Reflection

     Media. It's an interesting aspect of our culture. As a teenager, I have the ability to be picky about what I choose to let into my life. Media is everywhere and I make a lot of conscious decisions about what I choose to see. Or, so I thought. I used to think that I was above consumerism and being marketed to, that I was nobody's target audience because mainstream media didn't actually know who I was. Boy was I wrong. They know me all right. They may not know my middle name or my social security number, but they know what I like, they know my hobbies, my music taste, where I like to shop, what I'll be doing this summer, what I excel at in school, they probably even know what I'm going to do with my life and I don't even know that yet. How? How have they managed to give me a label? It's simple, I told them. All those hours spent logging in, liking, reblogging, following, googling, friending, poking, gaming, listening, tweeting, watching, scrolling. That's how they've learned who I am. In media, everyone has a label, and that's exactly what they've given to me.

     I used to think that I was beyond media. That those 3,000 ads I came in contact with daily weren't actually making an impact on my life. Little did I notice that I only acknowledge a handful of those ads. They would either be the ones thrown right in front of me between reruns of How I Met Your Mother, or the ones with hilariously obvious ad techniques and bright colors in an uninteresting issue of Teen Vogue. I was completely unaware of the effect that media had already had on my life. You see, I was already subscribed to Teen Vogue. I've already watched six seasons of How I Met Your Mother. Media had become a part of me before I could even comprehend its possible effect. 

     Now, at the peak of media consumption in my life, I am faced with the task of understanding who I am through all the clutter and confusion of advertising with its various techniques and subliminal messaging. Since the beginning of the quarter, I am happy to say that my view of media has changed. I am no longer the doe-eyed magazine addicted girl I was a few weeks ago. That girl is gone, in her place blogs a cynical, media literate, critically thinking, feminist who doesn't need media to tell her who she is and what band she should listen to next (she can find that out by herself thank you very much). Emerging from my abyss, dripping with my knowledge of ad techniques and emotional needs that they apply to, I am ready to face the world of social media and pop culture that lies around me.

     But being aware of media, how it is used, and how it affects me is only the first part. The next is being the consumer that I want to be, not what MTV tells me I should be. Just like in an episode of Hoarders or My Strange Addiction, the first step in dealing with your problem is admitting you have a problem. So here goes: I, Hannah Ross, find myself to be guilty of buying in to advertising techniques, wasting countless hours on social media, reading (and rereading) hundreds of fashion magazines, and accepting stereotypes, given to me through media, of myself and others. The next step has two options, I can either learn to live with my problem or do something to change it. To change it, I not only have to continue on with media literacy but also have to apply it to myself, as the consumer. I think I'm up for the challenge.

     If this unit has taught me one thing, it's that I am not different. I am exactly who media wants me to be and without my new found ability to see this, I would be unable to break out of my own stereotype. Humans are naturally dynamic. We shouldn't let media teach us otherwise. We have the power to destroy stereotypes, change our politics, end global warming, and quite possibly save the world if we make an effort to be aware of what we are exposing ourselves too and in general, be media literate. 

Media Log 12

     

Okay so I'm pretty sure I can touch my un-moisturized skin without it shredding. Don't know about all of you, but I'm also pretty sure that firm skin comes from usage, not moisturizing to make it soft. I counted, there are around eight different words or phrases that could be viewed as glittering generalities or weasel words. This ad really says nothing but adjectives. I thought the most interesting one that they used was touchable. Soft couldn't be used because that would counteract firm, so the advertisers used a different word for soft, hoping that people wouldn't notice the antonyms as much. Also, they include alot of fancy terms to make it look like there is patented technology to this like "Q10" and "Celluite Gel Cream". Neither of these ideas are explained in the ad but they are used to convince you that their product has a science to it, and is more than just your average moisturizer.

     In regard to how this may fit in with "Miss Representation", I thought that the slogan "touch and be touched" was pretty interesting. The ad was obviously targeted toward women. It tries to sell the idea that if you use their moisturizer then you can have a happy relationship like the one picture, show off your skin, and be touched by your boyfriend. Honestly, I think that if he's your boyfriend, he won't mind if your skin isn't firm and touchable, because his won't be either. It's not like he's going t be moisturizing, but it's expected that the girl should in order to be the ideal that I had started mentioning in my last post. This ad depicts a more wholesome ideal, but still encourages girls to meet it and sets up unrealistic expectations of what one's life should be like, and what the product could do for you.

Media Log 11

     Just in time for summer! I hope this "Boot Camp" can also tech me how to get my skin to glisten like that too. 

     This is an article I found in some Instyle published long ago in a summer season far  far away. The message is simple: Get your body ready to rock a bikini before summer starts. However, it's not this message that really stood out to, the stereotypes that this page plays to are what caught my attention the most and reminded me of the documentary "Miss Representation" that we watched this past week.

     The intro blurb at the bottom of the page that is supposed to attract you into reading this article. The part that stood out most to me was "Those teeny two pieces have all the forgiveness of a Housewives reunion. Luckily, we've got everything you need to look hot in a swimsuit this summer." This statement implies that women should only wear swim suits once fit to be seen as beutiful. The girl pictured is extremely thin, tan, and in shape which contributes to this idea of a "perfect bikini body" and creates an ideal. This ideal is used to make the reader feel inferior. Looking closer, this picture is totally unrealistic. (Just one thing I noticed) The only way you'll be able to get your skin that shiny on a beach is from sweat and some spray on sun screen. Trust me, it's just about as glamorous as it sounds. This ideal that they create is unattainable unless you follow the steps they've detailed in the article. Still, the workout they propose can only take you as far as it can. It won't give you a supermodel body, a killer spray tan, and beach waves. In "Miss Representation", the idea of girls becoming self-concious because of what they are taught to see as ideals in the media is discussed, and I think that this article provides a great example of what girls are exposed to. Images as unattainable as these, with captions telling you that this is what is required to be seen in public is what's behind such wide spread insecurities amongst teenage girls.

