News, trust, and “truthiness”

News, trust, and “truthiness”

Is the fake news the real news?!

Is the fake news the real news?!

Demonstrable Demographics

Finding a specific target audience is very important when a company is trying to “hail”. This has made companies a little bit more creative and competitive with their ads when reaching out to the audience. Some companies use the same approaches when hailing, and after reading a few of my classmate’s blogs I have come to find distinct similarities. We as consumers are greatly influenced by ads, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

 

As I was reading a fellow classmates blog (http://whatthehailblog3.blogspot.ca/), I noticed a sentence that really caught my attention, which was; “The celebrity endorsements for many products and services in todays media has made it irresistible to brainwashed drones, such as myself, not to want whatever product is being thrown at us.” This made me laugh so hard because I find it very true to someone like me who is always consumed by pop culture. After reading that, I then came across Adelina’s blog (http://adelina23.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-the-hail/), which talks about rapper Drake endorsing EA sports FIFA ’14 in a commercial and also vice versa. This hailing technique works very well for both fans of FIFA and Drake. The ad basically leaves an impression in our heads that says “If you’re a fan of Drake you should get FIFA cause Drizzy loves it, and if you love FIFA you should grab Drake’s album.” Funny thing is I love them both and it gave me more reason to get both album and game on the release date. This unites both cultures together (music lovers and video game fan boys).

 

Young female teens are drawn to Covergirl simply because their favorite celebrities endorse it by being on the front cover of it. This company is fully aware of its target audience and is constantly trying to provide to the needs of the audience. Emma (http://brockbadger.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/what-the-hail/) talks about how Covergirl appeals to her with the use of Taylor Swift, whom she admires. This increases the chances of her and any Taylor Swift fan to purchase that issue just to find out more about everything Swift.

 

From what I’ve read so far, I can come to a quick conclusion that the use of celebrity to endorse a particular product or brand is a technique that works very well when targeting the right audience.

What the Hail?

Advertisement is a very important medium when connecting with an audience. Companies always try their possible best to make ads that are very unique and interesting in order to reach their specific target audience. After reading chapter 12 I’ve come to understand some basic principles when using ad as a means of communicating with an audience. I have seen how ads have worked in my life and why I respond a certain way to certain ads.

 

Various clothing companies around the world always seem to pass across the same message. These ads usually have a sense of eroticism in them and are typically targeted to a younger audience (18 -25); we see beautiful young women emasculated by various men, or a young woman empowering various men, and other campaigns along those lines.  These ads stand out in a way that makes the buyers want to have that same feeling, they make it in a way that almost says “if you wear this certain brand of clothing you can feel this certain way”, and in all honesty these ads 80% of the time work. Ads like this are usually the most controversial type of advertisement, and what other way to get the youths going with a little controversy (man, we love that shit).

 

Controversy is a driving force behind ad campaigns. The most controversial ads reach out to the youths of this generation. There is always a reaction, be it good or bad. Why do you think lady gaga’s always naked in her promotional covers? And when that music video drops people will listen regardless of their norms or whatever social vales they have because they want to see what that fuss is about. In other words, controversy sells. An example of a not so successful ad campaign is when dolce portrayed a white woman as being black in a magazine cover (yes you read that right). They covered her in makeup so she could appear black, and so many reacted negatively towards this demanding the company to shut down (subtle racism isn’t funny at all).

 

“In a capitalist society where money is power and success is measured by the accumulation of material objects, the media function to create desires for products that are associated with the trappings of success.” Basically, if you don’t have a certain item you are not considered as successful. Companies have begun to implement that notion into our heads through their ads and we are being forced to purchase products we don’t need and sometimes, with money we don’t even have.

 

In conclusion “The media, images and languages contribute to our society.” Ad being a form of media defines and molds us into what we are.

 

(O’Shaughnessy, 152)

(O’Shaughnessy, 191)

Wanted: the media that we need

Is the media we want the same as the media we need? This will definitely be a topic debated by so many of my classmates. In my opinion, and through reading several of my colleague’s blogs, I strongly do believe that the media we need should be based on what we want. Although not everything we want is necessarily what we need, it is always important to provide the audience with exactly what they require. The only exception to this might be anything that may potentially cause harm to the audience.

 

According to Jessica (http://jd11ow.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/cpcf1f25-the-media-we-want/), “media simply acts as a mirror to society”, which simply means that the audience influences the information that is put out there. Whatever that goes on around us is what is provided to us. We all want different things, that is why there is a variety of media we the audience can choose from. This brings me to Lynden’s blog (http://boston94.blogspot.ca/2013/10/do-we-get-media-we-want.html), she talks about how we can filter out media we don’t want and choose the one that we deem fit. One may choose to engage in media relating to only political and economic matter and leave out social and cultural matters, others may choose all four. The point here is that, there are so many types media to choose from to fit our needs.

 

We have been given the privilege to be able to block out or accept certain information that is passed across to us, be it important or insignificant to our daily lives.  I am very interested in global news but at the same time I’m very grateful for celebrity gossip. These are examples of both medias I want, but the honest truth is only of them (news) is an actual necessity to me. Everything we view is based on interest. Jenny (http://jt11mb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/do-we-get-media-we-want-or-want-media.html) states that if media shows something that people have little or no interest in, the audience would completely ignore it. I completely agree with this statement, this has been my point from the very start. If companies see that the audience is reacting positively to a certain product they would keep providing people with products very similar to what they enjoy. Jen talks about the sudden crave for vampires. This first started out with twilight, and then other companies noticed that people reacted to so well to it, which made them make various sorts of supernatural/mythical television shows and movies.

