I'm bored, looking for something to entertain me. I might be settling in for a long plane ride or just sitting on my couch, but I open up the current issue of Teen Vogue. Teen Vogue is one of my favourite magazines. I'm not a die hard fan, I don't have a subscription or anything but when looking for a magazine its one of my first picks.
The magazine is fashion geared, as it’s a teen version of Vogue. It's always filled with various interviews, sometimes with models or people in the fashion industry and always the person on the front cover (who is usually some kind of celebrity). It has tonnes of beauty tips, pictures from fashion shows and designer collections and lots of inside scoops into the lives of those who work the fashion circuit. I think it's one of my favorites because I'm really into clothes, shopping and all that stuff. Even though I can't buy designer doesn't mean I can't look at it ( or dream haha). Its neat to read the interviews of stars I find interesting or one's about stars from a recent movie I enjoyed.
I have never really thought deeply about that I read and see in this magazine until now. I just accepted it for what it was, fluff. Something I was interested in to read about, to pass the time.
From looking at advertising closer in our last unit I've come to realize there might be more behind this magazine than a love of fashion.
Every time I flip the page I'm seeing another designer name, or familiar Hollywood face. What's the purpose of this? Well, Advertising! When I'm seeing a Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs or Dolce & Gabbana ad or fashion show in the magazine, it’s the start of an advertising feedback loop. I as the consumer view the ad or pictures. If I like what I see, I might rip out the page, tell a friend about what I say, try to imitate the look or if I'm rich enough go out and buy the product. Seeing as I liked what I found I buy the next months issue. I see something else I like and the pattern continues. The Magazine gets the consumer as a regular customer and the advertisers also get the consumer as a regular customer but also as a potential influence. This loop is the same for the celebrities they put on the cover. The consumer of the magazine sees a star ( one they like, one on the rise etc.) on the cover of Teen Vogue. They buy the magazine, read the interview, look at the photo shoot pictures and learn facts they didn't know, maybe they are given new insight into the life of the star or juicy secrets about their relationship with another star. They are satisfied with the magazine and buy it again. Here the magazine is still getting readers and money, but the star is getting money and publicity.
So, when I'm reading the magazine thinking its just fluff, its not! The information and ads (which companies and designers pay a lot of money to have printed) selected for the magazine all have a purpose, to influence me as the consumer. Maybe they want to start a new trend or sell me some new product or item of clothing but the ads are picked to fit a certain criteria, a certain "cool". They are marketing ideas, clothes and people that fit "cool". Cool to marketers means new, hip, on the rise and above all money making. I used to think my definition of cool was unique, new, eye-catching, fun and a number of other qualities. But after finding out about the influence of advertising I feel that maybe that wasn't really MY definition. Where did I get the idea that those things were "cool"? Why do I label some clothes cool and others ugly? Why is Teen Vogue my favourite magazine?
The answer that maybe corporations and markets came up with my ideas about media and "cool" scares me. For so long, I'm just a regular teen thinking I'm making my own choices, and thinking that I'm my own person. Now, I see how much even something as simple as a magazine can influence my spending, values, definitions and preferences. I admit to feeling even a little used. Is money really that important that marketers and advertisers are willing to compromise who I am as a person?
With advertising, the saying " what you don't know can't hurt you" is completely false. I know now that every time I see an ad, brand name or magazine, I'm going to think twice about who's plastered on the cover or what I'm really getting out of it's messages and implications. Knowing more about advertising and its target audience ( teens) I've come to realize the more I know, the less it will hurt me. The more I know the more I can avoid being heavily influenced and taken advantage of.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Broadcasting : from Youtube to Leprechauns.
All over the web, whether it's on website’s, youtube, blogs, wiki's etc, video is everywhere. From recently conducting research in this area, due to my role of Media Mogul in our human rights project, I have come to see the impact the media has had on video.
Due to advances in technology, video can now be broadcast in many, totally new and different ways. The internet, for example, has allowed anyone, anywhere anytime to make, upload and distribute videos. All you need is a camera, computer and idea for a video and your set. Instantly, your ideas on human rights, or even just a prank caught on tape can be shared and viewed by people everywhere. Think of all the people who now have record deals because of being noticed on youtube, or all the directors of documentaries that can now reach audiences twice as large. The internet has essentially made video on line limitless.
Video has become a very effective way of reaching audiences. It provides facts and information in a fun, audience engaging way. The media has made video extremely accessible and easy to make, encouraging everyone to act and have a voice.
