The Last One

After a few months constantly blogging, researching and talking about media I have come today's the fact that media is almost everything we do. Everywhere we turn, there is some sort or form of media. On the first reflection post, I felt that I hardly had any contact with the media, yet, now I realize that most of my life revolves around the media. Commercials, books, television, ads and so much more revolves around my life. I've noticed that media is a constant distraction to me. It's always there; a constant shadow in the background.

I feel that, by becoming more aware of media, I try to stay away from it or I am aware of what they are trying to do. I do see and understand the techniques that companies are using and the people they are trying to target. I'm more aware of the amount of media I'm consuming(which is a lot) and the techniques that brands are using.

I feel that my media consumption, although I am more aware, has not changed much. I still use and am exposed to the same amount of media. It is fairly hard to limit my exposure to media as I feel that it is implanted so deep into our lives and society. However, even thought my habits haven't changed, I still believes that having a media literacy is important. We need to be more aware of the amount of media we are consuming and the effects that it holds on us. If we are going to live in a world of media then we should at least know what kind of world we are living in.

Keeping this blog helped me to be more aware of brands, their techniques, and the overall consumption of media that people go through on a daily basis. It amazes me how much media is consumed by us and how easily we fall into the grasps of media too. I did it sad how easily we succumb to this grasp and how it has made our thoughts into something so small  and something that's constantly deteriorating. Our words and thoughts are becoming smaller and media is spreading these incoherent  thoughts. As this being my last post, I hope you have also become more aware of your media consumption and the effects media has on you.

I hope you have a nice day!

Guacamole and a Hint of Subway

Have you seen this new Subway commercial? If you haven't then you should, just for the fact that they say guacamole about six times.

Let's start off by explaining the target market. Subway s heavily targeting men and women around their 20's. The workers and the costumers all seem young, happy and somewhat well off. They use the technique of plain folks. Many of those people eating the sandwiches are dressed and act as practical everyday people. This shows that Subway can be eaten by anybody, even the most ordinary of people.

This commercial also heavily hits psychological needs. We see this "fresh" and "new" guacamole and this sandwich stuffed with food and it is classifying our need to eat. They use bright lighting and colors to help emphasize this need to want to eat their food. They make the food look so fresh and good, that we want to reach right through the screen and eat it right then and there. This guacamole also has a "hint of jalapeno" making it seem more than just normal guacamole.

The technique of repetition is highly used as well. How many times do you hear the word guacamole being used? They are trying to drill that word into our head so the next time we go to Subway the thing we will want to buy is guacamole. They only promote one sandwich and it's only for a few seconds, whereas the guacamole is the whole basis of the commercial. The Subway logo is also repeated and shown many times. In the reflection of the glass, the worker's hat and shirt. So not only are they drilling guacamole into our heads, but also the logo and brand of Subway. 

How many of you want to go eat a sandwich now? I know I do. Overall, Subway uses several techniques and heavily hits on our psychological needs, making us want to eat a sandwich. 

I hope you have a nice day and how do you say guacamole? 

A Facade of Choice

I had talked about this topic briefly last week on my post about the documentary Miss Representation. However, I wanted to go ore into depth about this topic, as it has been a huge part of my life. Princesses. More specifically, Disney princesses.

Do you really expect all girls to look like this?

Growing up, I adored these cartoon characters. I loved and wanted to be one of them. In my eyes, they were the definition of perfection and what a girl should look like. I would dress up in costumes and act as if I were one of them. You could say I was obsessed. I thought they were perfect and beautiful, so growing up, I aimed to be like them.

Only after watching Miss Representation, did I realize that this is what their purpose served. We women have grown up in a society that categorizes us as a "damsel in distress" and expects us to looks and act a certain way. Take a look at the princesses. They are all thin with the right amount of curves, have long luscious hair, and they all fall in love and live happily ever after. We see this and believe that this will happen to us if we look like them. We are taught from an early age that this is the role we play in life. We are supposed to be saved by men and we're supposes to look like this.

