Media Blog Reflection

         Media, like nearly everyone else in our society, plays a significant role in my daily life. Without it, my life would be drastically different, in both positive and negative ways. In general, media plays some kind of role in every aspect of my life. For example, in school, I utilize media to complete typed homework assignments, watch videos or look up information to clarify difficult concepts, research information for papers or writing assignments, send teachers emails, take pictures of information presented in the classroom, and much more.

         In this instance, media has positively benefited me by making different aspects of my life more convenient and efficient. Outside of school, media plays a prevalent role in communication, entertainment, and awareness. For example, communicating with friends and families is significantly easier and more efficient with an iPhone, as well as staying aware of the events in the world around us, and spending free time watching YouTube or playing video games.

         The media blog project allowed me to become significantly more aware of the endless amount of media and advertising around us, and the motives of corporations behind the facade. For example, when I watch commercials on TV, I am able to look past the superficial messages they portray to the viewers, and how desperate advertising companies are to sell their products. For example, I see a lot of commercials trying to sell medicine products, using weasel words to attempt to draw in an audience to buying their product, since for “some” users, it’s “effective.” In this instance, weasel words, hasty conclusion fallacy, magic ingredients, and simple solutions are all techniques and characteristics of these kinds of ads I am now able to understand. Writing my media blog posts allowed me to analyze these techniques used more deeply, including more specific techniques from The Persuaders including Lovemarks, Madison and vine, guerilla advertising, and data mining.

         I don’t think my media consumption habits have changed much over the course of the semester. I still use media for the same amount of time I used previously, and I still consume media in the same ways, with my iPhone, television, computer, and the advertising world around us. The only way in which my habits have changed are that I am more aware of the techniques used by the companies that promote different products, videos, websites, advertisements, etc. This Skill of media literacy that I’ve learned through the media blog project and the critical thinking class is essential for anyone in our rapid progression towards a technology based society.

         In such a complex and in-depth world of technology, it’s very easy to get lost in the sea of media we are living in. Believing everything in the media world that is fed to us, from magazines, tv commercials, advertisements, billboards, etc. will result in an extremely skewed perception of reality that can cause us to live in a world of ignorance, blindness, and misunderstanding. This media blog project definitely put me on the right track towards avoiding this mindset, and gaining a small glimpse into the vast world of media that is vital for us to consume in a healthy and responsible manner.

Media in Disneyland

One of my favorite childhood destinations to visit almost annually was Disneyland. Since I was two years old, I’ve been traveling to Disneyland many times around Christmas time, for my eighth grade graduation trip, and a few times for Valentine’s Day. I haven’t thought about it much until this semester and our discussion of media, but now I realize how much media plays a role in the Disneyland experience.

Without technology, media, and iPhones, in my opinion, going to Disneyland would be a vastly different experience. First, the Disneyland app is such a vital asset to walking around Disneyland. The app provides wait times for every ride, the current time slot for FastPasses, and what time the ride opens. In addition, it allows me to know whether or not the ride is closed for maintenance or whether or not the ride is even open for the day. Without this app, going to Disneyland would be much less fun, since the order of rides I go on depends entirely on the wait times and what time I can obtain Fastpasses. With the efficiency of media today, a new system at Disneyland allows visitors to purchase a “MaxPass” for ten dollars a day that allows visitors to obtain FastPasses for rides without having to walk up to the machines that dispense them. There are many other features on the app, including a map of Disneyland, all the hours and menus of every restaurant and snack bar, daily events such as photo opportunities with Disney characters, and the ability to even order food. Media has significantly enhanced the Disneyland experience, making it easier and more efficient than ever to enjoy the various rides and attractions the park offers.

Media is also a crucial part of the rides at Disneyland. With the development of recent technology, the rides have been more advanced and detailed than ever. Disney has also provided a photo system that takes pictures of visitors on the rides in special spots, such as the top of splash mountain or at the end of California Screamin, which has been refurbished in the past year. Visitors can order the pictures or get the, sent to their phones, and share them in social media with friends.

Finally, media has allowed me to keep up with the recent changes being made to Disneyland, especially Star Wars Land. I’ve been reading news articles this past year about the development and progress of the land, and the details of the rides—the millennium falcon—and the different characteristics and Star Wars artifacts of the surroundings. I’ve been able to see countless pictures of the land without even visiting the park at all, and I’ve been seeing all kinds of social media posts, comments, tweets, etc. about the recent opening day on May 31st.

This new kind of life media allows us to experience is prevalent in many places outside of Disneyland. Media vastly increases the efficiency and conveniency of our daily lives, and it allows us to connect and be more aware of the world around us. Going to Disneyland would not be even close to as exciting of an experience without the presence of media all around the parks.