Way back to the beginning of the semester, we talked about the key concept "Media have social and political implications". I think that because the media has revolutionized the way we present information and how accessible it is (video), they have also influenced and shaped how we view social issues. This week in class, we were shown that video on human rights "Our World Today". This video and many others on the net like it, are influencing how we view those issues. The ideas and messages presented in them rub off a little on the audience when viewed. Maybe they raise new questions or cause you to view the issue under new light. Once, I watched a youtube video called Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama. (watch it if you haven't, which I'm assuming is most of you). I realize its ridiculous, but it influenced me none the less! It totally changed my view on Americans in the southern states. It made me feel as though the media in the south, their News Casts, are less legitimate and more of a joke. The fact that they chose to do a story on an imaginary leprechaun made me laugh. I think overall it influenced most how I view Southern Americans. The video made them seem uneducated and somewhat crazy when they showed the amatuer sketch and the lady rambling in the white car about a "crack head". This clip showed me a side of American citizens I really didn't know and has left me with a negative impression of people living in the south. I know it's not a social rights issue or anything, but it is however an example of the power of Video to influence its audience.
Overall, I think that Video has become a powerful aspect of the media. Anyone can use it and the possibilities are endless.
Due to advances in technology, video can now be broadcast in many, totally new and different ways. The internet, for example, has allowed anyone, anywhere anytime to make, upload and distribute videos. All you need is a camera, computer and idea for a video and your set. Instantly, your ideas on human rights, or even just a prank caught on tape can be shared and viewed by people everywhere. Think of all the people who now have record deals because of being noticed on youtube, or all the directors of documentaries that can now reach audiences twice as large. The internet has essentially made video on line limitless.
Video has become a very effective way of reaching audiences. It provides facts and information in a fun, audience engaging way. The media has made video extremely accessible and easy to make, encouraging everyone to act and have a voice.
Way back to the beginning of the semester, we talked about the key concept "Media have social and political implications". I think that because the media has revolutionized the way we present information and how accessible it is (video), they have also influenced and shaped how we view social issues. This week in class, we were shown that video on human rights "Our World Today". This video and many others on the net like it, are influencing how we view those issues. The ideas and messages presented in them rub off a little on the audience when viewed. Maybe they raise new questions or cause you to view the issue under new light. Once, I watched a youtube video called Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama. (watch it if you haven't, which I'm assuming is most of you). I realize its ridiculous, but it influenced me none the less! It totally changed my view on Americans in the southern states. It made me feel as though the media in the south, their News Casts, are less legitimate and more of a joke. The fact that they chose to do a story on an imaginary leprechaun made me laugh. I think overall it influenced most how I view Southern Americans. The video made them seem uneducated and somewhat crazy when they showed the amatuer sketch and the lady rambling in the white car about a "crack head". This clip showed me a side of American citizens I really didn't know and has left me with a negative impression of people living in the south. I know it's not a social rights issue or anything, but it is however an example of the power of Video to influence its audience.
Overall, I think that Video has become a powerful aspect of the media. Anyone can use it and the possibilities are endless.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Freedom of Speech or Privacy?
The internet is a thing of my daily life. I use it during and after school to do research and projects, to communicate with family and friends and for entertainment in general. I am one of the billions of people, caught up in the cyber world of the internet. However, when it comes to the issue of publishing and policing on the internet, I find myself caught in the middle.
I think the internet has brought lots of opportunities for everyone. It's provided a place where you can voice your opinion and have people listen. Blogs, Wiki's and even twitter, have made communication ( whether for work or planning a camping trip) faster and more efficient. Relatives, friends and colleagues can talk to each other instantly from all over the world. The net has helped to create a world for middle eastern Women as well. The Bedouin women in Israel are part of an extremely isolated group. The internet allows them to socialize with other women and also boys, something that is otherwise forbidden. In Egypt, Facebook allowed the young generation to socialize and organize. Last spring, a protest was staged using Facebook, against rising food prices. The internet has changed our lives for the better in many ways, but I'm still aware of the problems it has brought too. Internet bullying is a reoccurring issue. Chat rooms, Msn, Facebook and Myspace have revolutionized communication but they have also changed bullying. Now threats, confrontation, comments etc. don't have to be made right to the persons face. The internet has provided a way for bullies to reach there victims anywhere. Now, whether it's after school, over the summer or just a weekend contact is still possible. Also, as much as the internet has given people a voice, it's also created a shield. When you talk to someone online in a chat room or on an online dating website how do you know they are "real"? Is their display picture really of them? Are they lying about what their interests are, where they live, how old they are?
Personally, I think that the positives of the internet outweigh the bad, and that full out policing would take away some of the great opportunities that have been presented by the internet. However, I think that we should all be aware of the risks when using the internet and how to avoid them. My idea of policing, involves teaching kids, teens and adults how to be safe internet users. I think it is a good idea for Parents to "police", be aware and monitor, what their kids are looking at on the internet.
When looking at policing on a larger scale, how do you go about doing that? Who sets up the rules of how the internet will be policed? Who will enforce these rules and how? What will be the punishment for breaking them? These are all questions that make me think world wide policing is a job no one is willing to step up to do. I think awareness and learning are both aspects of policing the internet. Both things help everyone to make smart choices and allow us to recognize when smart choices aren't being made.