This is what I wanted to look like when I was about 3.

Many of the princesses also dress in a way that shows off their bodies. Again, this teaches girls at an early age that we are expected to show skin and be this definition of beautiful if we want to live happily ever after. I remember when I was a little girl I wore a princess Jasmine costume and my stomach was sticking out. I wanted to be just like her. I wasn't even aware of the effects that these princesses had on me. I was living proof that we, as women and girls, were taught to acts and dress a certain way so we could achieve our happiness.

I find this extremely sad that our society has been shaped like this. It is said that we have our own freedom and our own independent choices growing up, but how much of that is really a lie? Are we really able to make our own choices without the world and society having a say in it? We are taught at such an early age to be and act a certain way and this effects the outcome of who we are as people. Our whole lives seem as if they've been controlled and made for us. I hope this changes in the future and we will really have the choice to decide who we want to be, not this facade of choice that we have today.

I hope you have a nice and and make the choices you want to make.

Feigning Perfection

After watching the documentary Miss Representation, I feel as if I have been oblivious to the constant and outraging problems that women face on a daily basis. We've grown up in a society where we've been taught to become this stereotype of a person and that we all have role to fill. Movies, media and marketing all shape this role of who we are supposed to be and I have been oblivious to all of it until now.

Even as children, we were taught those ideals of 'perfection.'

Large movie corporations, such as Disney, have been portraying women as "damsels in distress" and as sexual objects, rather than real people. Many movies show the women as a certain stereotype and their stories will revolve around men. This also shapes the idea that men must be the dominant and powerful ones, eventually creating a violent relationship in our society. We have grown up seeing these women in films and seeing the way they are portrayed as a sexual object and because of this, we think that the only way to become beautiful and powerful is to be like the women in those films.

Marketers know this. They survive off of our insecurities and impossible dreams. While listening and seeing this in the documentary, I became shocked. Are brands really this evil? Do they really make us insecure, just so we would buy their products? This is horrible. What has our society turned into? We live off of the fear and insecurities of others just to make ourselves more successful. This twisted idea that everybody must be perfect to have power is sickening and is causing our ways of thinking to become toxic.

All men...

Even politics have become tainted by the stereotypes of men and women. We only see men as the ones who can rule and lead us and when a woman tries to run for a positions we only see her as an object. We see women who are running for power as "trying to steal the men's power." That idea is ridiculous! Women can't have power just for the sake of wanting to make a change and to become a leader? Because we have grown up in a society where men are the leaders and powerful ones, rather than the women, we can't see (or refuse to see) a future where women may be the leaders of our nation.

We are constantly changing our bodies and our personalities for the sake of finding 'perfection.' But, the rules of perfection are constantly changing and morphing into something different or more extreme. We're willing to go so far to become this definition of 'perfection' to feel more powerful and comfortable. But, the only reason we don't feel powerful is because society says we aren't, unless we can gain that 'perfection.' This is all very mind bending to be and I feel as if I am making everything so much more confusing.

What are your thoughts on this topic? We're you oblivious to all of this, just as I was?

I hope you have a nice day and let me know what you think in the comments!

Tomayto Tomahto

FREE TOMATO SEEDS!

So, here I am eating dinner and flipping through a magazine and long and behold! Tomato seeds! I know, why would tomato seeds be stuck randomly on a magazine page that has a dirt background? I thought the exact same thing. I ripped off the seed packet and happily flipped the page. That's when I saw it. The ad. It was staring me in the face, mocking me with its tomato. I knew the ad had served its purpose. It had captured my attention through the clutter and made me think about tomatoes and its product (I hate tomatoes).

This ad was selling tomato sauce. So why give me these magical seeds? Well, first, to bribe you and second, to help emphasize the freshness of their tomato sauce.

This ad totally uses the technique of bribery. Free tomato seeds! What kind of person doesn't like free stuff?! We humans are a greedy bunch. We crave for things that we don't have to pay for. So, this ad appeals to this need for free items and gives us free seeds. We now have a positive feeling to wards this company and if we are ever in need of tomato sauce, we'll go to them. Why? Because they gave us something free.