     After watching Miss Representation in class, I thought I'd be totally full of ideas and insight to provide you all with on your Sunday evening scroll through media blogs in hopes of finding one short enough to comment on. However, when I had my picture loaded and my document open in front of me I came to the realization that I completely forgot every idea that I had planned to discuss. I apologize for this being not the quality that I had planned on it being. I blame it on the four hour head ache and  the cold that I've been wrestling all day.

Something I Thought Was Funny

Reasoning fallacies in Saturday's comics? Doesn't get much better than that.

Media Log 10

     Okay I'm sorry for all of you Nokia Lumia users but this is the second commercial for this phone that I'm going to bash on this blog. I can't help it they just really irritate me.
     I originally chose this commercial because of the music that was used in it. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the band Alt-J, but this is their song "Fitzpleasure" being used. This was the first thing that caught my attention about the ad, it was loud and had a strong, recognizable bass. However, the editing is absolutely garbage. I can understand why they'd want to take the lyrics out, they're pretty incomprehensible, but they could have at least made the instrumental flow a little better. Honestly, that editing hurt my ears and made me uncomfortable, killing any effect they hoped to achieve with it.
     There was another thing about the music that I found weird. I'd assume that whoever chose this song for the commercial had not done adequate research or perhaps just didn't care enough to. This song is based off of the book,  Last Exit to Brooklyn, by Hubert Shelley Jr. Alt-J has said in past interviews that the song was written about the gang rape scene from this book. This isn't that important to the advertisement of this phone because I doubt anyone would know that trivia unless they had been reading YouTube comments under this song and had decided to do their own research to back it up (guilty). So I suppose there really was no point in me bringing up this story but hey, the more you know...
     Besides, there are plenty of other reasons not to like this ad besides their use of a creepy song and horrible sound editing. Again, Nokia chooses to compare their phone to other leading brands to prove their importance. True, the low light pictures do appear to have better quality, but they didn't have to compare . They could have just said good quality and I would have been sold. They should leave it up to the consumer to compare this product with others. In my opinion, it seems unprofessional when brands mock other brands, especially in the case of Nokia, as brand with a history of commercials dedicated to bashing the quality of other phones.
     Nokia has once again failed to pull me out of my iPhone only mind set. This is a big task to handle, so I give them props for trying, but I don't think I'll find any of their commercials good until they stop insulting my phone.

Media Log 9

     Just give me a minute while I look for some tissues, this commercial just brought tears to my eyes. Man, the human race really is great, just look at all the progress we've made! It really makes me want to go out and put my money in a Wells Fargo bank.
     This ad I thought was really interesting because of how unrelated it really was to the actual company it represented. What they are trying to advertise is Wells Fargo chat rooms. They claim that communication is what has brought the world to where it is today. Communication is the key to success and progress (never mind what it's done in terms of creating conflict). The advertisers really play on your own emotions to get a response out of you in this commercial. The most obvious need it satisfies is the need to achieve. They do this by showing us pictures of successful people doing great things and saying how communication helped them get there. This ad is also very optimistic, it appeals to the need to dominate by giving the viewer an opportunity to be as successful as the people pictured in the ad through these Wells Fargo chat rooms. Though I don't know what in those chat rooms could possibly make me as successful as the Wright brothers or Jane Goodall, there sure as heck make me believe my dreams can come true.
     This ad reminded me of the red bull commercial someone used for the "Show Us Your Clip" assignment where the whole ad is spent showing amazing feats that weren't a direct effect of what they were advertising, but the company used them for it. When thinking about what common advertising techniques both of these ads had in common, I decided that diversion seemed like the best fit. These ads both associate great things with very mundane products in the last two seconds of the commercial. They are both meant to inspire but provide a product that does the opposite.
     Maybe this technique was used to glamorize the product and the brand, but after watching it, all I'm left thinking is that the human race has done some pretty cool things. Also, what does anyone have to "chat" about in a Wells Fargo "chat room"?

Media Blog 8

(Sorry for the lame picture quality but for some reason my printer doesn't believe in scanning correctly so I'm forced to resort to iPhone pictures)

     This ad did a really good job in selling its product. This ad is really well done. It's honestly such a great idea and I'm really impressed with the advertisers for thinking it up. What you see before you is an ad disguised as a part of the magazine. A DIY project (do it yourself project for all those of you who don't know what it stands for) that appeals directly to the reader, and the company's target audience. I would assume that teenage girls reading Teen Vogue like keeping up with fashion and most of them cannot afford much of the designer clothes marketed to them in this magazine. By putting this DIY project as their advertisement, the company is showing a cheap and easy way to have trendy clothes for so much cheaper than the ones advertised in this magazine. I thought this was a great ad technique because it is original, and shows the companies knowledge of their prime consumers, teenage girls.
     There is some disconnect that is found in this argument. The advertisers know their target audience, but advertising to it only gets you half way there. The ad would be perfect if it made more sense. The connection between how to make jean shorts your own and Venus razors has me a little confused. What they're trying to argue is that if you have a razor that shaves you as well as Venus Embrace does, then you can wear these cute shorts and feel confident. Truthfully, and maybe it's just me, but i don't shave every time I wear shorts. I don't need to shave to wear them, and I don't need to shave to feel confident, so the connection is lost on me.
     Despite the advertisement's gaps, I think that overall it was successful in catching the reader's attention because it made a really good appeal to the reader and was original. It may not have gotten more girls to buy their razor, but I'm sure you'll be seeing a few girls rocking a pair of shorts like these this summer, with or without shaved legs.