Morgan Russell
Assignment # 7
ENVS 195-Media
As an environmental studies major I often learn of the horrible things being done throughout the world. We are destroying our environment at an alarming rate and it seems that no one cares. I often wonder how people I know can so easily contribute to this destruction. One quote from this book I absolutely loved was on page 7, “The moment you fail to understand why the natural world might have any relevance in the day-to-day lives of human beings, you have become…’a lost ball in the high weeds.” Abandon nature and you abandon your sense of the divine. More than that, you lose track of who you are.”
The author goes on to discuss how advertisements “erode our ability to empathize, to take social issues seriously, to be moved by atrocity,” (p. 23). In my experience this lack of empathy comes from those who are the most media obsessed. I am often shocked when I tell my friends of an issue and they wave it aside with a casual “hmm that’s too bad.”
What I really found scary about this reading was how much I saw the traits and characteristics discussed in myself friends. It may be that I have simply begun to pay attention but more and more often I find myself talking to people who seem disconnected from real life, while being so connected to virtual life. I regularly find myself sitting in a group of people who are all on their laptops, they could hardly tell me the last thing I said but could tell me the last 5 people who wrote on my wall.
I have a friend who I always considered fun/funny. Recently I have begun to notice that oftentimes the joke, or funny statement that has come from my friend didn’t actually come from her at all. We are replacing our own sense of humor and simply restating a line from a movie, show, or song. What confuses me the most is that this friend seems smart, (potentially) creative, and caring. Yet rather than using her own wit I hear a line from something I have just seen.
While it is not a generally known that excessive time spent on the Internet leads to “decline in psychological well-being” (p. 46) it is abundantly clear when looking at many of my peers. In my experience those who seem to spend the most time on the internet also seem to be the least socially adept, on the most medications for various disorders, depressed, and lacking empathy.
While I’m sure everyone would believe this about themselves I do not see most of these qualities in myself. However I certainly did at one point in my life and have since become very aware. One major problem I have is this lack of attention span. I find myself so spoiled by the constant stimulation I cannot bear to do anything without it.
I found this reading very interesting, far more interesting than readings for many of my classes and I still took about 10 breaks while reading the short seventy pages. As a child I would read whole books in one sitting and now as a college student I can hardly read a few pages without chatting with a friend or getting up for some (mostly made up) reason.
For a career I would like to work fighting this corporate machine, and consumer culture. What scares me the most is that I see many of the characteristics discussed in friends and myself. If I am unable to influence those closest to me or even change myself what is the chance that I could ever have an impact on others?
Monday, March 15, 2010
#4
Morgan Russell
Media, Literacy and the Environment
Assignment # 4
1. AD Nauseam Parts 3&4
When we watched the movie Consuming Kids I was shocked by the way advertisers target and manipulate children into wanting products. In the section “How Do Kids Read Commercials” fox writes about his realization that children are unaware of the intentions of advertisers. A child does not comprehend that the marketers are trying to sell them a product. I find it very disturbing that we are showing children these commercials in school, when they watch it at home we see that the effects are bad enough. However by providing it in school we are literally teaching them to be consumers. Children understand that school is supposed to be a time for learning, and part of their day is consumed with learning, which products they need to buy.
The movie Persuaders discusses a company called Acxiom, which divides consumers into seventy basic types based on age, salary, previous purchases and where they live. How to Tell You’re a Details Reader shows how magazines categorize their readers in the same way in order to sell advertising space. Categorizing people into ever-more specific groups is a tactic used to promote and sell many items and ideals. This is clearly helpful for the advertiser, but it is also convenient for the consumer, it eliminates the clutter and allows us to discover what we really want. The question however is whether we would want it, or by understanding their consumers are the companies becoming even better at making us want products? It is also scary to think that they know all this information about each of us.
As a waitress I really connected with the final section of part 4. This section discussed how bring water to a restaurant table used to be standard practice, with influence from the Coca-Cola company this is no longer practice. If the average person drinks about 64oz. of fluid a day the goal is to make sure a good portion of that is a product rather than tap water. I find myself promoting drinks, before asking people what they would like because a larger bill equals a larger tip, (and hey, I only make $3.90 and hour). But after reading this I found myself questioning whether I was simply a part of this selling machine, promoting more and more consumption.