Then there's the ad...

This ad is also trying to emphasize the freshness of their product. Dirt+seeds+shovel= freshness. On the back page of the ad it says, "Plant some freshness of your own." They are inferring that their tomatoes are fresh out of the ground and grown from hand. By giving us seeds and telling us to plant our own fresh tomatoes, they are indirectly saying that their tomatoes are fresh as well. The ad also states, "tomatoes in our salsa go from the field to jar in 24 hours." If that doesn't scream fresh, then I don't know what else does.

Because there is so much emphasis on freshness, this company is also appealing to our psychological needs. It is classifying our need to eat tomatoes. We see and read about the freshness, now we want to eat it and experience it for ourselves.

Overall, this ad was totally effective on me and completely captured my attention with the free seeds. It did its duty and caught my eye through the clutter of media and ads. It depends on its freshness and bribery to help sell its product and as for me, it did a pretty good job.

I hope you have a nice day and I also hope that you find free seeds of your own!

Televison, Beauty and Potato Chips

Recently, in class, we watched Frontline's video The Merchants of Cool and it documented how the media and advertising business is creating a culture with the teens they are targeting. Media, media, media. A small word that covers a ginormous range of technology and objects. It's everywhere in our life and ever since I can remember, I have been surfing along the waves of media. One of the earliest waves I've caught in this sea of media, is television.

They're supposed to be in high school... obviously.

From Dora the Explorer to Pretty Little Liars, T.V. shows have always been a major part of my life and entertainment. They not only shape who I am and who I've become, but according to The Merchants of Cool, I also help to shape what they show. It's a constant cycle of "cool." Yet, this cool has a price. That price is our lives, power and independence.

Shows targeted towards teens such as Pretty Little Liars or Teen Wolf all revolve around the life of 'high schoolers.' The actors and actresses who are supposed to be playing 16 years old's are actually in their 20's. How does that make teenagers feel? We see those mature and full grown people portraying high school kids and we believe that that's the standard of beauty and cool. Seriously? How are we supposed to compare to people who are fully grown and developed? We see that and believe that we are not beautiful or important unless we look like them.

Most of the boys and girls in T.V. shows are the image of society's so-called 'beauty.' Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful and awesome, but so is everybody else in this world. So what if you see a skinny, long haired, blue eyed actress on T.V. screen? Does that mean you have to look exactly like them? No it doesn't. These actors and actresses put so much pressure on our generation. They are all 'perfect' and we're at home sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching them on the screen. So what? Go ahead and keep eating those chips. You don't need a screen to tell you who you're supposed to be.

Wouldn't you love to have their life when your older?

The shows that portray adult's lives also show stereotypical people. They lives are filled with drama and happy endings. Again, we see these shows and believe that our lives should be like that one day. This reality assumption that our lives should have a happy ending and that our bodies should look like an hourglass has taken over our generation and society. This distorted image is putting pressure on all of us and telling each individual that we are not beautiful and we cannot be successful until we look and have the same lives as those we see on T.V.

At the end of the day, T.V. is a great way to pass the time and to release some stress. Yet, it's delivering an indirect message of how our society should be and what we should look like. It's causing us pressure and we are paying the price of our lives to become 'beautiful' and 'cool. How do you feel about this? Do you believe that shows are indirectly portraying this, or am I just crazy?

I hope you have a nice day and go ahead and keep eating those chips. You don't need a screen to tell you who to be.

Of Facts and Fish

My brother was watching T.V. one day and suddenly, I see this commercial that immediately sparks my attention. It was about Sea World. No, I wasn't distracted by the cute whales or dolphins, but what intrigued me was the facts (I know, I'm a dork).

Last year, I watched a documentary called Blackfish. This documentary focused on the controversy over capturing killer whales and the treatment of them. The documentary showed the side of Sea World that most people don't know about. The side that captures the whales from their families and natural environment and causes them to go almost insane. They documentary follows the stories of how people were killed, but it wasn't the animal's fault; it was ours.

