Five important things to remember when considering the dynamic between teenagers and the media:
The media may understand what teens desire but they don’t have an interest in using a moral lens.
Teens are often troubled and working to establish independence. The media gives them exactly what they want as a sort of false therapy which they often become addicted to.
As soon as “cool” is discovered, it is no longer cool. Teen media is constantly changing and fueling consumerism.
Teenagers have the highest level of disposable income and the lowest level of restraint.
Almost all control is passed over the desires of the teen so mature and rational thought are often absent.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live
Steven Johnson’s article, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live”, argues that Twitter and innovations in social networking will revolutionize the way humans connect with one another.
I believe that if these sites and technologies are to be used effectively, we must learn how to use them responsibly and avoid “addiction to micro-events.” Johnson never seems to mention how time consuming Twitter can be and how humans can develop an unhealthy reliance. He also discusses how these innovations are a form of social creativity because the medium is constantly changing and evolving. I feel that social creativity should also be viewed in terms of what we do when technology and situations are static. Preserving storytelling, campfire-esque songs and games and other sorts of traditional social behaviors deserve recognition in this conversation.
I do agree that the potential accomplishments are incredible! People with passions will be able to better gather information and act on what they feel is truly their calling. It is very limiting in terms of information access. Its also amazing how malleable these seemingly set technologies can be. Twitter can be similar to a tabloid but it can also serve to unite political activists, teachers, students, parents and all member of a community.
I believe that if these sites and technologies are to be used effectively, we must learn how to use them responsibly and avoid “addiction to micro-events.” Johnson never seems to mention how time consuming Twitter can be and how humans can develop an unhealthy reliance. He also discusses how these innovations are a form of social creativity because the medium is constantly changing and evolving. I feel that social creativity should also be viewed in terms of what we do when technology and situations are static. Preserving storytelling, campfire-esque songs and games and other sorts of traditional social behaviors deserve recognition in this conversation.
I do agree that the potential accomplishments are incredible! People with passions will be able to better gather information and act on what they feel is truly their calling. It is very limiting in terms of information access. Its also amazing how malleable these seemingly set technologies can be. Twitter can be similar to a tabloid but it can also serve to unite political activists, teachers, students, parents and all member of a community.
Ad Nauseam 5 & 6
Ad Nauseam discusses how one of the newest trends is marketing has sparked companies to convince themselves, and a dangerous percentage of consumers, that they are dedicated to a noble cause. A companies virtuous image is shaped by the ideals of the consumer and then imagined into the companies identity and advertising ploys in a corporate meeting. It is difficult, as a critical thinker, to determine when companies are truly affecting the world in way they claim or just extremely creative and skilled in exploiting human desires.
A section of the book discusses how our dismissal of history is dangerous if we are to imagine a culture of responsible consumers. We are forgetting that life is possible without cell phones, without pre-bottled water and even without junk foods or soft drinks. The section entitled “Down the Memory Hole” offers examples of how companies employ quotations from humanities most admired “doers”, such as Albert Einstein, Che Guevara and Martin Luther King Jr., to promote their products and the sheer act of consuming. It seems unlikely that our species will collectively ignore the incidents, figureheads and teaching of our past, but it seems risky to assume this with to much zeal.
What is up with the sub-audible subliminal advertising!? Whispers on radio stations that are absorbed directly into the brain without any conscious filter suggest the absurd levels companies stoop to. It forces the question of how many other stealthy tactics do these masterminds have that we have yet to debunk? It makes me afraid for my brain. No human should have that fear.
My question for section 5 is: McLaren and Torchinsky write with an air of assumption that the consumer has the power to expose the inner workings of media as long as we do our research and think critically. How can we be sure that there is not a movement of advertisers who are feasting on the desires and behaviors of the “conscious” consumer?
My question for section 6 is: How effective would a campus organization dedicated to awareness promoting pranks be? Would the University be supportive of student engagement and passion or feel pressure to keep neutral? (Surely legality would be a factor but I am assuming a group dedicated to purely legal acts.)