2. Get Smarter
Over the course of history humans have always increased their intelligence and adapted when in difficult situations, we will continue to do this with the advantages technology provides.
At the beginning of the article Vasilakis says “The trouble isn’t that we have too much information at our fingertips, but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy.” I believe that we do have too much information and the way we are managing it is making us unable to focus on legitimate information. However Vasilakis points out that there is no going back. Although some of us may want to, realistically it is true that we cannot go back from here, so we must learn how to better manage the abundance of information we encounter every day.
Vasilakis goes on to say that as our technology becomes more capable so do we. I completely disagree with this statement. Yes our species or country or company become more capable of completing a specific task in a short time. However this means that the individual people become accustomed to only using this technology and are now completely incapable of ever completing the task on their own. Is the capability of the group more important than the capability of people? I don’t believe so.
Modafinil can keep a person awake for more than 32 hours, and offers a “cognitive-enhancement effect.” I clearly cannot disagree that this may be advantageous but I don’t believe it should be used on a regular basis. I personally would not want to live in a constantly drugged state even if the effects were as mild as those of modafinil. I don’t feel that drugs like this encourage learning but offer an easy way around it and force us to rely on them.
We are increasingly becoming dependant on technology and drugs. Vasilakis agrees that it would be disastrous if these systems were to collapse. However says that since we already depend on them it cannot hurt to add more complexity and levels to this. I disagree, it seems that we need to work on becoming less dependant rather than more!
3. The Persuaders:
· Advertisers are more and more concerned with emotional and unconscious thoughts of consumers.
· Narrowcasting, or targeting more specific groups. Diving consumers into types.
· Advertisements are increasingly mixed in with programming, or might even be the programming.
· Products have an identity that matches the identity of the consumer.
· Want product loyalty. Partially why products are given identities. Increasing numbers of advertisements directed at children and teens.
Media, Literacy and the Environment
Assignment # 4
1. AD Nauseam Parts 3&4
When we watched the movie Consuming Kids I was shocked by the way advertisers target and manipulate children into wanting products. In the section “How Do Kids Read Commercials” fox writes about his realization that children are unaware of the intentions of advertisers. A child does not comprehend that the marketers are trying to sell them a product. I find it very disturbing that we are showing children these commercials in school, when they watch it at home we see that the effects are bad enough. However by providing it in school we are literally teaching them to be consumers. Children understand that school is supposed to be a time for learning, and part of their day is consumed with learning, which products they need to buy.
The movie Persuaders discusses a company called Acxiom, which divides consumers into seventy basic types based on age, salary, previous purchases and where they live. How to Tell You’re a Details Reader shows how magazines categorize their readers in the same way in order to sell advertising space. Categorizing people into ever-more specific groups is a tactic used to promote and sell many items and ideals. This is clearly helpful for the advertiser, but it is also convenient for the consumer, it eliminates the clutter and allows us to discover what we really want. The question however is whether we would want it, or by understanding their consumers are the companies becoming even better at making us want products? It is also scary to think that they know all this information about each of us.
As a waitress I really connected with the final section of part 4. This section discussed how bring water to a restaurant table used to be standard practice, with influence from the Coca-Cola company this is no longer practice. If the average person drinks about 64oz. of fluid a day the goal is to make sure a good portion of that is a product rather than tap water. I find myself promoting drinks, before asking people what they would like because a larger bill equals a larger tip, (and hey, I only make $3.90 and hour). But after reading this I found myself questioning whether I was simply a part of this selling machine, promoting more and more consumption.
2. Get Smarter
Over the course of history humans have always increased their intelligence and adapted when in difficult situations, we will continue to do this with the advantages technology provides.
At the beginning of the article Vasilakis says “The trouble isn’t that we have too much information at our fingertips, but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy.” I believe that we do have too much information and the way we are managing it is making us unable to focus on legitimate information. However Vasilakis points out that there is no going back. Although some of us may want to, realistically it is true that we cannot go back from here, so we must learn how to better manage the abundance of information we encounter every day.