This helped to spark the debate over captive killer whales (who are really not killers) and now, SeaWorld is fighting back.

They start this commercial off by saying "There's some facts..." This immediately shows the technique of facts and figures. Throughout the video, they show several quotes from newspapers such a Wall Street Journal and from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. They also put their profession and on the screen to show that they are reliable sources. To people who love facts and will believe anything that's factual, then this commercial will persuade them easily or at least make them on the edge of changing their mind. It appeals to our need to satisfy curiosity.

If you have seen the documentary Blackfish and then you see this commercial, you now have two different perspectives that both claim they have the real facts. Both videos make us feel sympathy for the animals, as well. Now, we have two conflicting sides and even more confusion and tension to this controversial topic. However, at the end of the day, SeaWorld is still a large company name and was probably struggling with business after this documentary came out. All in all, both videos contained the technique of facts and figures and appealed to the need to satisfy curiosity and need to nurture.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

I hope you have a nice day and remember "fish are friends, not food" (Sorry. I was talking about fish, so naturally, I felt the need to quote Finding Nemo).

Abyss of Media

So, over the weekend, after a three hour car ride without technology, my little brother said something that really bothered me. We went into our room and he immediately turns on the television and says, "Oh thank goodness. I was about to go insane without any noise or  TV."

This is what his life revolves around. Technology and media. It's consuming him to the point where he can't even go a few hours without it. When he looks back on his childhood all he's going to remember is a screen. He won't have the experience of playing outside or walking to the park, but just a screen.

Personally, I believe that this is due to the clutter of technology and marketing. We are already bombarded by millions of ads that surround us in an ocean of marketing, products, and new technology. Now, it's getting worse. These companies continue to want to be noticed and new technology continues to be created. We are sinking in an abyss of media.

Am I the only one who finds this sad?

I'm not saying that I hate technology or the advancements of our society. I just hate what it's turning us into. Our thoughts become shorter and our attention span becomes something minuscule. We aren't connected to the earth or to our families, but rather a screen or keyboard.

I see children all the time with their faces stuck to a screen. Their eyes have this distant look that is absorbed into a world of advancements and pixels. Because of this constant clutter and the constant build to it, the children of this generation are being deprived of their childhoods. Why go to the park or play outside when you can just do it on a screen?

They belive that it's easier to just tap screens or click buttons. Everything is at the touch of their hands and they no longer need to think or move when they have everything automatically. This continuous stream and clutter of technology and media is just adding to or distractions and our laziness.

Eventually we are going to drown in abyss of media if we can't control the clutter. I honestly do hope that we can overcome this distraction and this clutter. When my little brother looks back on his childhood, I want him to remember things such as family or experiences, not a screen.

I hope you have a nice day and beware of the clutter!

#wordsandmediathesedays

Did you get the title? I tried to make it look cool by using a hashtag (#). I mean, doesn't everybody do that these days?

Behold! The real definition of 'swag.'

Our language is slowly deteriorating into something that is almost indecipherable. Our words are becoming smaller and smaller, and sooner or later, so will our thoughts. The words and phrases that people are starting to use in everyday life are ridiculous.I don't even know what half of them mean! This could probably be due to the fact that I'm not a huge social media fan, but seriously; how does a word like 'swag' come to describing something cool? Do you even know what the actual definition for swag is?  Modern slang has become beyond ridiculous at some points.

Take the word 'selfie' for example. It is now an official word. Somewhere, deep in the massive space of the interwebs, the word 'selfie' was used for the first time. It was then a huge hit and was blown us and used to mass proportions. Then, bam! It's an official word. Nobody would dare to think of saying, "Hey. Let's take a picture together!" Everybody would rather say, "Hey. Take a selfie with me," because this it's so much cooler (I'm joking of course).

Seriously, it's a legitimate word.