 

In conclusion, the media we want isn’t necessarily the media we need, but we are able to separate what media we need from the ones we don’t need.

Blog Entry 2

Do we get the media we want or want the media we get? I find this very interesting, just because I’ve strongly been in support with the notion that we do in fact get the media we want. Previously we the audience/viewers had no input to what was offered to us, we accepted anything that was given to us, but lately it seems like the audience is now in control of the media. We choose what information we want and if it isn’t to our requirements/liking, we totally ignore it. Companies have come to realize that this and are now capitalizing on this fact. More companies have started listening to their audience in terms of what they want and the companies quickly respond by providing it. Most companies don’t bother listening and just give whatever they deem fit, and a lot of times; it doesn’t end up to good for them.

Take for example, the entertainment industry. Every television show is now tailored for specific audiences. That’s why we see a single T.V network have at least 15 different shows every season. If a show doesn’t do well in terms of viewership, it is quickly axed out and is replaced by a new show. Who do you think control the ratings that influence the views? We the audience! If we don’t watch it they aren’t going to make their profit. The point here is that the audience determines whether a company is profitable or not. Audience love being involved in shows, and like I’ve said earlier some companies have realized this and have quickly capitalized on this. Bill Hammock noted than U.S telephone company AT&T invested in development of American idol to encourage the audience to keep texting(media and society, 5^th edition, Page 8, Hammock 2004). That way people can vote by texting more and this will see them very profitable.

So with these few points I ‘ve stated, I Strongly do believe that we the audience are totally in control of the media we get.

1F25: Media Impact Response

Before reading my fellow colleagues’ blogs, I expected pretty much all of them to have different world views from mine, but I came to realize that we all share similar perspectives, different experiences but yet so similar. Media has definitely impacted us both in a positive and negative manner. I am very pleased to have come across some pretty amazing blogs that has help solidify my beliefs on the impact of mass media that affect my world views.

 

Let me just start off by ignoring the negatives for a bit and focus on a positive we can take away from the impact media has had on us. According to Meagan, messages are being passed across efficiently and much quicker between various parties (http://mm13sa.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/cpcf-1f25-blog-1-media-impact/). We can communicate better with people through various means of media. This is very true and accurate; mass media has made it possible for us to receive up to date information about current situations that happen across the world. I can know what is happening in Palestine by just sitting in my room and accessing the computer.

 

Another interesting blog I came across was Farah’s. She talks about how the government can manipulate the media and take advantage of us by feeding us with false information and this is something I found very interesting (http://farahalhalbouni95.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/1f25-post-1-media-impact/). Most people in this part of the globe are oblivious to what is truly going on in other regions of the world, and one of the reasons being that, the government has withheld substantial information from us and made it private. Coming from an Arab country, she has seen the negative impact of the mass media if in the wrong hands, and I as well can definitely relate to that.

 

Hayley believes the media is an external factor that has influenced our idea on what we can consider as ‘beautiful’ (http://hb123na.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/the-influence-of-media-a-blog-for-cpcf-1f25/). We idolize so many celebrities and most of us aim to be like them. This can be both a good and bad thing. There are so many good people around that we should aspire to be like, and then there are people who act and dress in a certain manner that is not very appropriate, and for some reason I do not understand, those are the ones we seem to imitate. We change our look, body size, how we dress, etc., because of what people consider as ‘beautiful’ now.

 

Knowing I share similar world views with so many people is very refreshing. From what I have read so far, I can strongly speak for my peers and say mass media has made a significant impact on all our life. It has in some ways made life convenient and in many ways worsened things. I can only wonder what life in 1700s would have been like without various forms of mass media.

1F25 Post 1: Media Impact

 

What is this so called ‘Mass media’? Well, this is the act of communicating to a large number of people in a very short time. Mass media has definitely been an important factor in our day-to-day lives. We rely so much on it to the point whereas it has now become an integrated part of us. Many of us can’t go a day without listening to the radio, checking social medias, reading the newspaper etc., and the reason for doing so is very understandable.

 

Mass media is a way of staying up to date with current activities and being informed about situations going on across the world. Mass media has made the idea of ‘freedom of speech’ a reality; people can now pass information (be it true or false) through different forms of medias. A very good example of this is WikiLeaks; an organization that publishes top secret information and classified media from anonymous sources. This non-profit online organization provides reports about important things the government and other institutions are trying to keep away from us.

 

Keeping up with news is very important for me, especially as an international student who left a struggling economy roughly about fours years ago and knowing the only way I can stay informed about the country I love so much is through the mass media. This way, I can play my own part by helping out daily with the needs of the people back home, also spread across information to other citizens who have moved to other countries for whatever reason(s) about things going on in the country.

 

The media has definitely influenced me greatly, both in a positive and negative manner. One of the positives being, I have learnt a lot about various cultures and have been very fortunate to work with people from all over the world to help better generation Y. The negative impact of what the media has done to me is viewing people in a certain kind of way. I judge people right off the bat without getting to know them a little better, a quality I’m not very proud of. I’ve been influenced to think a certain kind of way about people, through their appearance, features, social status, etc.

 

In conclusion, mass media is an important factor in the world we live in. It influences us immensely and some of us don’t even realize it. We live and feed of these various forms of mass media. It’s our choice on what type of information we choose to take in and what not to. As for me I’m very grateful for the power of the mass media and how it has affected me.