alone there is almost no meaning. I have found the signified, in this case, to be much more telling of the message Apple attempts to convey. I believe the signified to be a man that has transcended into the only voice of reason, providing blind subscription to a people. Together, the signifier (the man in the screen) and the signified (voice of reason) bring to my mind sign-systems of conformity exerted by an oppressive force. A reason why apple chose this Orwellian style was to portray their competitors as oppressors providing what they believe to be the only right choice.

     My second shot of choice is after the woman destroys the screen. The signifier is the reaction of a seated audience, all of their mouths agape and a white light shining of them. Again, there is little context to be pulled out of a signifier alone. However, I feel that the signified in this shot is a group of people astonished by something that has always been on finally being turned off. Although the light seems blinding, the audience still stares, as if not knowing what to do. I cannot help but think of the audience members as "the bewildered herd," a term coined by Noam Chomsky in his book titled Media Control. The signifier and signified together create the sign system of freedom, revelation,and mental liberation.

     Apple quickly, and almost ironically, implies that there is finally something new to consume that separates us from the mentally oppressed. By ironic I mean to say that Apple is projecting a "breaking of chains" in their advertisement but at the same suggesting people to follow a new technology. This is besides the point though, as the advertisement is powerful and contains a dismissal of an existing product with a new choice.

     People watching and connecting the sign systems within the ad will denote the man and the audience as that exactly: a man on a screen being watched by an audience. However, in contextualizing the ad with common opinion at the time, the audience will see the man as "Big Brother" and the audience as "the bewildered herd." These sign-systems relate quite naturally: the signs in the first shot being conformity and oppression and the second being freedom and mental liberation. This is a perfect conclusion for consumers to arrive at if you are Apple's marketing team, as Apple's competitors are now seen as evil while Macintosh is seen as good.