Phrases like "That test doe," or "Wow, you're basic," are things that I hear being said on a daily basis. Honestly, are you not capable of speaking a whole, coherent sentence? Or are you just trying to be cool and you actually don't understand what you're saying? The fact that we are able to communicate is amazing, but the fact that we're using it to say things such as 'turnt' or 'on fleek' is not amazing.

When you're calling somebody 'thirsty' are you suggesting that they are in need of water or some sort of liquid? No. You're suggesting that their in need of attention. How does this have anything to do with needing a liquid of some sort? Exactly, it doesn't.

Well, I apologize for going off on a complete tangent about words and slang. I also apologize to  any of those people who use these words, as I don't mean to upset or offend you, but I am just oblivious as to how 'selfie' and 'bae' are considered words. Lastly, I apologize for being a hypocrite, as I use some of these words at times (Not all the time as most people, but still). Have a nice day and don't get too crazy with your words!
#doesthisconsidermeacoolperson

Consumers Becoming Consumed

As of this moment, I could probably find your contact information, stuff you enjoy, hobbies, social media sites, where your going to school and even where you live. Of course I won't. This is all theoretical. But, are you aware of all the stuff you have out on the internet? When you click that "I Agree to the Terms and Conditions" button or the "Create Account" button, do you know all of the information you just put out there for everybody to see?

This is how it starts. We press that button and then they start to follow our every like and dislike, until, boom. We fall into their trap. Who is they you might ask? They are companies and brands.

Have you even read the Terms and Conditions? Do you really Agree?

After watching The Persuaders in class, I was shown a whole new side to brands and advertisements.  They go through so much trouble just to get noticed. But, is stalking our every post really necessary? I never knew how much information was accessible through my social media accounts, or even posts I like.

That information you just put on the internet is being stored somewhere. That information could easily be accessed by huge corporations and when they find it they'll look for patterns and label us. They will make us a target and shoot ads towards us. They will try and persuade us by using our own information against us! Am I the only one who finds this evil and creepy? I don't go on the internet that often, but even my information is floating out in the land of interwebs and is being followed and targeted.

This is a gold mine of information for brands.

By looking at things we like, these companies will try to sell us more of those things or make it seem as if it's something we like. If you don't believe you're being followed, go on your computer and wait for the ads to pop up. Are they things you're interested in? Are the ads on your social media site similar to items you have pressed the like button on? It's not a coincident. You're being targeted, just as every other person in this society is.

Personally, I feel as if this is a lack of privacy. Whenever I go the internet, I can't help but think of what huge company if following me around (virtually, of course). I am exposed and every account made or click of a button, I am exposing even more of myself. We are being consumed by brands and companies. They eat every tweet, post or like we put out. They are targeting us and stealing away our privacy all for one reason. To sell their product and stay in the game of advertising.

The next time you are about to post a picture, like a post or create a new social media account, just be aware of the information you are giving up. We are being consumed and we aren't even aware of it.
On that happy note, have a nice day and beware of the sneaky buttons!

A Word About Words

Recently in class, we learned about the power of language and how words can so easily affect our decisions. Now, I'm sitting here staring at my computer and scrounging the internet for articles that use these sneaky powers of language. I found an article immediately.

Clashes in Philadelphia as Freddie Gray Protest Neared Highway

This article briefly discusses the escalating protest in Philadelphia due to the death of Freddie Gray. The author of this article, like most authors these days, uses the power of language to give different emotions throughout his article.

We start off this article with a somewhat positive connotation through the word "skirmishes." Rather than using words such as battles or fights, which both give negative connotations, the authors used the word skirmishes, which makes the event seem less tense than it already is. The word skirmishes is the first word in the article, so we feel the immediate affect of its positive connotation.

The "skirmishes" occurring

The next word that caught my attention was the word "snarled." What do you feel or see when you hear this word? Personally, I receive a harsh and violent feeling, making me feel at unease. The word snarled was used to describe the traffic that was brought on by the demonstrators. By the author's use of this word snarled, we are given a negative view of the demonstrators. The authors also describe the demonstrators as "hurling plastic water bottles" and "shouting" at the police officers. The demonstrators are seen as very harsh and disrespectful in this article. Rather than the word hurling, the authors could have used thrown, which has a very less harsh and violent connotation.

