“An Idea Whose Time Has Come”

 

Newspapers may be becoming a thing of the past; they are just not the same these days. The only generations who still purchase the paper are the mid to late baby boomers, and the parents of the baby boomers. Basically, the generation who grew up before the explosion of technology. It is sort of a frightening idea, the plummeting dispense of newspapers to the general public. I fear that one day, when the only generation left still buying the paper dies off, newspapers will no longer be in production. All of the creators of the new technological advances seem to be in fact, promoting this idea. Yes, ecologically it would be a great thing; though, historically, not so much. The problem with all information, past and present, being provided virtually, is that it has the ability to constantly be changed or updated. Meaning that it would be impossible to read about a piece of history written the history was made. Whereas, today, if someone had the aspiration to pick up a newspaper from a few decades ago on a specific date, they would be able to ready about the events of that day exactly how they were initially reported.

The newest piece of technology from Apple, the iPad, is the biggest leap away from the production of newspapers yet. Yes, for quite some time now we have had the ability to read about current events online whenever we pleased, but with the invention of the iPad, that ability has become much more accessible. The iPad is even more convenient than both a smart phone and a laptop, if you have the money for it. It is smaller and more compact than a laptop, and easier to see and operate than a smart phone. There are applications for just about everything, so nearly anything that a person would want to look up or research can be done anywhere, as long as you have your iPad with you. This means that if someone is interested in reading the paper, the can simply on their iPad. They no longer have to wait until they reach a computer or have the time to go pick up a paper.

I must say that technology such as the iPad really do make so many situations much easier. However, some things just should never change. Like the newspaper, and I’m afraid that technology will go too far, and discourage the production of the older things.

The Trends of a Magazine

 

It’s a little humorous how when reading a few articles of one issue of a magazine, and then a few months later reading a few more articles out of the same magazine, you find that the stories from a few issues before it seem to be contradicting. Even if some of the stories really are genuinely helpful to some, it is kind of interesting to know that the magazine’s authors do not actually mean anything they write about. The articles are really nothing more than fillers. They simply fill in the gaps of the magazine to make it come together, they are half-assed, and they always seem to get away with it. It is as if, every month a new issue comes out, the magazine has just printed the months most popular type of trend. This article, in the Teen Vogue magazine, has focused on the abstinence of tanning, just in time for summer, of course. This really is a rather positive article, with some good facts teenagers should know about tanning and the highly dangerous effects it could have; however, I recall that just a few issues prior to this one, there was an article promoting just the opposite. It wasn’t so much a story, as this one was, but more of one of those “how-to” types of articles. Such as, “how to look hot for summer” or whatever, but nonetheless it was suggesting how appealing a sun-kissed look is for summer weather.

With all the television and internet people are utilizing these days, the trends set by magazine’s are most likely much less prevalent than they were a few decades ago. But they still are accurate, because the majority of the stories are probably coming from elsewhere in the media.

I do wonder what trends would be like without different media forms to create them for us. I imagine that trends would still exist, because people would come up with ideas of their own, and whoever happens to look up to those trend-setters would find some way to imitate them. They actually could be more fun and creative without the media doing it for us, more individual ideas would become noticed.

Media and Photography

 

In my photography class I recently watched a movie about photography’s influence on media, which was surprisingly more of an influence than I ever expected. In fact, photography is practically what created media. Before photographs had the ability to be printed in abundant quantities, books and newspapers consisted of nothing but words, and perhaps a few drawings. Once the general public had the privilege of seeing actual photographs in newspapers and books they were ecstatic. They believed that since photographs were an actual documentation of a scene, it was impossible for them to be witnessing anything fallible through the image. People underestimated the power of a camera. Once producers realized that they could create nearly any lie they desired, and people would believe it if they were seeing it in a photograph, media really took a spin. Everything was being photographed; over dramatized news stories, pin up girls, athletes, musicians, average people in daily routine, different countries and cultures all over the world – basically, anything that would get people talking.

Audiences began to fall in love with these people they were seeing in beautiful and intriguing pictures all over the place. The models were made to look glamorous, majestic, and superior. In reality, celebrities are nothing more than average people, it is simply their image created by publicists, or whoever, that make them so enticing to the public. Anyway, back when photography first began to flourish in the media world, this was the first society had ever seen of selective groups of people appearing so sumptuous, besides royalty, of course.

Photographic images were the first real kick off to what has become a media obsessed world. Media consumes nearly every second of the average American’s life. Whether it is in public or private places, a form of media is everywhere. Still, when people view something through a picture or television set, they are more likely to believe what they are seeing, even if aware all the capable manipulations. And once people develop that belief of an idea, no matter how slight, they are likely to develop some type of virtual relationship, and with many an obsession sets in. People crave to know more about what they are seeing; they want to create some sort of understanding – and then suddenly, they are hooked – and it all started with a “simple” still or motion picture.

Starved for Attention

It is upsetting how concerned people are with receiving their ten seconds of fame at least once in life. People seem to be deprived of attention more than ever before, they seem to be much more willing to do whatever it takes to be noticed. It’s beginning to be rather frightening. Reality television shows are more prevalent these days, and it is a lot easier for people to be a part of these television shoes. However, the problem is, is that when the episodes for these shows have come to an end, so do the characters fame. They are quickly forgotten about and replaced with new characters that the audiences quickly develop “relationships” with. The fame that was brought upon the previous reality stars though, is highly addictive, and once they are no longer the center of attention, they crave more of it. And in order to receive this superfluous attention once again, they will do almost anything.

