Media Reflection

Media is everywhere these days and has made a huge impact on our lives, my life including, for the good and bad. In a way, media has shaped our lives, telling us what is right or wrong, good or bad, pretty or ugly, hacking into our brains and tampering with our feelings and emotions. Through trickery and persuasion, many advertisers have used our igorance to their advantage to get us to buy their product. Keeping in mind that only certain product appeal to specific people, it is up to the advertisers to figure out where to properly place their ads. It is quite interesting to see how creative the media can get. Sometimes, it is quite impressive how persuasive an advertisement can but, but other times they could just be plain cheesy. As for me, bright colors and catchy music that fits the situation or product, humorous as well as heart-warming commercials, and I am ashamed to say fancified words, now known as Weasel Words, attract my attention. Before taking this class, I was one of those, falling for their conniving methods to suck the audience into buying whatever product they are trying to promote. Unaware of the common techniques used in much of advertising seen everywhere, I just believed whatever media itself said. But after learning of the clever techniques advertisers use and certain needs they appeal to, I am now much more acquainted with the deceiving ways of media. By creating this Media Blog to analyze media I see all around me, I was better able to examine with more detail, focus, and precision. It helped me better understand the usage of techniques and appeal to needs, and exactly why advertisers did it. Through this entire class as a whole, I was able to fully understand media. Media literacy is important because t helps you decide whether or not it is actually telling the truth and whether or not you want to "fall" for their pitch for you to buy their product. Now, whenever I see a commercial on TV or an advertisement in one of my magazines, I first analyze what it is exactly trying to sell, going into depth on the advertisement itself, and then choose to act upon it and remember to go try that fantastic new product I just read or heard about, or push it aside and move on. It is important to be an educated consumer because it allows to you put a limit on how many ads you wish to believe and know with the knowledge of the common techniques used and appeal to the emotions, you are able to stop yourself from falling for those pointless ads that want you to get sucked into a product that is not worth your time. Before, I knew little of how advertising really worked as well as how much of it a really consume a day. I use to think I would only see maybe four or five ads a day here and there, but in reality it was said that a teenager like me consumes 3,000 commercials and ads a day, most unconsciously. That’s crazy! I asked myself, am I really that oblivious? I didn't even know I could "see" that much. After hearing that shocking number, it made me realize just how much media is in our daily lives, and even if you wanted to escape it, it is likely you wouldn't be able to. Just like technology, media is here to stay, and it does have its benefits, but sometimes I just wish there was an OFF button so I could just, for once, have a thought for myself.