I think the internet has brought lots of opportunities for everyone. It's provided a place where you can voice your opinion and have people listen. Blogs, Wiki's and even twitter, have made communication ( whether for work or planning a camping trip) faster and more efficient. Relatives, friends and colleagues can talk to each other instantly from all over the world. The net has helped to create a world for middle eastern Women as well. The Bedouin women in Israel are part of an extremely isolated group. The internet allows them to socialize with other women and also boys, something that is otherwise forbidden. In Egypt, Facebook allowed the young generation to socialize and organize. Last spring, a protest was staged using Facebook, against rising food prices. The internet has changed our lives for the better in many ways, but I'm still aware of the problems it has brought too. Internet bullying is a reoccurring issue. Chat rooms, Msn, Facebook and Myspace have revolutionized communication but they have also changed bullying. Now threats, confrontation, comments etc. don't have to be made right to the persons face. The internet has provided a way for bullies to reach there victims anywhere. Now, whether it's after school, over the summer or just a weekend contact is still possible. Also, as much as the internet has given people a voice, it's also created a shield. When you talk to someone online in a chat room or on an online dating website how do you know they are "real"? Is their display picture really of them? Are they lying about what their interests are, where they live, how old they are?
Personally, I think that the positives of the internet outweigh the bad, and that full out policing would take away some of the great opportunities that have been presented by the internet. However, I think that we should all be aware of the risks when using the internet and how to avoid them. My idea of policing, involves teaching kids, teens and adults how to be safe internet users. I think it is a good idea for Parents to "police", be aware and monitor, what their kids are looking at on the internet.
When looking at policing on a larger scale, how do you go about doing that? Who sets up the rules of how the internet will be policed? Who will enforce these rules and how? What will be the punishment for breaking them? These are all questions that make me think world wide policing is a job no one is willing to step up to do. I think awareness and learning are both aspects of policing the internet. Both things help everyone to make smart choices and allow us to recognize when smart choices aren't being made.
Monday, March 30, 2009
In the Slums of Mumbai
Throughout this semester, we have covered a lot about the negative impacts of the media. We've covered how the media project false realities, and how the majority of the time those behind the media have commercial implications and not our best interests at heart. However, the media does bring benefits to people around the world.
In the recent film, Slumdog Millionaire, kids from the actual slums in Mumbai were chosen to star in the film. This has provided many opportunities the kids would never have gotten otherwise. Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali, who played Latika and Salim at a young age, have lived in the slums all there life and know first hand the real life hardships and horrifying realities depicted in the movie. The movie has allowed the two stars to attend school, as the producers enrolled them and have paid for their education until the age of 18. Two trust funds have also been set up in their names and if they stay in school until 18, they will receive the money from the trust fund. This is completely beneficial to helping them get out of the slums. Providing them with the education and money to do just that, gives them hope.
I think this is an excellent example of how the media, is sometimes beneficial to our world. Through making this film, two kids in the slums have been helped. They are receiving the money and education every child should have access too. The producers made a wise decision to pick kids from the slums. By bringing the story of the slums to the public eye, it could start chain reactions modeled after what the producers did for the two actors. Maybe only two kids are being helped now, but what about organizations and people like you and me who see this film and want to make a difference?
This movie has definitely brought awareness to all who view it. I don't think I ever would have taken much thought or really even known about the situation in India if it weren't for this movie. With Slumdog, we were given the chance to use the media for the greater good. The movie isn't just telling the story of Jamal Malik, it's telling the story of so many young adults and children in the slums.
The film and its producers have encouraged me to think about others and not just myself, and to explore all the ways we can share our prosperity with others.
In the recent film, Slumdog Millionaire, kids from the actual slums in Mumbai were chosen to star in the film. This has provided many opportunities the kids would never have gotten otherwise. Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali, who played Latika and Salim at a young age, have lived in the slums all there life and know first hand the real life hardships and horrifying realities depicted in the movie. The movie has allowed the two stars to attend school, as the producers enrolled them and have paid for their education until the age of 18. Two trust funds have also been set up in their names and if they stay in school until 18, they will receive the money from the trust fund. This is completely beneficial to helping them get out of the slums. Providing them with the education and money to do just that, gives them hope.
I think this is an excellent example of how the media, is sometimes beneficial to our world. Through making this film, two kids in the slums have been helped. They are receiving the money and education every child should have access too. The producers made a wise decision to pick kids from the slums. By bringing the story of the slums to the public eye, it could start chain reactions modeled after what the producers did for the two actors. Maybe only two kids are being helped now, but what about organizations and people like you and me who see this film and want to make a difference?
This movie has definitely brought awareness to all who view it. I don't think I ever would have taken much thought or really even known about the situation in India if it weren't for this movie. With Slumdog, we were given the chance to use the media for the greater good. The movie isn't just telling the story of Jamal Malik, it's telling the story of so many young adults and children in the slums.
The film and its producers have encouraged me to think about others and not just myself, and to explore all the ways we can share our prosperity with others.
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