Vasilakis goes on to say that as our technology becomes more capable so do we. I completely disagree with this statement. Yes our species or country or company become more capable of completing a specific task in a short time. However this means that the individual people become accustomed to only using this technology and are now completely incapable of ever completing the task on their own. Is the capability of the group more important than the capability of people? I don’t believe so.
Modafinil can keep a person awake for more than 32 hours, and offers a “cognitive-enhancement effect.” I clearly cannot disagree that this may be advantageous but I don’t believe it should be used on a regular basis. I personally would not want to live in a constantly drugged state even if the effects were as mild as those of modafinil. I don’t feel that drugs like this encourage learning but offer an easy way around it and force us to rely on them.
We are increasingly becoming dependant on technology and drugs. Vasilakis agrees that it would be disastrous if these systems were to collapse. However says that since we already depend on them it cannot hurt to add more complexity and levels to this. I disagree, it seems that we need to work on becoming less dependant rather than more!
3. The Persuaders:
· Advertisers are more and more concerned with emotional and unconscious thoughts of consumers.
· Narrowcasting, or targeting more specific groups. Diving consumers into types.
· Advertisements are increasingly mixed in with programming, or might even be the programming.
· Products have an identity that matches the identity of the consumer.
· Want product loyalty. Partially why products are given identities. Increasing numbers of advertisements directed at children and teens.
#3
Morgan Russell
Media Literacy and the Environment
Assignment #3
February 8th 2010
1. Our minds have been fundamentally altered by our constant use of the internet, making both “concentration and contemplation” far more difficult.
2. I agree with the idea that the way we browse the internet may be having a large effect on our reading. When I am online I find myself reading only the headings and first few paragraphs of a news story, and skipping from page to page. I often find that I will read an article as quickly as possible, simply because there are often bad articles online. Rather than spend my time looking at every one we must skim until we find a valid source. However once my brain has been set in this skimming mode it is always difficult to focus once I finally find a useful site.
I also agree that the Internet plays the largest role a communications system ever has and because of this has enormous influence on our thoughts. Internet has been able to absorb almost every medium and has recreated it to fit the World Wide Web. The Internet is not a place for a single medium or topic, when using the Internet we are constantly bombarded with more than just the information in a particular article or email. We have gotten so used to the Internet that it is changing and replacing the original mediums. For example the recent addition of “article abstracts” and “shortcuts” to The New York Times.
I disagree with the statement made by Taylor, “In the past the man has been first, in the future the system must be first.” The system seeks maximum speed, efficiency and output. Taylor’s goal was to reshape both industry and society to be as efficient as possible. I believe if this “system” were to take over society we would see a complete loss of creativity and individuality.
I was unable to find a place where I disagreed with the author. The most shocking information in the article was the goals and quotes from Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creators of google. “Certainly if you had all the world’s information directly attached to your brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you’d be better off” says Page. I was absolutely horrified to hear this statement, I believe if this ever were to happen it would be the end of society the way we know it.
ADNAUSEAM:
I found the movie consuming kids to be very disturbing. Clearly kids are a large target audience since they have so much influence over parental decisions. Another reason children are so easy to convince through advertising is because they do not yet understand the concept. On page 51 Mclaren and Torchinsky explain that we do not learn to disregard advertisements until the third grade. By the third grade we have essentially trained children to tune out, ignore their surroundings, and act mindlessly out of necessity.
In “Your Ad Here” the authors discuss the enormous number of advertisements that constantly invade our lives. “Perhaps the only real challenge would be to find spaces without advertising” p. 43.This reminded me of the feed. In the feed they literally had advertisements running through their heads at all times. Not only did they see advertisements everywhere (including their own heads) they also spoke them. For example when they could win Coca-Cola if they said it enough times, or when on character would say Nike in every sentence he spoke.
Media Literacy and the Environment
Assignment #3
February 8th 2010
1. Our minds have been fundamentally altered by our constant use of the internet, making both “concentration and contemplation” far more difficult.
