I will take three...

It was a good discussion in class about the advertising world. I took some classes that have helped me understand the underlying meanings in advertising. What they do, use, portray, can get us off the couch and into stores purchasing products. I mean seriously millions of dollars for a 30 second clip during the super bowl game. It makes me wonder how many consumers it would take to drink 2 million dollars of coke or whatever the product is. Are we that heavily influenced? Well unfortunately yes. So many times I have watched good products go away. Just because there is a really good product it does not mean it is going to sell itself. There is a purpose for advertising it creates feelings and expectations when buying products. It is interesting to me concepts such as satellite radio. People are willing to spend a lot of money on something that is virtually free just so they can avoid advertisements. My husband and I purchased this XM Radio and we were shocked to find they had commercials in it. Yes there were far less than the typical radio stations but we paid for this to avoid commercials! I was very disappointed as a consumer. It is a tricky game that they play. They do not have enough commercials for us to turn the product down or stop making payments on it but it does make me cringe every time I hear one. It makes me wonder in some of the magazines I purchase if they took out the advertising would it be empty? A mere 5-10 pages of information with a couple pictures that relate to the stories. I would be curious to find out what percentage of magazines is advertising. Advertising and marketing can really influence the minds of its consumers. We need to be careful the products and things we are paying for.

girls in the media

Today’s conversation really got me thinking about girls in the media. I refuse to think that a white male started this awful trend and everyone is following and accepting it. Obviously not everyone views women as objects rather than subjects. It makes me question how different America views women compared to the rest of the world. In India, Russia, and China do they consider their women as objects and mere bimbos? I refuse to think so. I think values have shifted a great amount over the years. Although women have more opportunities than ever before I do not think that we are using our abilities to their full potential. Changing the stereotype is hard to do after falling deep in to stereotypes for several years. Women are reaching out to everything including doctors, large corporations, to even attempting for president. There is a change in the world but media is slow to adapt. We are not finding these powerful leaders on TV or the radio. But it makes me question our society as a whole. Would we really watch unattractive women work hard on reality TV? One might hope so but I doubt it. We have a need for unrealistic perfection on television. This need is driving America to one of the biggest problems.

please do not judge me

Being honest I am a type that could be easily stereotyped. I am a 21 year old, blonde, from San Diego. People may have an impression based on those few words. I could be viewed as a young girl, who may be looked in the world as less smart because of my hair color. I am from a fun party town which may be assumed that would make me a partier. Now if I mentioned a few more words to talk about me. I am a married, Mormon college student. Those words bring out more mature, responsible feelings. If I had mentioned those three words the first time a completely different image may come to mind. We use stereotyping for several different reasons. Understanding who someone is can be complex reasoning. This is why we use stereotyping. Many people view stereotyping as negative. When it is used incorrectly it can be found offensive and inappropriate. Lets be honest not all African-Americans listen to rap, wear bling, and are criminals. Our society portrays different categories of humans in various lights. Media plays a major role in stereotyping. The media has the ability to reach millions of people. In result people are informed about society with specific knowledge and biased beliefs. The best way to avoid stereotypes and biased views is to do research. Having the ability to choose what to believe in can be powerful. Not assuming all that you hear is factual will help break some of the stereotypes. Research what the media has to offer to give yourself a better understanding of the subject and the other side of the story.

I am not blog savvy. Please be kind.

http://commsociety2010.blogspot.com/