The Lost iPhone

Recently, a top secret prototype iPhone was lost at a a bar in Redwood, California. Apparently the iPhone was being tested by an Apple engineer months before it was supposed to be released. This was quite a threat to Apple, perhaps the most paranoid company of all time. They go through great lengths to prevent any of their ideas from slipping into the media. The top secret phone was even placed in a protective case made to look like the old 3GS phone so that no suspicions would be made. However, that plan failed when a celebratory employee mistakenly left the phone at a bar after a drunken night. A man found the phone on the barstool next to him, tried returning it to Apple but was ignored, and then sold it, for $5000, to Gizmodo. Now the whole world knows about this soon to be released next generation iPhone, which is probably one of Apple’s biggest nightmares made into reality. That is if this unrevealed piece of technology was really a mistake, which some doubt due to Apple’s legendary stealthiness, but who really knows.

It’s interesting to see the extents that Apple goes to to protect their secrects from leaking out into the news, and yet a mistake as simple as this was able to be made. It all started at a bar and with some innocent bystander who found a phone and now everyone is anticipating a new iPhone with cool new features such as the ability to make webcam conference calls.

Become a Fan

Fan groups are the new thing with Facebook these days. Sadly, there probably isn’t a login session that goes by without me becoming a fan of some new group. There are just so many that relate to the things I do or the products I use. But recently, I came across a fan group promoting a product I’ve never seen promoted on Facebook before – cigarettes. It’s suprising to me because, I was under the impression the cigarette companies were no longer trying to generate the idea the cigarettes are cool or edgy or whatever. Apparently, I was wrong. This fan group is blantantly reaching out to as many as they can through displeasing and disturbing tactics.

To start with, their mission statement is “To hook as many people as possible!!!” and their company overview reads, “If you’re looking for premium cigarettes at reasonable prices, you’ve found your brand!” Their target is proven to be anyone young enough to get ahold of a cigarrette through the use of slang and claiming to be “reasonably” priced. Not only did it astonish me to see a cigarette company so obvisouly attracting themselves to a younger crowd and completly bypassing the widely known health risks (things I thought were of the past), but I was also interested in their amatuer marketing strategies. For example, they have one single wall post which reads, “Skydancer cigs are the shit!!! In this reccession we can’t afford to give up any addictions. For around $15 a carton, this is a perfect alternative.” Afford?? We can’t AFFORD to give up any addictions? How exactly would one be better off paying for an expensive habit during a reccession than not paying for one at all? A better strategy would be to try a little harder to lie to us by telling us something like Skydancer cigarettes are better for you compared to leading brands, or something of the like . But no, they choose to use a cluster of words that make absolutely no sense used in the same sentence together. Not only this, but they have no problem killing off all their users. Through their dicussion topics, they promote the idea of using their deathly cigarettes in combination with drinking alcohol and ask the question, “How many skydancers do you go through when you’re drinking??”.

Zantrex – 3

So the other day as I was lounging on the couch watching some TV and a weight loss commercial came on. The particular weight loss method that was being advertised was for a diet pill called Zantrex 3. As the spokesperson talked about how fantastic the pill is, snap shots of a rather intimate, fit, and attractive couple were being shown, with each snap shot more and more sexual than the previous. The snap shots ended with the couple hugging while being topless, and the spokesperson finishing with, “It’s great to be thin!”.

I thought it was so funny that the idea they were conveying is that it’s great to be thin so that you can have a sex life. Anything else could have been related to the idea that it’s great to thin, like perhaps being healthy, having more energy, or high self-esteem. But of course they chose sex. Which does make sense, especially for a low-budget type of commercial. It most likely would have been a lot more money to effectively show a way that health, energy, self-esteem could also come with being thin; and the Zantrex commercial was able to accomplish exactly what they were going for by having the commercial attract my attention and being stuck in my mind.

Media, Media, Media

Media is all around us nearly every moment of the day. In my Media Literacy textbook, James Potter says that “almost 70% of the average person’s day includes some form of media use”, but I think that’s a bit of an understatement. I mean, literally from the moment I wake up I am bombarded with media. 102.7 KIIS fm blasting in my ear every morning at approximately 6:50 am telling me it’s time to get up – media; the stack of magazines on my night stand – media; the SaraLee bag of bagels on top of my fridge – media; the cars up and down my street – media; the giant gas station sign around the corner from my house – media; I could go on forever naming every single piece of media that is thrown my way during the day. I would say that every minute I encounter at least one form of media, and that could even be an understatement.

What’s even more interesting than the fact that marketers have made it nearly impossible for anyone to escape one day of media, is that they have such brilliant tactics of sending their message to only the groups of people their interested in targeting. It’s quite amazing that each person sees hundreds and thousands of advertisments daily but yet there only a handful of them that people actually take into account and notice. The colors of the advertisements, the voices of spokesperson, the music playing in the background of a commercial — they’re all different and they all attract certain groups of people. The other day in class my group of classmates was given a magazine targeted at middle aged men in the corporate world. As I was flipping through the magazine trying to make note of all the differences in compared to my types of magazines I came across a Geico ad. This ad particularly sparked my attention simply because of the colors used in the image. They were dark greys and blacks, not vibrant greens and blues the way most Geico ads I see are. But of course this makes sense. It was a men’s magazine, and I read women’s magazines and women like colors so of course the ads in my magazines will be colorful. I had no idea I was so oblivious to the way media works. I’m so accustomed to seeing only the things that spark my attention in the magazines I read I never even realize the fact that these ads have been designed for only my type of people.

Even though I’m surrounded by so many forms of media on a daily basis, it’s interesting to know that I’ll only notice the media that certain marketing companies want me to notice based on the way their messages are presented.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!