2. I agree with the idea that the way we browse the internet may be having a large effect on our reading. When I am online I find myself reading only the headings and first few paragraphs of a news story, and skipping from page to page. I often find that I will read an article as quickly as possible, simply because there are often bad articles online. Rather than spend my time looking at every one we must skim until we find a valid source. However once my brain has been set in this skimming mode it is always difficult to focus once I finally find a useful site.
I also agree that the Internet plays the largest role a communications system ever has and because of this has enormous influence on our thoughts. Internet has been able to absorb almost every medium and has recreated it to fit the World Wide Web. The Internet is not a place for a single medium or topic, when using the Internet we are constantly bombarded with more than just the information in a particular article or email. We have gotten so used to the Internet that it is changing and replacing the original mediums. For example the recent addition of “article abstracts” and “shortcuts” to The New York Times.
I disagree with the statement made by Taylor, “In the past the man has been first, in the future the system must be first.” The system seeks maximum speed, efficiency and output. Taylor’s goal was to reshape both industry and society to be as efficient as possible. I believe if this “system” were to take over society we would see a complete loss of creativity and individuality.
I was unable to find a place where I disagreed with the author. The most shocking information in the article was the goals and quotes from Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creators of google. “Certainly if you had all the world’s information directly attached to your brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you’d be better off” says Page. I was absolutely horrified to hear this statement, I believe if this ever were to happen it would be the end of society the way we know it.
ADNAUSEAM:
I found the movie consuming kids to be very disturbing. Clearly kids are a large target audience since they have so much influence over parental decisions. Another reason children are so easy to convince through advertising is because they do not yet understand the concept. On page 51 Mclaren and Torchinsky explain that we do not learn to disregard advertisements until the third grade. By the third grade we have essentially trained children to tune out, ignore their surroundings, and act mindlessly out of necessity.
In “Your Ad Here” the authors discuss the enormous number of advertisements that constantly invade our lives. “Perhaps the only real challenge would be to find spaces without advertising” p. 43.This reminded me of the feed. In the feed they literally had advertisements running through their heads at all times. Not only did they see advertisements everywhere (including their own heads) they also spoke them. For example when they could win Coca-Cola if they said it enough times, or when on character would say Nike in every sentence he spoke.
#2
Morgan Russell
Media Literacy & the Environment
Assignment 2
February 1, 2010
1. Titus: handsome, normal, conformist, confused/scared, insecure-“stupid”
2. Meg-really, super, alot
Whats doing?- whats up?
Null-boring
3. Constant connection and access to people and info through technology
Seems like most Americans are unaware of what is going on around the world
Same basic human emotions and tendencies
4. Schools are owned by corporations
Oceans are completely toxic
Individual nature bubbles for houses or blocks—air factories, individual suns etc.
5. Corporate control and consumerism
The dangers of technology
Complete destruction of nature
Social networking sites have changed the way we connect with both our closest friends and loose aquantainces. These sites have also changed the way we view privacy.
The facebook and twitter updates we post every day allow for our distance friends to get a look into our lives and daily routine. Constant updates and information about friends and aquantainces makes us feel much more socially connected without any direct connection, a phenomenon known as “ambient awareness.” I find myself experiencing this with my close friends who are far away. While I only see them on breaks our constant communication, especially with a form such as skype, makes it seem as though we are still a big part of eachothers lives.
I liked that the article pointed out that social networking sites can be beneficial when looking for jobs, or other forms of help and information that may not be available within your closest circle of friends. These sites can also be very helpful when organizing an event, raising awareness about an issue, etc. By allowing us to easily contact a larger cirlce we can get and share information quickly.
He also says that the extreme amount of information from “weak ties” can “spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships.” I feel that by constanly focusing on or recieving updates from distant aquantances we are less able to focus on our own lives. It seems that people are often more concerned with what everyone else is doing than with living and doing things themselves.
I completely disagree with the idea that stopping to consider (and update) how you are doing every day can help a person to “know thyself.” In my experience (the majority of the time) those who are constantly updating their status are far less concerned with knowing themselves than with posting a status they believe will make them look “cool.”
Social networking sites are far from “identity constraining.” If anything i feel they allow people to experience others ideas, thoughts, style, etc. Tufekci makes that point that people cannot play with their identity because their audience is always checking on them. This point seems invalid since the audience in social networking is never fixed.
