After a quarter of looking at media and all its different techniques, I've learned that I am just as consumed as any other person when it comes to the amount we take in daily. On average I'd say I spend 3 hours on the computer a day combining time that I play video games, talk to friends, and do homework, all at once. Overall, this does affect the way I run my life, because I get distracted easy, and don't really pay attention to anything other than what my friends and I are doing. Similarly, I spend time on my phone texting and looking at social media sites, and when im doing so, I'll just be sitting there for maybe an hour doing nothing. Having learned what we learned throughout this semester, I've come to realize what the media I'm interacting with is doing to me, but even so, I haven't done anything to change it because it's what I'm used to.

Even though my own media literacy hasn't changed from when I started the semester, I have learned that to have media literacy is important because it will help you to at least understand what it is your consuming, and in turn, manage it so that it doesn't distract you from all the important things in life. Being an educated consumer is important for the same reason, it keeps you from straying too far from the right path. It keeps you from being distracted from the past things that have influenced your life so much already. To be honest, I didn't get much from keeping this blog because to me, I felt that what we kept repeating in each blog was only reemphasizing the lessons we learned to stay away from within media.

MissRepresentation

It becomes appallingly obvious when you take a look at our society that so much of how we view one another is highly based off of the media we come in contact with; affecting the relationships we have with people, and ultimately, how others view us as well. Within the film, MissRepresentation, they demonstrate to you how men and women alike are influenced by the effects of media. For one thing, visible in so many of the ads in magazines or the commercials we see on TV, is the body image women feel they need to fulfill. Because of the images women see within media, they feel they have some need to be like that person, and because so, 50% of women suffer from some kind of disorder related to such. It is because of the media that shows women who are young and hot, who make up 79% of television, but really only 17% of the population, that put these feelings onto other women. As mentioned in the film, the time spent on cosmetics, etc. that women take to look like such could be used to discover cancer cures in just a few months.

This is just one of the effects the media's implications has on men and women. Another related issue is the whole ordeal with Sarah Palin, where she became more of an attraction than a politician. Women were viewed more to fit a certain image, and rather than viewing her as a politician, things like what she was wearing and her sex appeal took more prevalence than anything else. Coupling with that, as well, are other women's opinions that women reaching out for leadership roles are moving too soon too fast. Not only is this degrading to themselves, but it is also preventing them from moving forward, because even with some social reforms, woman still make 77 cents compared to every dollar a man makes. Similarly to that, within positions of power, compared to 2319 male governors, there have been only 34 female governors. Amongst other things, women remain persecuted in just higher job positions, not necessarily just positions of power. Women in movies are only 16% of the time the protagonist, and often times when they are, they are looking for love in a man, hence the title, Chick Flicks. One of the relatable quotes mentioned within the film went something like this,"We don't question the world we grew up in and that is the major problem in our society."  This just strengthens the idea of women putting other women down with the too soon, too fast line.

As you can see, implications put forth by the media about women affect the way they are treated in their daily lives. As well, it affects their own perceptions about women in power, and their minds are warped, often criticizing in the same way the women who are reaching for higher roles in power. MissRepresentation does a good job of explaining how the problems affect women, and what its effects are, and helps to raise the prevalence of these issues within our society today.

When we are thinking of different styles of clothing, many people have their different forms of what is defined as "cool" to their generation. Cool passes off as companies find out what is the new cool, put their brand on it, and trash it out of coolness through their marketing. Cool from the 70's greatly differs from what we see now, bell bottom jeans being replaced by the now popular yoga pants. However, as shown in Merchants of Cool, marketing has made these brands less and less popular, and only now, are they exploiting and taking advantage of the time they have promoting yoga pants. Once they have been pointed out to the general public, people will continually view the product as less and less cool.
As the fashion choices of people change so do their ideals with them. Within Merchants of Cool, their fashion sense changes as they progress, and people have used up the marketing potential of brands and are forced to hunt for the next cool thing.

Thus, it is easy to see the differing styles that continually change within marketing, and how the definition of cool continually changes.

How not to do a print ad.

There are plenty of ads out there that people don't like, but there are some you can find looking deeper that make you wonder why someone made this. In terms of the fashion company Sisley, they reached the point where they tried to deny any participation in the making of the ad.

As you can see, the ad clearly promotes the use of drugs, as the women above are pretending to snort the straps of a vest, made to look like cocaine. The ad was used to emphasize how incredible and addictive the clothing designs from the company were. However, the company immediately received bad reviews, and Sisley immediately threw off blame and acted as though they were not responsible for the making of the commercial. In reality; however, I believe they were involved because their excuse, a bored photo-shopper out to make the company look bad, makes no sense to me because the positions of the models and the straps of the dress look all to real to me.

 

Still, I believe the ad could be somewhat successful because, now, everyone is going to want to what this compny is about and what their products really area to get a better feel for why they made this commercial.

Geting Away

Have you ever just needed to get away from it all; get into your own space without the craziness of life. Everyone needs it at some point and their is no better way to do it then listening to Lana Del Rey. She's got the relaxed voice, and being a modern singer, knows more of the issues people face looking into the future. Her song, Ride, is one of those songs.This is one of those songs I could listen to for ten years, the voice and the lyrics make this song great for me. Listening to it you can see how Lana Del Rey talks about stress and how she overcomes it, getting out away from everything and driving, as seen in the lyrics from the song:

 

I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone in midnight
Been trying hard not to get into trouble, but I
I got a war on my mind
So, I just ride, I just ride
I just ride, I just ride

Easily, this line is the most prominent within the song as it is the chorus, but it portrays so much of the song and its point within it. Listening to it helps me to escape from the hecticness of life, and is what I use to fall asleep and get through the fact that I have work the next day, all from school, jobs at home, homework, and helping my family.

 

 

 

McDonalds Traps

Everyone knows the chain, McDonalds, and all the "great" food they produce. But have you ever seen the ads they put out. I'm sure you have, as we are usually disappointed that it doesn't match the picture. But if you look at older ads done by them, you can see how much effort they actual put into making sure you know what you're getting with your purchase, as well as showing all of what's in the sandwich. Thus, they are using facts and figures to make sure you know what's in their sandwich to make you want even more what they have at their restaurants.

As you can see, it is a normal made sandwich without the idea that it will come with so much less or with the idea that it will be sloppily made. As well, they are showing off their healthier ingredients that will attract people who don't know about the grease that's put into these burgers. All this ad is about is their use of ingredients and what is in the sandwich as well as a visual for customers looking thorugh magazines, etc. that come across it, showing viewers the meal and what they are getting.

iPhones. What are they to us.

 When you think of a phone, what comes to mind? Not some kind of flip-phone, but an iPhone, a phone where you can do almost anything a computer could, all within the confinements of your hand. These phones define the standard within our society of what is cool and what isn't, and when you look at how many people are attracted to the company that started it all, it becomes obvious that an iPhone is a love mark, something iconicly important to us as a society.

Apple phones are so common, and so many like it, including Android phones and Samsung smartphones, that almost everyone has one. Personally, I don't have a smartphone, but evident with  myself, I feel awkward having my phone out when everyone else has the smartphones of today. So easily is it seen how important these things are to people and the way they affect others that it has created a bond in people's lives. To most, they have a stronger bond with the apple company then the people they love that it intervenes with their lives. The video below is a good example of such. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIBT8xG12zA

 

Thus, it is easy to see how easily these products affect people's lives and how they view their society and the world they live in.