Ads on our iPhones

WhatsApp is a very popular messaging app that allows users to communicate with people around the world. When I go on vacation in foreign countries, I can communicate with people back in the US with people that don’t have iPhones or iMessaging. This convenient app, owned by Facebook, is about to become another media platform to have advertisements that pop up while users are utilizing the app in 2020. The ads will reportedly take up the entire screen when a user clicks on the “Status” icon in the app.

According to an article I read, WhatsApp became the most popular worldwide messaging app after Facebook paid 19 billion dollars to purchase this company several years ago. Facebook also owns Instagram and its own Facebook Messenger. On Instagram, ads appear on Instagram stories. Similarly, when one views the ads in WhatsApp, they can swipe up the screen to know more.

It seems as if advertisements are popping up on every possible spot of our iPhones, from ads in between games, ads before watching YouTube videos, ads on websites (which can thankfully be blocked out using “Reader View Mode”) and ads on social media platforms. Just on this website alone that discusses the upcoming advertisements that will be a part of WhatsApp, there is an ad about PetSmart on the bottom of the screen, advertising their salon services for different pets. At the bottom of the article, there is another advertisement called “AdBlock Prime” which claims it will “block annoying ads on iOS.” Their description reads “Say goodbye to popups, banners, and in-app ads. No more annoying distractions.” This was actually very humorous to me, especially because they characterize the advertisements, including those right above it in the same article, as “annoying.” It’s interesting to me that companies are so adamant about adding ads into different commonly used apps, knowing that viewers don’t take the time to actually read the advertisements or take their product into consideration because they are “in the way.”

The same goes for ads in between games. If an ad pops up in between a game of Candy Crush, I will be become very irritated and simply stare at the timer to see when the ad will finish playing. In my opinion, advertisements on different media platforms are extremely ineffective and can actually hinder progress towards successful campaigning. If I constantly see Clorox commercials in between my games of candy crush, I will begin to develop a negative attitude towards the brand, and be less willing and much less likely to actually go out and buy the product. I think that advertising companies need to be smarter about how their customers will react to the advertisements they view and not bombard us with ads that become a nuisance.

Women’s Representation in the Film Industry

 

Miss Representation focused heavily on the role of women in media, and their under representation and misrepresentation of their true identities. In the past few years, Hollywood has been “trying” to become more inclusive of women in front of the camera, but still has a serious problem with their accurate portrayal in media, if even included. In a study conducted by the USC Annenberg Inclusive Initiative, they concluded that when it comes to women’s roles in television, little has changed in the last decade. In fact, they stated that women had fewer speaking roles in movies than they did ten years ago. 

In terms of raw statistics, the study found that the top movies of the past year included male protagonists that were triple the amount of female protagonists. They concluded that female speaking characters accounted for only 31 percent of all roles, compared to the same study in 2008 and 2009 in which women accounted for 33 percent of all roles. When it comes to female inclusion in movies and television, progress has been stagnant, unable to overcome this hurdle and call for action.

In addition, out of the 1223 directors who worked in the past 11 years, only 4.3 percent were female. This number is significantly less for women of color. I read an article that discussed how the gender of a person who is reviewing or criticizing a movie matters significantly more than we think. According to the article I read, male movie reviewers outnumber female critics by more than double. This is affecting how movies directed by and starring women are perceived. The men involved in the reviewing of cinema watched a much more lower percentage of levies directed by women than female critics. They were less likely to mention a female director's name when reviewing or writing about a film, or making positive and explicit statements about her work. 

Furthermore, men were much less likely to review movies featuring female protagonists. Of all the movies men reviewed, only 37 percent of the movies they reviewed featured women as the leading roles. These gender imbalances revolved around the cinema industry demonstrate the imbalance of men and women’s portrayal in the media, and how the lack of women reviewers in the industry is hurting movies made by or made for women.

However, female protagonists have been featured in some major movies this past year, including Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, and Mary Poppins Returns. However, in my opinion, the Hollywood industry hasn’t made much progress towards making women more prominent in the film industry. Without Crazy Rich Asians, the amount of Asian actresses in the film industry in the past year would be only 8 percent. Continuing to portray the stereotypical characters of a specific gender and race will continue to deepen the issue revolving around underrepresented groups portrayal in the media industry. We must make active steps to reverse the issue before it becomes too late.

"Merchants of Cool": Social media effect on the Fashion Industry

When watching the video, “Merchants of Cool,” one topic that really stuck with me was the fact that there are certain people that “decide” the fashion trends, influencing the rest of the population. I believe that nowadays, social media fuels the fashion industry, introducing new fashion trends and introducing new products to the public.

In my opinion, YouTube has been one of the most popular platforms by fashion companies to promote their products. In addition, it’s also a place where ordinary teenagers can catch up with the latest trends and changes to the recent fashion. On YouTube, fashion brands are constantly creating innovative ways to connect with their customers, including engaging videos to showcase their products or commercials strategically placed to connect with teenagers. These videos promote the product rather than pushing the product—the viewers are able to watch videos like these without feeling the pressure to buy these products. Companies that create videos like these are often much more successful in the fashion industry.