Media Literacy & the Environment
Assignment 2
February 1, 2010
1. Titus: handsome, normal, conformist, confused/scared, insecure-“stupid”
2. Meg-really, super, alot
Whats doing?- whats up?
Null-boring
3. Constant connection and access to people and info through technology
Seems like most Americans are unaware of what is going on around the world
Same basic human emotions and tendencies
4. Schools are owned by corporations
Oceans are completely toxic
Individual nature bubbles for houses or blocks—air factories, individual suns etc.
5. Corporate control and consumerism
The dangers of technology
Complete destruction of nature
Social networking sites have changed the way we connect with both our closest friends and loose aquantainces. These sites have also changed the way we view privacy.
The facebook and twitter updates we post every day allow for our distance friends to get a look into our lives and daily routine. Constant updates and information about friends and aquantainces makes us feel much more socially connected without any direct connection, a phenomenon known as “ambient awareness.” I find myself experiencing this with my close friends who are far away. While I only see them on breaks our constant communication, especially with a form such as skype, makes it seem as though we are still a big part of eachothers lives.
I liked that the article pointed out that social networking sites can be beneficial when looking for jobs, or other forms of help and information that may not be available within your closest circle of friends. These sites can also be very helpful when organizing an event, raising awareness about an issue, etc. By allowing us to easily contact a larger cirlce we can get and share information quickly.
He also says that the extreme amount of information from “weak ties” can “spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships.” I feel that by constanly focusing on or recieving updates from distant aquantances we are less able to focus on our own lives. It seems that people are often more concerned with what everyone else is doing than with living and doing things themselves.
I completely disagree with the idea that stopping to consider (and update) how you are doing every day can help a person to “know thyself.” In my experience (the majority of the time) those who are constantly updating their status are far less concerned with knowing themselves than with posting a status they believe will make them look “cool.”
Social networking sites are far from “identity constraining.” If anything i feel they allow people to experience others ideas, thoughts, style, etc. Tufekci makes that point that people cannot play with their identity because their audience is always checking on them. This point seems invalid since the audience in social networking is never fixed.
#1
Morgan Russell
Media Memoir
January 25, 2010
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasssions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activies, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influcenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in monthes. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone arounds me.
The New York Times article looks at the mini-generation gaps formed by the increased rate of technological change. Commonly used technology has become so integrated in our everyday life that the changes can drastically alter childrens perceptions and expectations. For example young children now seem to be learning that distance is almost irrelevant to communication and that all communication should be practically instantaneous. I find it both scary and interesting to consider how much more we communicate through technology rather than face to face. I am not sure, but it seems there must eventually be some social or emotional effects from this lack of real connection during our communication.
I found the video very fascinating on many levels. To begin with I never have really understood how websites are created and seeing this prompted me to look into it. The video left me with a sense of unease at first so I watched it again. The idea of the machine using us is a scary thought which left me with a sense of impending doom. However as I thought about it more I realized that since we are the machine and we control the machine we have simply given each individual more power.
Media Memoir
January 25, 2010
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasssions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activies, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influcenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in monthes. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone arounds me.
The New York Times article looks at the mini-generation gaps formed by the increased rate of technological change. Commonly used technology has become so integrated in our everyday life that the changes can drastically alter childrens perceptions and expectations. For example young children now seem to be learning that distance is almost irrelevant to communication and that all communication should be practically instantaneous. I find it both scary and interesting to consider how much more we communicate through technology rather than face to face. I am not sure, but it seems there must eventually be some social or emotional effects from this lack of real connection during our communication.
I found the video very fascinating on many levels. To begin with I never have really understood how websites are created and seeing this prompted me to look into it. The video left me with a sense of unease at first so I watched it again. The idea of the machine using us is a scary thought which left me with a sense of impending doom. However as I thought about it more I realized that since we are the machine and we control the machine we have simply given each individual more power.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
#5
1.AD Nauseam Parts 5&6
“The power of advertising…lay in controlling cultural symbols” p. 234. It is interesting to think about how all advertising now is focused on symbols and emotions. It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that advertisers began to understand that logic was far less powerful than the emotional pull of a particular product. It seems that all products are essentially the same now yet we still tend to be pulled in by the advertisers. I have begun to shop differently but I used to be sucked into buying particular products for no reason. For example I would buy more expensive pens because they seemed cooler, when in reality the black ink made the same mark on my paper. Its odd how advertisers can easily manipulate the most basic parts of our lives.