A section of the book discusses how our dismissal of history is dangerous if we are to imagine a culture of responsible consumers. We are forgetting that life is possible without cell phones, without pre-bottled water and even without junk foods or soft drinks. The section entitled “Down the Memory Hole” offers examples of how companies employ quotations from humanities most admired “doers”, such as Albert Einstein, Che Guevara and Martin Luther King Jr., to promote their products and the sheer act of consuming. It seems unlikely that our species will collectively ignore the incidents, figureheads and teaching of our past, but it seems risky to assume this with to much zeal.
What is up with the sub-audible subliminal advertising!? Whispers on radio stations that are absorbed directly into the brain without any conscious filter suggest the absurd levels companies stoop to. It forces the question of how many other stealthy tactics do these masterminds have that we have yet to debunk? It makes me afraid for my brain. No human should have that fear.
My question for section 5 is: McLaren and Torchinsky write with an air of assumption that the consumer has the power to expose the inner workings of media as long as we do our research and think critically. How can we be sure that there is not a movement of advertisers who are feasting on the desires and behaviors of the “conscious” consumer?
My question for section 6 is: How effective would a campus organization dedicated to awareness promoting pranks be? Would the University be supportive of student engagement and passion or feel pressure to keep neutral? (Surely legality would be a factor but I am assuming a group dedicated to purely legal acts.)
Ad Nauseam 3 & 4
Much of our class discussions reflect a concern for the environment in which our children are educated and socialized. Channel One streaming into classrooms, tricking vulnerable minds into believing that Pepsi commercials are public service announcements just doesn’t seem advantageous. Our children are a perfect audience, constantly absorbing information, eagerly and subconsciously structuring a worldview which in time will mature into the perspective of an adult. We must treat our children as a generation which will impact the planet, the structure of society and ultimately the human value system. Instead, we treat them as a growing army of consumers who are impressionable are perfect for perpetuating companies who have an insatiable hunger for wealth. It unnerving to imagine what kind of future adults are we entrusting our civilization to.
This makes the section on community all the more pressing. We have forced communities that are crutched by products, marketable lifestyles and identities. Authentic human connection, acceptance and common goals have been shadowed by the corruption and overuse of “community” in consumer culture.
I argue that community is just a word and the phenomenon itself will live on, recognized either through different language cues or an entirely different level of understanding. Again, the theme of critical thinking and analysis of experiences becomes crucial.
This makes the section on community all the more pressing. We have forced communities that are crutched by products, marketable lifestyles and identities. Authentic human connection, acceptance and common goals have been shadowed by the corruption and overuse of “community” in consumer culture.
I argue that community is just a word and the phenomenon itself will live on, recognized either through different language cues or an entirely different level of understanding. Again, the theme of critical thinking and analysis of experiences becomes crucial.
Ad Nauseam 1 & 2
Ad Nauseam describes how advertisements have evolved over the decades to best cater to the most prevalent mode of thinking. From practical reasoning to sexual suggestion, it seems as thought advertising could morph to encourage any facet of the population. We must be careful because surely the media is evolving still to target those of us who resist with all our might.
The example of the man who is obsessed with Ariel should liven our senses to the power the media can have if we allow it control our lives. Luckily for him, he is attracted to a virtuous character, but what about those who find their idols in violent, angry and unforgiving character. There are numerous instances of children who perform acts of violence and then attribute them to television shows and media icons who glamorize such atrocities.
What is twisted is that the media will play upon its sickening level of influence if it is in a profitable arena. Consider the line of Baby Einstein merchandise that claims to enrich a developing brain through television stimulus paired with classical music. While the claims turned out to be false and the company succeeded in tricking many parents into believing that media is a makeshift teacher/parent.
The example of the man who is obsessed with Ariel should liven our senses to the power the media can have if we allow it control our lives. Luckily for him, he is attracted to a virtuous character, but what about those who find their idols in violent, angry and unforgiving character. There are numerous instances of children who perform acts of violence and then attribute them to television shows and media icons who glamorize such atrocities.
What is twisted is that the media will play upon its sickening level of influence if it is in a profitable arena. Consider the line of Baby Einstein merchandise that claims to enrich a developing brain through television stimulus paired with classical music. While the claims turned out to be false and the company succeeded in tricking many parents into believing that media is a makeshift teacher/parent.
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