Another way the fashion industry today has used YouTube to promote the “cool” trends is by sponsoring beauty and fashion vloggers. These celebrities, such as Zoella, have been paid by YouTube to review and marked the companies’ products. These influencers are essentially “puppets” for the brand they are advertising for. With these videos, millions of subscribers are acquired and new clothing trends become integrated into the ever-changing fashion world.

Instagram is even more of an asset to the fashion industry. Since fashion is visually driven, Instagram is the perfect platform for advertising clothes and reaching the widest range of audience possible. With the “See more” or the “Swipe Up” option on Instagram, a video can be posted on someone’s “Story” and include a link to the website where the clothing item showcased in the video or image can be purchased. If Victoria’s Secret posts a video of a woman modeling in the company’s newest dress, with the “See more” feature, the viewer can quickly access the link to purchase the exact dress. This allows for an effortless and convenient way to purchase clothing one finds appealing in one of the most popular had most used media platforms today.

So who decides what is considered “cool” in the fashion world? In my opinion, it’s oftentimes the celebrities, bloggers, etc. that we idol that often control the purchases we make. They’ve created a huge impact on the way consumers shop, influencing what kinds of clothing are acceptable in society and what brands may not be considered “cool.” Besides Instagram and YouTube, a multitude of blogging sites and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have all fed into the fashion industry, and connecting with the consumer by creating an “online presence.” In “Merchants of Cool,” the idea of a certain group of people deciding what is “cool” has made its effect by a successful use of social media advertising. Whether it’s sharing Instagram photos, tweets, or viral videos, social media has opened up the trends in the fashion industry to many people for wardrobe advice and fashion inspiration.

Romantic Movies: Are they representative of true love?

One of my favorite genres of movies to watch in my free time are romance movies. Whether it’s romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, romantic tragedies like The Fault in our Stars or Titanic, or other great romance movies like The Notebook, these movies are loved by the American population and myself. However, are the portrayals of love in this media realistic? Are these movies painting an image of false love and false hope for our society to pursue? What is the goal of the producers of romantic movies, one of the most common genres of film?

Movies depict love in glamorized ways, showing a false expectation of what love is really like in our society today. Typical relationships in movies consist of the perfect man, the perfect woman, both from completely different worlds. Relationships in movies involve many ups and downs, conflicts and struggles, and the concept everyone loves to see--love at first sight. These characteristics of cinematic relationships are completely exaggerated--appealing to the audiences of these movies and experiencing a fantasy-like example of love not present in our everyday lives.

One example of a myth of love presented in romantic movies is the concept of passive love, where love and relationships just simply happen. For me, I think that love at first sight is commonly portrayed in cinematic media because it is convenient. If two people fall in love over the span of a movie, it has to be immediate for it to work--because movies are often only two hours long.

Another interesting characteristic of the media’s portrayal of love is the great divide between social class of two lovers. In Titanic, Jack is from a much poorer background, living in the third class cabins when he falls in love with Rose, who is from an extremely wealthy background, living in the first class cabins. In The Notebook, a mill worker and a rich girl fall in love. In romantic comedy movie Maid in Manhattan, a hotel maid and an affluent politician embark on a romantic journey. However, in real life, while two people from significantly different backgrounds can still fall in love, people with vastly different world views, styles, preferences, or day-to-day rituals are much less likely to be compatible. In movies, however, seeing these unlikely connections makes the movie far more interesting, far more appealing to everyday viewers who are experiencing the “impossible,” and much more original, not abiding by the common societal traditions of relationships.

In many romantic movies, the concept of Happily ever After occurs, with the movie cutting to the credits scene with the viewers believing that the couple’s fate is sealed for eternity. In reality, love is not so seamless--Tragedy happens and people move in different directions, which will inevitably lead to an end of love. Again, the media appeals to the emotions of viewers, since they know that this kind of love is exactly what we want, but not necessarily what will happen. It gives us hope, and a sense of emotional connection to the characters, while hoping for the same experiences in the movie in our own life.

Movie producers have created some of the most popular movies of our time through these concepts and movie-making techniques. Romantic movies allow us to believe in love (even if it’s just for a few hours), they allow us to laugh and cry, they have the most satisfying endings, almost always ending on a positive note despite the struggles that may come prior to the ending, and make you feel like anything is possible--even if it means climbing to the top of the Empire State Building.

How Clash of Clans represents Supercell’s gaming success

I just recently got back into playing one of my favorite games, Clash of Clans. Instantly, after taking a break from the game because it was taking too much time away from school and other activities, I was hooked. At first, I tried to tell myself to restrict my usage to only half an hour a day, but the game almost instantaneously got me addicted again. Now, with new updates to the game and a clan with my friends, I am 
even more addicted than before, allowing me to realize how powerful video games can be on one’s daily life and the techniques utilized by video game designers in order to attract the largest and most devoted audience possible.