Another thing I found very interesting was the fear of subliminal messaging. People were absolutely terrified that they might be manipulated into wanting something without even knowing it. People were so terrified that they actually banned this practice. However we have learned that children are manipulated by advertisements and do not know it. It seems odd to me that nowadays people allow this to happen to their children during their formative years but fought so hard against it thirty years ago.
It seems that almost everyone is opposed to the large corporations and their power. For example Sir John Hargrave who gets back at them through small pranks. Yet it is clear that while many claim to be against these businesses we are all still drawn in to buying their products. It seems that there is no way to get around them completely, and even these small pranks make little/no difference.
· Down The Memory Hole: My question is when did cell phones become so much a part of our lives?
· Grave Revisionism: My question is how can people believe that a company such a coca-cola might not be motivated by the profit motive (as it implies that only other companies are). When, and why did companies start using quotes such as those provided to promote the very thing the quotes condemn?
· Subliminal Seduction: My question is why the American public was so afraid of subliminal messaging but it seems that we STILL allow ourselves to be manipulated into buying products. Also, why is subliminal messaging, which (they believed) convinces people to buy things without them understanding/knowing illegal, but advertisements targeted at children which do the same thing, are shown in schools?
· The Idiot Consumer: My question is if advertisers consider themselves to be smarter than those they are selling to, and is this almost a part of the job? If people do not respond to reason in advertising how can anyone promote something reasonable?
· Everything I Know About Life…: My question is about the statement “selling fragrance today: the product was all [about the] image.” Doesn’t it seem that nowadays selling almost all products is all about the image?
· Corporate Mascots: My question is why don’t people ever look past cute mascots to see a very hideous truth behind many corporations?
· Adventures: My question is how can we advertise for the environment? What are good ways to make harmful environmental practices seem un-cool since our culture is so overly concerned with “cool.”
· Buyer Beware: My question is why were these people so oblivious to what they were buying? Do you believe they discovered the item when they got home?
· True Gentleman: My question is when did advertising begin to invade ALL parts of life, even parties?
· Letter to the Creative: My question is how often do companies doing surveys get completely made up answers and does any of this actually mess with the results?
· Hmmm…wasn’t until here that I realized I didn’t have to write questions for each one, but they were already done so I figured I would share.
2. Twitter.
Twitter is a social networking site that can make communication easier.
I agree that twitter could be used to communicate and especially to share new information. Such as various websites, articles, links to a video etc. It is very interesting to think how people have been changing the way twitter was meant to be used. While people do still tweet about unimportant daily activities they are also using this site for valuable information sharing.
The author seems to believe that twitter is in some ways very intimate. That learning the everyday activities of a friend we don’t see much can give us valuable insight, or that responding to Oprah on twitter feels like actually communicating. I understand that some people may feel this way but isn’t it obvious that this is not actually intimate communication? I personally do not feel any more connected knowing what someone ate for breakfast and even if Oprah read what I said I do not know her.
I believe the author makes twitter sound far better than it is. While it may be useful in certain circumstances it generally is not used for good purposes. Most users on twitter are simply telling us what they are doing and it seems to lead to a competition to see who is doing the coolest thing. Twitter seems like another tool used by many to try to make other people think a certain way about them, and to advertise themselves.
I have a twitter account I made in order to see what the hype was about. I did use this account for about a week and haven’t logged onto it since. The people I knew using twitter seemed to (wanted to) think they’re every movement was important enough for the world to care. I’m not saying this is true of all twitter users; it may be a characteristic more common in my age group. Personally, I’m a more private person and I don’t want my every move to be known, or accessible by everyone on the Internet. I see that twitter can be used for valuable information sharing but I don’t believe that is the norm.
