10.)Advertising is our largest form of media influence. Everything we buy
has been specifically marketed towards its audience and companies/businesses
have paid to make sure their products are purchased. You cannot go anywhere
without seeing an advertisement. Whether it is a billboard, magazine, or even
social media like Facebook or Twitter, you will always find some company
marketing their goods to you.
“Product companies and ad agencies have
become adept in recent years at product placement: strategically placing ads or
buying space-in movies, TV shows, comic books, and most recently video games,
blogs and music videos-so products appear as part of a story’s set
environment.” (Campbell, 403)
“Although commercialism-through packaging
both products and politicians-has generated cultural feedback that is often
critical of advertising’s pervasiveness, the growth of the industry has not
diminished… In 2011 $144 billion was spent on US advertising-up just
about 1 percent over 2010.” (Campbell, 415)
We can see through Lindsey Garland’s
presentation, the GoPro was marketed towards a certain thrill seeking group and
sells well due to the audiences appeal to the commercial.
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/10314c?gko=23ebd
9.) Newspapers used to be our largest form of media but now they are becoming obsolete yet have not faded completely away. We have seen many newspaper companies fold but some have stayed strong. Newspapers like the New York Times are trying to find ways to help stay alive during this and have started using Twitter to get their stories out. The cause behind this fold is because we can now find any form of news on our social media outlets or we can just check online and do not necessarily need to buy the paper form.
"But by late 2012 The Daily had only about 120,000 subscribers and was reportedly losing $30 million a year... Whether The Daily and similar tablet apps are the future of newspapers is still to be determined." (Campbell, 284)
"Because of their local monoply status, many newspapers were slower than other media to confront the challenges of the Internet. But faced with competition from the 24/7 news cycle on cable, newspapers responded by developing online versions of their papers." (Campbell, 304)
We watched the documentary Page One in class to learn about how newspapers are dealing with these trial and tribulations and learned that even though theses companies may be struggling they are still finding ways to strive.
http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/
8.) The media affects us more than just giving us a form of entertainment or information. We are constantly influenced by the media in every aspect of life. It tells us how to dress, what to buy, how to act and it is hard to avoid those influences. We have seen positive and negative outcomes from this large influence. One of the largest negative outcomes we have seen is that of the effect of violence in media on children and teens. We have seen school shootings and most of the causes behind them are the fact these students had been immersed in the outlets of violence the media had open to them.
"Media effects research attempts to understand, explain, and predict the effects of mass media on individuals and society. The main goal for this type of research is to uncover whether there is a connection between aggressive behavior and violence in the media, particularly in children and teens." (Campbell, 521)
"For example, the wave of police and crime TV shows that appeared in the mid-1960s can be interpreted as a cultural response to concerns and fears people had about urban unrest and income disparity. Audiences were drawn to the heroes of these dramas, who often exerted control over forces that, among society in general, seemed out of control." (Campbell, 539)
(Screenshot from Call of Duty: Black Ops)
7.) We help companies advertise as well as let them know what we are interested in through our social media. In the movie Generation:Like we saw that people like Ceili Lynch help promote the Hunger Games franchise and YouTube personalities like Tyler Oakley helped Taco Bell create new products and has found fame from receiving "likes" by his viewers. Every time we post something on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram companies are looking at that and seeing our interests and letting us help market their products and movies for them.
"Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, provide a wealth of data for advertisers to mine. Theses sites and apps create an unprecedented public display of likes, dislikes, locations, and other personal information." (Campbell, 398)
"...Bloggers often review products or restaurants as part of their content. Some bloggers with large followings have been paid (either directly or by "gifts" of free products or trips) to give positive reviews or promote products on their site." (Campbell, 398)
In the video you can see how because of this advertising and fame that comes from it Tyler Oakley was able to meet the president with other YouTube "celebrities" who help advertise as well. In the link you can see a fan created page for the Hunger Games franchise that brings fans together and advertises the franchise as well.
6.) The "plain folk"persuasive technique and the "warm fuzzies" persuasive techniques used substantially in commercials. Advertisers want to either relate to their buyers or make them say "awwww". Many commercials use the "plain folk" technique by showing people who are "normal" looking to relate to their audience. Many other commercials use "warm fuzzies" by giving us images of cute animals to generate a reaction from their audience.