Clash of Clans is a strategy game which involves building a “base” with defenses, resource buildings, and other buildings such as the town hall, which is the heart of the village, and the army camps, which house the trained troops in the village. The main goal of the game is to gain as many trophies and resources as possible, to be promoted to higher leagues, and upgrade defenses to more successively defend attackers. Unlike many iPhone games, such as Temple Run, Subway Surfers, Word Games, or Minion Rush, these games are much simpler in their design and purpose, with many of these “arcade games” involving a character running as far as possible and avoiding obstacles. Supercell, the creator of Clash of Clans, has strayed far away from these cliched game types, creating a game that allows players to gradually progress

over long periods of time, putting many different “activities” into the game. These activities allow players to stay in the game for extended periods of time, and continue to return to the game because of its delayed rewards.

Some of the activities include attacking other bases to gain loot and trophies, attacking in clan wars, upgrading defenses, altering a base layout, or even messaging friends within one’s clan. In addition, Supercell has actually created an entirely new village that players can build on and attack. This new addition came out about 2 years ago, quickly adding more opportunity to stay on the app. In this village called the Builder Base, players can build an entirely new base layout different from the home village, attack, gain loot, and gain trophies, in slightly different ways from the home village. One technique Supercell excels at is constantly adding new additions to the game to keep players continuously engaged for as long as possible. Supercell goes into the minds of the players and creates the game revolved around the common habits of players--to constantly go back into the game to check if an upgrade finished, if one’s base was destroyed while one was offline, if the troops are finished training, or if the clan war was won. This constant gnawing feeling to go back into the game is exactly what Supercell has done to gain the largest amount of devoted players possible.

Just recently, a new update was introduced to the game that ultimately drew me right back into the trap of Clash of Clans. One complaint Supercell knew about was the fact that upgrades in the village were far too expensive and took significantly too much time to complete. Supercell knew that this could be causing players to become less interested in the game, as progressing forward and unlocking new troops and defences was becoming much too difficult. This is another strong characteristic of this gaming company--Supercell is loyal and devoted to its customers, allowing it to become one of the most successful gaming companies in the media.

Another successful aspect Supercell has integrated into the game is the social connection players have to the game. For me, I joined a clan with several of my friends, allowing me to be connected to the game on a different media than most of the other games I play. On Clash of Clans, I’m not just playing with computerized players in a world completely excluded from my reality, rather, I can donate troops to people I physically know, chat with friends in my clan, have “friendly attacks” with other bases in my own clan, and join my friends in clan wars--almost like a team. This social aspect of the game has made Clash of Clans enormously successful, along with the constant updates to the game that appeal to players.

As with most video games, Clash of Clans is extremely addicting, but this game in particular is even more addictive. This has definitely entailed very negative consequences on my daily life, causing me to be distracted at almost any moment in the day, especially during school. Now, everyday before class and in between class, as well as at lunch or while I’m doing homework, I have to check the game for any updates to my village. Even after I eventually close the app, I’m still left thinking about the game, my upgrading defenses, my troops training in the barracks, and how much more gold I will need before “maxing out” my base. I’ve spent hours watching Youtube videos on better attacking strategies as well as more effective base layouts for the specific town hall I have. I think this problem is common with anyone who has played Clash of Clans, and we must all be careful of the game taking over our life. Even though the game is enormously fun and entertaining, we must remember that it is only a game. I am definitely striving to control my time on this game to not take away from other important aspects of my life.

Is Social Media leading to Boredom?

One emotion that has become increasingly prevalent in our society because of technology and the media is boredom. With the ever growing presence of technology in our daily lives, our lives are centered around constant stimulation and instant gratification technology gives to its users. I’ve experienced this same feeling constantly throughout my life, whether it’s waiting in the airport, waiting in the car, standing in line at Disneyland, or sitting in class. The question is: what is causing these emotions? Had boredom always existed in our society? In a recent Vox News interview with author and professor Susan J. Matt, this topic is further discussed, with certain pieces of information integrated into my own opinion on this issue as well.

To me, boredom never existed before the presence of technology. People still experienced empty moments, but accepted them as a part of being human, and learned to deal with these situations and experiences. From my own experience, I can’t handle being bored for more than five minutes, complaining to those around me, or reaching for the cure to my boredom: technology. Loneliness is another emotion unable to be dealt with in many of our lives, also with the increasingly prevalent use of technology in our society. Back in the days without technology as our constant companion, loneliness was expressed as solitude, seen as a positive, meditative experience, giving it meaning and value. However, today, whenever we are lonely, we can always pick up our cell phone and engage in a technologized social world, escaping from these negative emotions and feelings.

