Blog #8 what will they try to do to stay connected?

In order to get the advertising in, I think there will be a few changes coming our way. I think there will be more product placement and other forms of advertising besides commercials. They are realizing that people are able to skip over the commercials, which is exactly what they don't want. They will have more product placement so the viewers still see the products that are being advertised instead of being ignored. They might also have only a couple commercials per break, but more breaks. That way, the viewer won't want to get up if the break is only going to be about twenty or thirty seconds becuase they might miss part of the show. Skipping through or fast forwarding through the commercials would also be a bit harder to do because the viewer won't want to miss parts of the show by fast forwarding for too long, so they might choose to just watch the one or two commercials.

Blog #7 Open

I never really realized how many different forms of advertising there are and how often i encounter ads. On nearly everything I use, touch, or see, there is almost always some form of advertising. Almost every piece of clothing I see all day has some form of advertising on it, usually it's a name brand or a logo. The sad thing is, we pay more to advertise for the companies. People who shop at expensive stores are paying more money to be seen with a certain brand of clothing on, but while you wear that piece of clothing, you are advertising and promoting the store. Right now in my computer room, I am bombarded with advertisements. My cell phone has the LG logo on it, my computer and printer both have a logo and name brand on them, my pen even has the brand name on it.
Ever since we have started this unit, I have found myself analyzing things without even knowing it. I start thinking to myself about the target market and what types of advertising devices are being used. Sometimes I even say it out loud and my family and friends think that I'm weird. This unit has already started to make me a more aware consumer and I'm starting to understand the way the advertising companies are trying to get to me.

Blog #6

I believe that product placement in movies and in television shows is an effective way of advertising. If someone watches a movie and sees the character/actor with the product, it's similar to testimonial advertising. If the product isn't directly being used by the character, the product is still seen and may be associated with the movie or show.
I think it is especially effective for teenagers because teenagers usually have more free time and therefore are able to go to the movies or watch television more often than adults. Teenagers are also easier to influence because they are still trying to define themselves, so they will be influenced more by their favorite television or movie character and the products that are associated with them.
I also believe that other forms of advertising may be more effective because if the product is placed in the background of a scene, the product might not even receive any attention. So while product placement in movies and television shows may be effective, other advertising opportunities may be better, depending on the use of the product in the movie or show.

Blog #5

There are many different types of way that advertisers try to target us. One way is through the radio. The advertisers have some of our favorite radio show hosts advertise their products for them and have them share how great that specific product is. This is an example of the propaganda testimonial device, where the company has endorsement by a well-known individual or organization. Some examples of these include food for our pets, weight-loss programs, and lasik eye surgery. It also relates to bargain price because usually, if you call a number the radio broadcaster gives you and you mention their name, you get a "special discount."
Another way that advertisers try to get to us are through contextual ads. Some of the ones that catch my attention are usually extramercials and large rectangles because these ads actually cover what the reader is trying to see. It is extremely annoying, but I usually at least look at the advertisement. Banners and skyscrapers also grab my attention, but not as often as the others.
I think that the advertisements that use the testimonial propaganda device through the radio are more effective than contextual advertising. If I am debating between a brand of cat food for my cat, and I can't decide which one to buy, I would most likely purchase the one that my radio broadcaster told me to. When i see contextual ads, I can't even remember what they are advertising.

Option 1:How do the media images & stereotpyes of men & women impact how we view each other professionally (at school, at work, in politics, etc.)?

I believe that many different sources of media influence how many people view each other. The media make us lose respect for each other, especially women. Many songs, especially rap music, makes women seem as if they are objects who belong to the men, which isn't usually the case. It can also make women think that men only view women as objects, making women disgusted with the males of the world. Many other media stereotype us and if we don't fit the stereotype, we are weird and different. In the movie Eddie's Million Dollar Cook off, Eddie plays baseball, and also likes to cook, but he is afraid to tell anyone because they will laugh and make fun of him. It is the same scenario in High School Musical, when Troy Bolton, the star basketball player, decides he wants to be in the school musical. His "friends" laugh at him and tell him he needs to focus on the upcoming basketball game and get his head in the game. The only reason we feel embarrassed or ashamed by our hobbies is because of the stereotypes that the media have created for us. If we didn't have these stereotypes, these two characters from these movies and many other people with similar problems wouldn't have had anything to be embarrassed about.