"Another technique, the plain folks pitch, associated a product with simplicity. Over the years, Volkswagen ("Drivers Wanted"), General Electric ("We bring good things to life"), and Microsoft (I'm a PC and Windows was my idea") have each used slogans that stress how new technologies fit into the lives of ordinary people" (Campbell, 399).
"In a way, the Facebook technique of sponsored stories fits this model since it depends on their friends' endorsements of products rather than the words or images of stars or athletes (Campbell, 400)."
The Budweiser commercial "Puppy Love" uses both of the techniques I discussed. This ad dominated at this year's SuperBowl and is still being talked about. An example of "plain folk" can be seen in Dove's Real Beauty campaign where they use "real" women to be the spokespeople for their product.
5.) Social Media can either connect us and helps us learn about people or isolate us away from each other. We have seen many stories of people posting about their loved ones and reuniting with them via Facebook and have been able to keep in contact with friends and family across the state, country, or world through social media but there is also a dark side. We can sometimes lose track of the time we have spent perusing Twitter or Instagram and can lose track of what really matters. For example Alyson Campbell used the video "I Forgot My Phone" to show us those affects.
"In less than a decade, a number of different types of social media have evolved, with multiple platforms for the creation of user-generated content." (Campbell, 52)
"Convergence of media and technology has forever changed our relationship with media. Today, media consumption is mobile and flexible; we don't have to miss out on media content just because we weren't home in time to catch a show... we demand access to media when we want it..." (Campbell, 59)
4.) Public Relations are the pillars companies and celebrities stand on. When looking at celebrities or a company you know they have a certain image to go with them. For example, we do not feel the same way towards Miley Cyrus as we do Julie Andrews. They both deal with public relations and their managers to put out the image they want. The same way a company does when putting out a product, you do not think the same about the Apple iPad as you do the Kindle Fire which are relatively the same product.
"Advertising is controlled by publicity that a company or an individual buys; public relations attempts to secure favorable media publicity to promote a company or client." (Campbell, 421)
"Public relations, like advertising, pays careful attention to the needs of its clients- politicians, small businesses, industries, and nonprofit organizations- and to the perspectives of its targeted audiences..." (Campbell, 429)
3.) There is a limited freedom of speech in America. Even though it is our first amendment, we are not really free to say what we want. A lot of companies are controlled into what they say. During the Cold War Joseph McCarthy was forcing companies to produce articles and ads supporting the fight of communism causing the red scare. We also have a lot of limits when it comes to hate-speech, images on TV and sharing on the internet.
"The cultural and political struggles over what constitutes 'free speech' or 'free expression' have defined American democracy... The current era is a volatile a time as ever for free speech issues. Contemporary free speech debates include copyright issues, hate-speech codes on college and university campuses, explicit lyrics in music, violent images in film and television, the swapping of media files on the Internet, and the right of the press to publish government secrets." (Campbell, 547)
"In the United States, the First Amendment has theoretically prohibited censorship. Over time, Supreme Court decisions have defined censorship as prior restraint. This means that courts and governments cannot block any publication or speech before it actually occurs, on the principle that a law has not been broken until an illegal act has been committed." (Campbell, 550)
2.) Movies are not only a form of entertainment but a way to learn and experience. Going to the movies is much more than just a leisurely experience in today's culture. We now use film to teach us, open our eyes, and help us find new experiences. In class we have watched films on our generation, on Wikileaks, and on how the newspaper industry is changing. Without these documentaries we would not have been able to get an inside look on those subjects.
"Dating back to the late 1800s, films have had a substantial social and cultural impact on society. Blockbuster movies... represent what Hollywood has become- America's storyteller." (Campbell, 239)
"With the major studios exerting such a profound influence on the worldwide production, distribution, and exhibition of movies new alternatives have helped open and redefine the movie industry." (Campbell, 260)
1.) There is no such thing as privacy when you are online. Everything you post can be seen by everyone even if you're set to private. Even if you delete something it is still on the internet somewhere. Everything also moves very quickly when shared as we learned from the movie We Steal Secrets. Once the video Collateral Murder was posted it took off like wild fire and every news source was reporting on it.
"Computer hackers have the ability to infiltrate Internet databases to obtain personal information and to steal credit card numbers from online retailers (Campbell, 69)."
"And given the endless archives of the Internet, such images never really go away but can be accessed by anyone with enough skills to find them (Campbell, 559)."
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