Technology is always there for us, anytime of the day. It beckons us with the promise of fulfillment and excitement, promising instantaneous entertainment, social networking, and a variety of outlets to pass time. Personally, I feel that technology has caused us to lose many vital emotions and experiences in our screen-filled lives. Unfulfilled moments, such as those without entertainment or companionship, can spawn creativity and ideas that occur when one is still with oneself. Could technology be hindering our creativity and keeping ourselves and our society on a superficial level? I think that technology has made us less independent, resorting to the technology we possess to live our lives. Connecting back to my post from last week, technology can cause us to develop habits of narcissism and self-love. We try to promote the best version of ourselves, as well as editing our images to perfection, to give people a bigger sense of their self and self importance.

To me, technology is almost like a drug addiction, constantly needing technology to fuel our lives. We don’t know how to handle the feelings of boredom anymore, resorting to this “crutch” to keep us entertained. During spring break when I went to Mexico, while I was waiting at the airport, I looked around me and saw at least ¾ of everyone staring straight at their phones, completely disengaged from their surroundings. It fascinated me how much technology can pull us away from reality, and how often we resort to our cell phone when bored. Unfortunately, I’m a victim of this too, constantly pulling out my phone whenever I have a moment of not doing anything actively. For example, whenever I get to class early, I pull out my phone to check social media or play a quick game. I do this same thing anytime I’m in the car, no matter how short the ride is, in between and while doing different homework assignments, while I’m walking to different classes, and in general, whenever I have some free time. I’ve fallen into the trap of instant gratification and constant entertainment, unable to deal with boredom when technology is unavailable, taking away my focus and attention span in daily activities.

Technology has consumed us. We are living in an era surrounded by the constant presence of media, altering the way we live and the values we have. I believe that many people can benefit from a controlled and restricted use of technology to allow us to feel and experience vital emotions that are part of the human experience. Connecting this post with my other post truly allows me to realize the double-edged sword nature of technology. We must find a balance between these two aspects, as well as accepting and understanding our relationship with technology.

Link: https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/2/18510958/social-media-addiction-boredom-loneliness-society-technology-smart-phones

London Marathon and the Media

Last Sunday was the prestigious London Marathon, one of the most competitive and fastest marathons in the world. Marathons have been run for decades, with the first London marathon being held in 1981. However, since the first years of the marathon, media has become increasingly prevalent in our society, affecting our perspective on worldwide events, such as the London marathon taking place nearly 10,000 miles away while we were sleeping in the United States. From social media to news outlets and YouTube, media has allowed us to become increasingly more aware of the events happening around us in our society, seeing the details of different events instantly all over the interwebs and gaining a more personal understanding of the individuals involved in these events through social media.

On Sunday, April 28, I woke up and checked my phone immediately to see who had won the race I had been looking forward to seeing for weeks. Runners and news outlets had been hyping up the marathon as a duel between two world-class athletes: Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge, the first time they would be racing head-to-head in a year. During the weeks leading up to the marathon, the talk of the marathon was all over the news, including Youtubers making their predictions for the outcome of the race, British and American news outlets providing the details for the marathon and the contestants in the race, and social media accounts of these two athletes and other running accounts such as RunnerSpace and Dyestat. On the Instagram accounts of Kipchoge, random people from around the world were wishing him to run well and break the course record again. Was this possible back in 1981 when the first London marathon was run? Were ordinary people from around the world wishing the athletes good luck? Kipchoge himself posted videos of his weeks leading up to the marathon, including his training and his excitement for the race. Media definitely exposes us to events happening in the world, allowing us to become aware and informed on so many different issues taking place in a matter of seconds.

I am grateful for the media’s presence in the world today for providing such extensive coverage on important events that are of great interest to me, such as this marathon. I watched countless videos on race previews, pre-race interviews with these two athletes, previews of the race course, and videos of high school runners predicting what would happen during the race. Without the role of media, I wouldn’t know anything at all about the London marathon, and in fact, I probably wouldn’t even know the date of the race. On the morning of April 28, I immediately went onto the safari app of my iPhone and googled London Marathon into the search engine. Immediately, a flood of news articles portrayed news headlines and images of Eliud Kipchoge crossing the finish line in 1st place with a new course record. Within seconds, I knew the results of the race with ease, able to watch videos of his triumphant finish and read about the details of the race, all within hours of the race happening on the other side of the world. Again, without media, none of this would be possible, and finding anything about the race would be nearly impossible.

When I opened Instagram, scrolling through the feed, dozens of posts from running accounts posted the results of the marathon, with thousands of people from around the world liking these posts and congratulating the amazing runner. Kipchoge himself posted a picture of himself winning the race in his Instagram account, also with thousands praising the man and congratulating him on his amazing feat. Media has definitely opened the door for so many people, events, and companies, the bridge for connecting our lives with the rest of the world. After the race, the media was flooded with videos and articles of the marathon, from post race videos, highlights of the race, and videos on the breakdown of his race. Through media, I have been able to become familiar with all the details of this prestigious running event, first handedly experiencing what it was like in London that morning, able to congratulate an amazing runner thousands of miles away on his record-breaking race.