3. Merchants of Cool
· One giant feedback loop. Real life and TV life have begun to blur and we are no longer sure who is reflecting who
· Teen rebelliousness shown in media products directed at teens.
· Kids have always acted wild but it was never celebrated so much on TV.
· “The paradox of cool hunting is that it kills what it finds, as soon as marketers discover cool it stops being cool.”
· Kids see marketers as enemy, so they have to pretend like they’re not the marketer.
“The power of advertising…lay in controlling cultural symbols” p. 234. It is interesting to think about how all advertising now is focused on symbols and emotions. It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that advertisers began to understand that logic was far less powerful than the emotional pull of a particular product. It seems that all products are essentially the same now yet we still tend to be pulled in by the advertisers. I have begun to shop differently but I used to be sucked into buying particular products for no reason. For example I would buy more expensive pens because they seemed cooler, when in reality the black ink made the same mark on my paper. Its odd how advertisers can easily manipulate the most basic parts of our lives.
Another thing I found very interesting was the fear of subliminal messaging. People were absolutely terrified that they might be manipulated into wanting something without even knowing it. People were so terrified that they actually banned this practice. However we have learned that children are manipulated by advertisements and do not know it. It seems odd to me that nowadays people allow this to happen to their children during their formative years but fought so hard against it thirty years ago.
It seems that almost everyone is opposed to the large corporations and their power. For example Sir John Hargrave who gets back at them through small pranks. Yet it is clear that while many claim to be against these businesses we are all still drawn in to buying their products. It seems that there is no way to get around them completely, and even these small pranks make little/no difference.
· Down The Memory Hole: My question is when did cell phones become so much a part of our lives?
· Grave Revisionism: My question is how can people believe that a company such a coca-cola might not be motivated by the profit motive (as it implies that only other companies are). When, and why did companies start using quotes such as those provided to promote the very thing the quotes condemn?
· Subliminal Seduction: My question is why the American public was so afraid of subliminal messaging but it seems that we STILL allow ourselves to be manipulated into buying products. Also, why is subliminal messaging, which (they believed) convinces people to buy things without them understanding/knowing illegal, but advertisements targeted at children which do the same thing, are shown in schools?
· The Idiot Consumer: My question is if advertisers consider themselves to be smarter than those they are selling to, and is this almost a part of the job? If people do not respond to reason in advertising how can anyone promote something reasonable?
· Everything I Know About Life…: My question is about the statement “selling fragrance today: the product was all [about the] image.” Doesn’t it seem that nowadays selling almost all products is all about the image?
· Corporate Mascots: My question is why don’t people ever look past cute mascots to see a very hideous truth behind many corporations?
· Adventures: My question is how can we advertise for the environment? What are good ways to make harmful environmental practices seem un-cool since our culture is so overly concerned with “cool.”
· Buyer Beware: My question is why were these people so oblivious to what they were buying? Do you believe they discovered the item when they got home?
· True Gentleman: My question is when did advertising begin to invade ALL parts of life, even parties?
· Letter to the Creative: My question is how often do companies doing surveys get completely made up answers and does any of this actually mess with the results?
· Hmmm…wasn’t until here that I realized I didn’t have to write questions for each one, but they were already done so I figured I would share.
2. Twitter.
Twitter is a social networking site that can make communication easier.
I agree that twitter could be used to communicate and especially to share new information. Such as various websites, articles, links to a video etc. It is very interesting to think how people have been changing the way twitter was meant to be used. While people do still tweet about unimportant daily activities they are also using this site for valuable information sharing.
The author seems to believe that twitter is in some ways very intimate. That learning the everyday activities of a friend we don’t see much can give us valuable insight, or that responding to Oprah on twitter feels like actually communicating. I understand that some people may feel this way but isn’t it obvious that this is not actually intimate communication? I personally do not feel any more connected knowing what someone ate for breakfast and even if Oprah read what I said I do not know her.
I believe the author makes twitter sound far better than it is. While it may be useful in certain circumstances it generally is not used for good purposes. Most users on twitter are simply telling us what they are doing and it seems to lead to a competition to see who is doing the coolest thing. Twitter seems like another tool used by many to try to make other people think a certain way about them, and to advertise themselves.