After searching for all of the negative and positive connotations, I found a weasel word. In the article, it states, "At least one mounted police officer charged protestors in an attempt to get them to disperse." The "at least" in the very beginning of the sentence makes the amount of police men using violence seem much lower that what actually happened. When reading this, we think that only one officer charged the protestors, but after spotting the "at least," that number of charging officers could have been much more higher. This was most likely intended by the authors to give the police officers a more positive image and feeling.

The use of the power of language is used so often throughout our world of news and media. But, in respect to George Orwell's article of Politics in the English Language, the authors of this article follow it rather well. The article was short and to the point, which is a main point that Orwell argues for. The article is also very informative and doesn't use any figurative language or long complicated words, which is yet again, another point that Orwell stresses.

The power of language is a power that we all have and use on a daily bases. It is a strong power that can make millions of people love or hate you, based off of one or two words you have said. When using this power, we must use it wisely, with caution and according to Orwell, with a straightforward tone.

Sneaky Stickers

It has recently come to my attention that books are indeed a form of media. As being an avid reader myself, I have stacks of books littering my room. Everywhere you turn, there's a book (more like books). One day I decided to add to my never ending piles of books and took a trip to the bookstore. I hunted through the store until I was satisfied with the books I had, only to notice a sticker on one of my beautiful covers.

A sticker. It was covering a portion of the beautiful artwork on the cover. Now, what was the importance of this sticker that gave it the right to graffiti the cover? A movie. It was advertising the film adaptation of the book. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the movies and seeing the books come to life, but the publishers couldn't have placed their advertisement somewhere else?

This evil sticker, did in fact, make me want to buy the book.

I went back home, forgetting about the sticker incident and went along happily reading my books. Only until after I finished my new books, I started searching my piles for something to reread. Then long and behold, I find the perfect book to reread. My eyes graze the cover only to find another sticker! This time rather than promoting a movie, it promoted the next book in the series.

You might begin to think I'm crazy, but trust me, I'm not. I just like my books to be beautiful and clean. So the next step after finding this sticker, was to search my piles of books to find even more evil stickers. I came across many stickers, all promoting something different. Stickers such as "exclusive pictures inside," and "includes excerpt of the next novel," all stuck to my books.

Do you feel the evilness? I sure do.

The scary part was that I hadn't even known those stickers were there most of my life, until I started taking Critical Thinking. These evil stickers have been stealthily sneaking into my life and bombarding me with ads that I wasn't even aware of. I do hope you take this blog post under your consideration, as I would hate to see you getting as upset as I did over the evil stickers. Now, please excuse me, as I must take the stickers off of all my books before I actually do go crazy. Happy reading and beware of the stickers!

The Beeps and the Buzzes

I live a fairly simplistic life. I preform mundane tasks which are preformed by millions of others around the world and wake up to the familiar sound that has implanted itself into our society. That sound is the buzz of technology. The constant beepings and buzzings that we hear on a daily basis. I can't pinpoint the exact moment of when I became aware of these sounds, but it was around the time of when I was in middle school. The time when smartphones and apps came into our lives. For me, the world of media surrounded me with slow steps. First, I succumbed to the games that I could never complete, yet kept playing. Next, was my obsession with reading and the countless worlds the books brought me (Yes. I do, in fact, love reading). Then, came along music and T.V. shows. As of today, I still play the frustrating games, read my fantastic books, listen to music and enjoy watching my shows. I would consider my relationship with media to be somewhat more private than others. Not in a sense that I'm living a secret, technological life, but in a sense that I don't plaster my daily life all across the internet. I prefer to keep more to myself. I know, I know. I'm a teenage girl living in California and surrounded by a society where people base your coolness on the amount of followers you have, yet I don't have an Instagram or Twitter. If that makes me a loser, then so be it. Well, now you know my life's relationship with the world of media and as this is my first blog post, I would say that it went rather well. Hopefully.