Are Lovemarks effective?

After watching the movie Persuaders that discussed the various ways and techniques advertisers try to attract an audience into buying their product, the one technique I found the most interesting and entertaining was lovemarks. Lovemarks are a form of advertising in which the company creates an emotional story to engage the audience while incorporating the product they are advertising into this short story. They allow us to have an “iconic” place in our hearts for this specific product—more than just an everyday item sitting in our homes. For me, as much as I love watching Lovemarks commercials, as they are far more engaging and interesting than most of the mundane, annoying commercials I want to fast-forward while watching TV, I actually don’t think that lovemarks are any more effective at convincing me or any other person to buy their product.

For me, many of the Chevrolet commercials I’ve seen in the past, especially during the Super Bowl, are ones that struck me emotionally, with heart-wrenching story lines involving the new Chevrolet vehicle. The first commercial I vividly remember seeing was one about a father and son moving out of their house, putting boxes into the back of their pick up truck—of course, a Chevrolet pick up truck. As the father is looking at the marks written on the wall tracking his son’s height over each of his years, he sees the word “Mom” written at the top of the wall. The commercial quickly switches to “Mom’s garden,” with roses in memory of her presence...Of course, this has nothing to do with the Chevrolet car itself, but the Lovemarks aspect of the commercial truly draws in the viewer. When the boy asks, “Who is going to take care of Mom’s roses?” the dad responds with “We are,” carefully digging up the rose bushes, putting them into a box, and placing them in the back of the Chevrolet pick up truck.

The other Chevrolet commercial I remember watching was about a dog named “Maddie.” The first scene of this Lovemarks commercial is the woman (owner) with her dog in a vet’s office. The rest of the commercial features events of the woman’s life—including her graduation, breakup with her boyfriend, playing with leaves in the park, and moving into an apartment. In all of these scenes, Maddie is with the woman—such an emotionally appealing commercial for all viewers. Next, the commercial shows the woman learning to drive with Maddie in the backseat, going back and forth between the car and the woman, as a young girl, choosing Maddie’s name and kissing her on the nose. The car Maddie is driving is, of course, a Chevrolet SUV. The final scene that truly hits so many viewers is seeing the dog again, back in the vet’s office, being kissed by its owner, as it passes away in the office. When I first saw this commercial, it almost made me cry.

Lovemarks are a common advertising technique because they allow for the audience to feel something while watching the commercial, and not just mindlessly state at the TV screen while the person narrating the commercial annoyingly rambles on. In the dog commercial, Chevrolet captured the entire relationship of a woman with her dog, allowing us to feel the pain and heartbreak of the situation. In the other commercial, Chevrolet allowed us to feel the pain of the boy and the father feel with their mother gone, but warms our hearts when the roses are put in the back of the truck, bringing a part of their mother with them to their new home. Although these commercials are very enjoyable, and I could rewatch them over and over again in my free time, I don’t think they are particularly effective in convince viewers to buy their products. I actually feel they are less effective than traditional commercials, because the actual product has such a minor role in the commercial as a whole. A boy and father moving, and a young woman with a sick dog does nothing to convince me to buy Chevrolet cars in the future. The overall story barely mentioned the Chevrolet car, and even though the appealing stories of the commercials did feature these vehicles, it didn’t do anything to show why a Chevrolet car is better than any other ordinary car. For example, what if a Toyota pickup truck, or a Subaru SUV was used in the commercials? Does the brand of the car actually mean anything in the storyline of the commercial?

If the commercial talked about its low cost, efficient gas mileage, quiet road noise, large amounts of interior space, or unique technological features, it would have been significantly more convincing to a viewer looking to buy a car. Obviously, these commercials are much more boring to watch, but they’re more effective than Lovemarks commercials.

How social media is causing risky behavior

Recently, I’ve been hearing my family tell me about another person tragically die at the Grand Canyon, while taking a selfie on the edge of a cliff or lookout. Sadly, this trend is not just happening at the Grand Canyon, where four deaths have already happened in the past month. It’s happening in many places, whether it’s Yosemite National Park, the edges of skyscrapers—a phenomenon known as “Rooftopping”—or doing reckless activities such as riding on top of cars. Just about a month ago, my dad saw a patient who was in a coma, for riding on top of a friend’s car as a risk challenged by his group of friends. The reason for the huge increase in recent deaths of young teenagers and adults is very likely the increase in the usage of social media platforms.