I have a twitter account I made in order to see what the hype was about. I did use this account for about a week and haven’t logged onto it since. The people I knew using twitter seemed to (wanted to) think they’re every movement was important enough for the world to care. I’m not saying this is true of all twitter users; it may be a characteristic more common in my age group. Personally, I’m a more private person and I don’t want my every move to be known, or accessible by everyone on the Internet. I see that twitter can be used for valuable information sharing but I don’t believe that is the norm.
3. Merchants of Cool
· One giant feedback loop. Real life and TV life have begun to blur and we are no longer sure who is reflecting who
· Teen rebelliousness shown in media products directed at teens.
· Kids have always acted wild but it was never celebrated so much on TV.
· “The paradox of cool hunting is that it kills what it finds, as soon as marketers discover cool it stops being cool.”
· Kids see marketers as enemy, so they have to pretend like they’re not the marketer.
Morgans Media Memoir
Introduction:
My name is Morgan Russell. I was born in Quincy Massachusetts but I have spent almost all of my life in Quechee Vermont (however being born in Mass means my grandparents still call me a flatlander). I recently transferred, and am a junior at the University of Vermont. I love to read so I would say that is my favorite form of media. I also love various types music and concerts and attend as many as financially possible.
I love the conveniences offered by the internet. For example looking up directions, concerts, recipes etc. But I hate that the internet and television seem to have taken over our lives in so many ways.
I am an Environmental Studies major but I am particularly interested in media and marketing. It seems that advertisements invade every aspect of our life and as much as I hate this, recently I have been thinking about possibly going into this field. Since advertisements do take over all areas of life they have a large impact on most Americans. I believe the environmental movement could benefit from strong and informative ads making the general public more aware of issues.
Media Memoir:
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activities, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game (reader rabbit?) I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in months. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone around me.
My name is Morgan Russell. I was born in Quincy Massachusetts but I have spent almost all of my life in Quechee Vermont (however being born in Mass means my grandparents still call me a flatlander). I recently transferred, and am a junior at the University of Vermont. I love to read so I would say that is my favorite form of media. I also love various types music and concerts and attend as many as financially possible.
I love the conveniences offered by the internet. For example looking up directions, concerts, recipes etc. But I hate that the internet and television seem to have taken over our lives in so many ways.
I am an Environmental Studies major but I am particularly interested in media and marketing. It seems that advertisements invade every aspect of our life and as much as I hate this, recently I have been thinking about possibly going into this field. Since advertisements do take over all areas of life they have a large impact on most Americans. I believe the environmental movement could benefit from strong and informative ads making the general public more aware of issues.
Media Memoir:
The old fake-wood-sided television sat high on a shelf in the entryway of our home. On the rare occasions it was turned on the picture was fuzzy and the golf channel and local news held little interest. I spent the majority of my childhood outside, since neither of my parents worked full time my days were filled with mini-adventures, nature-focused vacations and activities, leaving little room for television. As a child the single educational computer game (reader rabbit?) I had was reserved for rainy days. Using a computer was not a part of my daily life until high school.
Growing up I read all the time, everything from short childrens books to the classics and the local paper. Specifically our local paper, my mother would sip her tea with the paper every morning so it was only natural that I read it too. I was almost never exposed to advertisements unless it was those in the paper which were mostly for local restaurants, small retailers and possibly ski areas.
As a child the lack of mass media influence in my life seemed normal, hardly any of my friends were heavily influenced by media. However I eventually attended a boarding school with students from all over the world. Many of these students were from more urban and suburban areas and far more interested in media and popular culture than anyone from my small Vermont town.
For some time I found myself sucked into this consumption oriented and media dominated culture I had never previously experienced. I was concerned about celebrities I had never met, about purchasing the latest thing, and making sure I updated my facebook status, concerns that would have never crossed my mind before. I am grateful that this short phase of my life ended.
After a few years of this I suddenly realized that I rarely went hiking anymore, I had hardly been skiing all season, and hadn’t read a book outside of class in months. I realized that I had been so concerned with media and the messages sent through mass media that I was hardly doing any of the things I loved. This realization made me consider how media affected me, and how it affects and changes everyone around me.
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