Blog #3... watch a tv show :)

I watched What Not to Wear.
What not to wear is a show that takes people who have a bad wardrobe, give them tips on what they should wear, bring them to New York, and give them $5,000 to spend on the type of clothes they tell them they should wear. The American Core Values that are defined by this show are Achievement and Success, Progress, Material Comfort, Conformity, and Youthfulness. Achievement and Success are defined because Stacie and Clinton, the show's hosts, tell the people that they should dress like successful people. They should wear nice clothing that makes people think they have a successful life and job. Progress is defined because we don't like outdated things. This show isn't talking about technology, but clothing. Stacie and Clinton tell people not to wear outdated clothing and they need to keep up with the new fashions and styles that are ever changing. Material Comfort is defined because they give them $5,000 to spend on nice clothing that they will like and that will make them feel more comfortable. They encourage people to use their leisure time to go shopping to buy clothes that are in style. Conformity is very obvious in this show because Stacie and Clinton are telling people that they are dressing wrong and that they should be dressing with what is in style and what everyone else should be wearing. They are saying that dressing different to be an individual just makes you look immature and out of place and that you should wear whatever the new style is. The last American Core Value defined in this show is youthfulness. Towards the end of the show, they have a make-up artist and hair-stylist come and help them with their appearance. They usually strive for styles and ways to help the people look younger by using different make-up tips and different hair styles. Also, when they are shopping for clothes, Stacie and Clinton tell them what types of clothes will help them look better and younger due to age and body types.

Blog #2

I watched the movie! :)

The thing that shocked me the most was the way that they follow the children around in order to better appeal to children. Following them into the bathroom? That is taking it a few steps too far. It is also amazing to find out all of the different ways the media will affect our future. The media gives us certain expectations to fill, and we feel we need to fulfill these because we have been saturated in the media since we were born. These needs are causing problems such as obesity, depression, diabetes, and other health related issues. Studies have shown that our life expectancy is predicted to be much lower than that of our parents because of these problems that the media has led to. The media is finding ways to get to children through many different sources including television, video games, ipods, cell phones, the internet, and more. Ads are beginning to mix with education and games. The games and the education materials have advertisements all over them. Kids are having far more influence now than compared with the past and it adds up to about one-trillion dollars every year. The media is telling us to focus on our immediate wants and to fulfill them. It's telling us if we want more, we should have more. The media is impacting children far more than necessary, and it will most likely comtinue to get worse.

Blog #1

For the first question, What is "media?," all of the people I interviewed said, in so many words, that it was a way of communicating and receiving information. Two of those people went on to list examples such as news on TV, the Internet, the newspaper, etc.
For the second question, How do the "media" impact your life?," three of the four said that it keeps us informed and up to date with what is happening all over the world. The other person, my Dad, said that it influences us all in good and bad ways, and it also provides entertainment.
The third question I asked was Overall, do the "media" have positive or negative impacts? (Is the "media" good?) Two of the people said it was positive because otherwise we wouldn't know what is happening in our world. One of those two also said that it gives us the news almost immediately after it happens, so that's another plus. The other two people wouldn't settle on saying it is one or the other, so they said both. They said that it is positive because it gives us the information we need to know, but it is negative because it gives us information that we don't need to know, and it uses too much propaganda to try to influence us.
The fourth question I asked was, What is your favorite way of getting information and why do you prefer it over other ways? Three people said they like watching the news on TV. Of these three, one of them also said they like the Internet just as well and another person said they like talk radio just as well. The fourth person said that she preferred the Internet. When asked why they preferred these ways rather than others, they all said it was because it was the fastest and easiest way for them to get the information that they wanted to hear.
Overall, many or their answers were very similar.