The increase in social media risk-taking culture is increasingly prevalent among young and impulsive teenagers, wanting to take that perfect Instagram selfie to have attention from one’s followers and gain the most likes for their viral post. Since 2014, social media and YouTube have posed several dangerous “challenges” such as the “Fire Challenge,” where people actually set themselves on fire, or the “Tide Pod Challenge,” where, again, impulsive people consume laundry detergent Pods. Other stunts, driven by social media and the need to impress their followers or acquaintances in social media have included posing on railroad tracks, posing with dangerous weapons, posing on rocks on beaches with large waves, diving off rooftops into swimming pools...the list goes on. Social media has made us increasingly more impulsive and has dramatically increased our desire to impress our friends and acquaintances on social media, in hopes of gaining more likes and followers. The question we ask: “Is our life worth just one photo? Just one post?”

What’s even more tragic about the links between social media and risk-taking deaths is that it starts a chain reaction among the person initiating the risk to their entire friend group. For example, if one person posts a video of them taking on the Tide Pod Challenge, it can lead to many more doing the same—almost “daring” others to risk the challenge. Because social media can be such a powerful place for developing our own self-esteem, not participating in these challenges and not succumbing to our friend’s dares can cause us to be ridiculed and feel lonely, left out, and inferior. For me, social media is beginning to take over our lives, and in some cases, take away our lives as we strive to stay afloat in the whirlpool of social media.

In some cases, the risk of putting your life on the line pays off. For example, a British YouTuber Jay Swingler performed a stunt where he placed a plastic bag with a breathing tube over his head, gluing his head to the inside of a microwave with the plastic bag and plaster set. The result: a team of paramedics coming to rescue and free the man. But he woke up the next day with 70,000 new YouTube subscribers, the video with nearly six million views, and a new channel with 4.5 million subscribers. Was it worth it? To many, yes. Sadly, this drives many people to attempt the same stunt and enjoy the same rewards, but in the process, it takes away so many young lives that could’ve been saved without the presence of media.

Going back to the Grand Canyon, High risk selfie publicity allows for the quintessential model of a person in this increasingly digital age. Risk taking becomes part of our lives, striving to become famous in our social media platforms, competing with others and competing with our own lives just to be seen and our posts and videos to be viewed and liked. Our own narcissism and internal crisis drives this deliberate risk taking for an audience, and enjoying the rewards of likes, clicks, subscriptions, and followers. So what is the lesson: Of course, I’m not saying to not use social media, but always be aware of our own lives outside this digital network, and take a minute to think about the potential consequences of our risky actions and tragic effects a simple desire for popularity can entail.

Immigration Policy: How the news takes on this controversy

Trump Immigration Policy from Fox News and The Washington Post

In two recent articles regarding the policies by the Trump Administration on immigration policy, it was very clear, through the diction and style of writing, as well as the evidence used to create an argument, that the two news sources had a very one-sided view of the current situation. The news sources, Fox News and The Washington Post, took on Trump’s deportation orders of Central Americans setting off on the dangerous journey to immigrate into the United States. For me, reading these two articles simultaneously was actually an eye-opening experience, allowing me to realize how biased news sources today are, and how we cannot simply trust every news article that we read or every study conducted and put into news articles to “back up” one’s argument. In addition, the language used between the two articles was vastly different, with the Fox News article author actually stating that Trump’s immigration policies can “truly make America great again,” which is an extremely biased statement that caused me to seriously doubt the credibility of this author’s article on such a controversial issue.

The Fox News article’s opinions, clearly pro-Trump and pro-immigration policies, can be seen with the specific diction David Bossie uses throughout the article. From the very start of the article, Bossie states that it is “imperative” that we keep “America safe and strong,” stating that it is “clear to me” that we must fix our “broken immigration system.” Right from the start, not only does Bossie establish himself as a writer without credible ethos, but presents statements that are so general, one-sided, and connoted in a way that strongly supports Trump. By saying, it’s “clear to me,” Bossie makes it hard for us as readers to truly believe his opinions and accept his argument when we bases his components of his argument based off his own opinions. In the next paragraph, Bossie states that “I have been inspired” by Trump’s “courageous efforts” to end the “flood” of “illegal immigration, drugs, and human trafficking entering our country.” I actually found this statement to be rather humorous, since it was such a selective, incomplete/one-sided, and extreme paragraph regarding Trump’s policies. The positively-connoted diction of “courageous” and calling the wall a “big beautiful door,” presents an heavily unfair bias, while providing very negatively-charged words and phrases, such as “flood” and solely presenting the negative effects of letting illegal immigrants into our country. By calling Trump’s immigration as “imperative” to make America “truly great again,” Bossie is almost superficially writing an article, merely taking Trump’s views and “spitting” these words and opinions/reasons behind his policies into this poorly-constructed article.

