Media Blog Reflection

Before this critical thinking class, I had never really thought about the media that surrounds me, and how much I actually consume. I already knew that I felt as if I was addicted to social media and my phone, but I was oblivious to the other parts of media that were invisible to me. I am on my phone constantly, and when I am not, I am still bombarded with different types of media that I can barely control. Once my phone is down, there is either the radio playing, the television, or even just a billboard as I’m walking or driving home. But, this class has changed the way I think about it, but not my habits. I have noticed the different techniques that advertisers use and how different morals or stereotypes are pushed in our face, trying to get us to agree with them to almost make their own cult behind a brand. I still have not changed my habits with media though. It feels as if I am a hypocrite because I notice the toxicity that the media puts on consumers, and it almost makes me more addicted. I am constantly on my phone, watching videos, movies, and television, but not because of the obvious techniques, because it is a form and outlet for boredness and entertainment for me. 

This journal for me was a different type of work that didn’t bore me, or seen as busywork. Every post was a new topic, analyzing something new that I wouldn’t have noticed previously if Mr.Starace hadn’t pointed it out. These posts highlighted one of the things that I spend my most time with, but allowed me to not look at it like I was brainless before. Rather than constantly consuming media, unconsciously altering how I see things, I made myself not fall under the spell of different forms of media. It is vital to be an educated consumer or else you may no longer have your own conscious thoughts, and it will feel as if you are being controlled by the media, just like a majority of addicted Americans are.

Bella and the Bulldogs

Bella and the Bulldogs was a Nickelodeon show that aired in 2015, about a girl cheerleader who became her school's quarterback with all of the drama with her friends, team, and boys. My friend and I watched it on Netflix the other day just to see how cringy it was, but I realized how important the message was for young girls watching the show. Even though as we were watching it we were only paying attention to the horrible acting, weird plotline, and how it is nothing like high school at all. But at the time that this originally aired, I was ten years old, I had no clue what actual good acting was or if that was going to be my high school experience. I was oblivious to this, because the main message was that girls could do anything a boy could do, even the ones you would never expect because their appearance fits the typical "girly girl" stereotype. These ideas being expressed through something that a lot of young girls will watch shows that the girls do not have to be the cheerleader, they can be the star of the game. But, because it also shows her friends still being apart of the cheer team, it shows to its viewers that girls can be whatever they want to be, whether it be stereotypically masculine or feminine. Although as we watch this as teenagers now laughing at it (not because the show made a joke), it is vital for kids to experience and see that they can be whoever they want to be. 

Miss Representation

Miss Representation is a documentary about how females are represented through all types of media, with movies, magazines, and even politics. One of the topics they highlight is about how women are never the protagonist of popular movies, it is always either a man or in the rare case that they are, it usually always revolves around and is affected by a man or a love story. I have never paid any attention to this prior, but I have now realized that I see this in almost every movie I watch, even some of my favorites. The movie, The Edge of Seventeen, is a coming of age story about a teenage girl, while she is the main character of the story, the plot is extremely influenced by the men in her life. Her father dies, her brother is her complete opposite and ruins her trust, her history teacher, and a boy in her life. But, most directors and writers do not do this consciously. Society has ingrained in us for it to be normal for men to be the superior ones, the ones who save and propel the day, rather than the movie to actually be about the main character. The belief that women are inferior and not multidimensional requires a “psychological breakthrough” in order to alter opinions of this media bias that limits female intellectual power.

Game Ads on TikTok

TikTok is a social media app, originally known as Musical.ly, where people post 15-second videos with different sounds in the background either dancing, making jokes, or lipsyncing. And, every once and a while as you scroll through random videos an ad for a game pops up on your feed. This concept has actually made me download some of the apps, because at first you aren't expecting an ad for a game, it just seems like another TikTok in your feed. But, I have noticed something about how weird the ads actually are. It often shows a video of someone playing the game with someone talking in the background, but the talking never actually applies to the game. On a large amount of the ads, (all different games) it says things like "Oh my god, I love this game" "I can't stop playing", which makes sense for the ad, but then it also says "This is such a holiday game!". That phrase is repeated across all of the game ads that I've seen, which makes absolutely no sense to the game or how it would attract the viewers, because honestly, the voice is even creepy. This makes me wonder who is sending these ads out and what they are trying to accomplish with them. 

Strategically Placed Ads

While I was attending one of my club water polo practices, I noticed strategically placed ads that I may not have thought any different of before. This was our first practice at a different pool, which was at American River College. And as I was swimming a few of my laps, I looked up and saw two giant posters on the bleachers that face the pool. One was black with a white Speedo logo and the other was for Kap7. Speedo is a swim brand that makes things like suits, goggles, kickboards, or even bags. Kap7 is a brand from what I know makes water polo balls, which is largely used in official games. Many of my friends thought it made sense for those posters to be there, after all, we were at a pool. But, it reminded me of how Mr.Starace saw the Adidas poster in our hallway and said that we acted as human billboards for their product. Every time people go to that pool, those posters remind them that whatever they see in the pool, is a factor of their brand. Speedo is allowing those people to swim as fast as they are and Kap7 makes the water polo games possible. These posters are strategically placed to use the athletes as human billboards.

Say Yes to the Dress

On the popular television channel TLC, a popular show is called Say Yes to the Dress. The show consists of different brides and their families trying on different wedding dresses and trying to decide which dress is perfect for their wedding. But, every single time, something is out of the ordinary. Whether the family's desires are so bizarre or unachievable, or the bride is in some crazy circumstance. So, something tells me that these situations are set up. The extreme situations and problems that they have to try and overcome are purely for more viewers. Viewers are attracted to drama, and that is why many reality television shows are popular, and the show leaves you on a cliffhanger as you go to commercials. Cliffhangers of drama always keep bringing you in, so you have something to pay attention to and not skip to a new show, because you want to know what's going to happen next. A few years ago, one of my coaches and I were talking about the show, and she informed me that one of her friends was actually asked to be on the show. So, this proves that the family's drama and desires, or even being related at all, are all fake. This is even a little obvious because of how weird some situations can be, but it still attracts people to watch it. Humans are not attracted to real, but attracted to drama.