On the other hand, the Washington Post provides a viewpoint almost opposite to the opinion presented by David Bossie, filled with diction with a specific connotation that allows the reader to see the author’s take on this controversial issue. In the title alone, the Post calls the immigration policies and recent changes as “punitive policy,” later described in contrast to “pragmatic policy.” Punitive is a very negatively-connoted word, a word that means intending to inflict some kind of punishment, rather than being practical and effective policy for our country. Rather than presenting facts, statistics, or studies--objective information--the Post provides a very opinionated piece, focused on the negative aspects of the policies, without providing a wholesome, factual-based, and multifaceted argument with multiple perspectives. For example, the Post calls the immigration pronouncements as “great sound bite” but not, in any way, resolving this “bona fide crisis.” Essentially, differing greatly from the Fox News article, the Post sees his policies as impractical and ineffective towards truly helping our country, while Bossie states that his policies are “imperative” towards making America “truly great again.” Reading these two articles centered around the same issue was an eye-opener for me on realizing how biased our news sources are, and how even a simple word with a strong connotation can greatly affect the way us as readers comprehend the argument being presented.

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/william-barrs-immigration-order-is-the-latest-example-of-trumps-punitive-policy/2019/04/21/1e1d9dc8-6149-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7d3297d6f297
Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-bossie-an-america-first-immigration-policy-looks-like-this

Us: Jordan Peele’s creative take on our current societal conditions

Us: How Jordan Peele incorporated societal flaws into a thriller masterpiece

I recently went to see the horror film, Us, directed by Jordan Peele with a friend this past weekend, and watching this movie allowed me to see how much movies and media in general are a reflection of our society and the problems we face. On the surface level, the movie was an exciting thriller, with occasional jump scares, killings and murders, evil antagonists, and suspense, also filled with humor along the way. I found this movie rather strange, in terms of the concept of the movie’s plot, and not as horrifying when comparing it to other horror movies I’ve watched, such as The Conjuring or slasher films like the Halloween franchise, but I realized that the “strange” concept behind the movie’s terror was actually a reflection of our society.

In Jordan Peele’s film, we are introduced to two main families that are friends, a middle class Black family and a wealthier White family. Each of these humans and everyone else across the nation have a doppelgänger, or an exact carbon copy of themselves. They’ve lived underground for many years, and are called the Tethered, sick and tired of being forgotten and ignored by their human counterparts. When the Tethered call themselves “Americans,” I actually laughed, since this statement seemed so paradoxical in the circumstances of the plot. However, after watching the movie and talking with my friend about that line and the overall meaning behind these strange characters, I realized that these Tethered people were a reflection of our nation and our people. I watched an interview with Jordan Peele about what this movie meant, especially after the change in social commentary from his first film, Get Out, and he called ourselves as our own worst enemy. This concept was integrated into this film to present commentary vital for understanding our nation’s current situation.

For me, I felt that each of these human “reflections” demonstrate how uncomfortable we are with our true selves. We don’t want to look at ourselves in the mirror and recognize and accept our flaws, our mistakes, and our warped mindsets and opinions. Peele turns these human clones into savages or monsters with an uncivilized and chaotic demeanor, but in reality, they are us, which is ironically the title of the movie. They are the people of our country. The Tethered are hungry for power, acceptance, and recognition, just like the conflict between political parties, genders, and races/ethnicities, and each conflicting group to be recognized and accepted wholly. Furthermore, the endless conflicts we face in our society today are caused and worsened by the very people that make up this nation. We have become our worst enemy, fighting our own reflections.

While watching the movie, I also saw commentary regarding the insecurity and shallowness of wealth and high status. As middle class families, the Wilsons’ family’s (The main Black family the movie is centered around) sense of inferiority and need to be recognized as higher in status, stems from their affluent white friends we meet on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. When Gabriel, the comical father of the Wilson family, buys a boat just because everyone else had one, it symbolizes the desire many of us have to satisfy status through materialistic possessions. Again, like the concept of the doppelgangers, Peele provides plot details, this one being rather humorous, to bring in deep social commentary necessary for us Americans to become actively aware of. I believe this film highlights Peele’s criticism of America’s obsession with status, and the arrogance that affluence can breed especially in our society nowadays. Even though the boat Gabe buys barely works, he is still able to brag to his rich friends that he possesses an item that raises his status.

Movies and entertainment in general often provide insightful social commentary that provides for a fun experience to hang out with friends or get a good scare, but many movies go much deeper than surface level fear. Movie producers like Jordan Peele delve into why it is that we fear certain things, or more specifically, the psychology behind these general fears and the resulting societal norms that are especially prevalent in our society today. During the movie, I was mostly waiting for  the jump scares during the tense scenes, who would be murdered next by these Tethered people, or what was the significance behind some of Peele’s most creative aspects of the film, but afterwards, while discussing with my friend and watching an interview with Peele, I realized the depth these thrillers have that reflect the situation of our society today.