That's Music To My Ears

I think by far my favorite form of media is music.  It provides a way to escape from stress three minutes...or maybe 45.  I for one usually listen to music while doing my homework, working out, and most definitely during jam sessions with my hairbrush.  Song after song adds up to be at least an hour.  Now, music is such a broad topic that it can encompass all of the advertising techniques we have learned so far.  However, if we focus on what some of today's hits are about, there are a selective few that stand out.  Beginning with Hotline Bling by Drake, this song illustrates the need for sex almost exclusively.  Despite how popular this song is, I'm noticing that many artists are actually veering away from this ad technique.  For example, Focus by Ariana Grande utilizes the need for attention as one of the the main lyrics implies("Focus on me").  However no matter what a song's lyrics may mean, popularity usually ends up clouding its meaning and the subliminal message is overlooked.  No matter how you look at music, whether that be analyzing every word under a microscope or simply enjoy it for how it sounds, this source of media has no doubt made a big impact in our lives.  Even if these advertising techniques are not noticed by many, this industry has still achieved their goal in getting us to purchase music.

Coal Does Well Under Pressure, So Why Don't We?---the Persuaders

A diamond is forever.  A phrase we are used to hearing when jewelry companies advertise diamond rings.  But how was something that is in essence a bunch of carbon compounds, transformed into a product that defines eternal love?  In Frontline's documentary "The Persuaders", the term "lovemarks" was used to describe a form of advertising that creates a loyalty beyond reason and holds an iconic place in your heart.  The De Beers diamond ads have convinced people all around the world that a gem is a symbol of marriage and undying love which is quite unrealistic and seems quite outdated since one is buying their significant other's love.  Companies use the need for aesthetic sensations by including beautiful images of these diamond rings, repetition of that famous slogan, and weasel words by falsely guaranteeing consumers love that lasts forever.  By using a combination of these advertising techniques the diamond company has created not only a lovemark within billions of people, but a long lasting tradition.

America's Gun Epidemic

In Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language", Orwell states that there are at least four guiding questions that authors should ask themselves about their writing: What am I trying to say?What words will it express? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough in the to have an effect? One heavily debated topic at the moment is whether gun control should be implemented or not. On December 4th, The New York Times published an editorial regarding this topic. The editorial board was able to utilize a few of these questions that Orwell believes makes a good writer. The board established what they were trying to say by writing, "It is a moral outrage and a national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed specifically to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency." This section emits an emotional connections that also answers "What words will express it?" since the board uses phrases like "moral outrage", "national disgrace", and "brutal speed".  This helps to paint a clear pictures in the readers minds about the violence the board wants them to see in the gun epidemic.  By ending the article with "What better time than during a presidential election to show, at long last, that our nation has retained its sense of decency?", the editorial board leaves the matter in the hands of the reader.  By closing in a question, the authors place the audience into two categories: those who are decent and support gun control and those who are not decent and want gun violence.  With no in between, this lasting statement attempts to persuade the public and prompt them into agreeing with their side of the argument by going to the extreme with these categories.  Despite the fact that not everyone may agree with Orwell's guiding principles to being a good writer, that doesn't change the fact that since this article does use Orwell's techniques a significant amount of people who read it are being influenced by this media source.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/opinion/end-the-gun-epidemic-in-america.html?ref=topics&_r=0

My Relationship With Media

Media. We may not realize it, but we are living in a world where at every corner there is media screaming in our faces.  It bombards us in the car, at the grocery store, and even at home  on our TV's. For myself, media is something that I depend on every single day.  This can range from listening to traffic updates on the radio, checking my phone for my grades, to watching youtube videos.  It has become something that I cannot imagine my life as it is without.  By relying so heavily on media to function everyday, I never realized how much of it I actually absorbed.  For example after watching the Meow Mix commercial on TV, I would find their slogan or catchy theme song playing on repeat stuck in my head.

The fact that there are times that I can almost fully recite the song truly shows that I have taken in this source of media quite a bit.  However, some sources that provide a sense of comfort for me.  Listening to music has definitely always been there to take down my stress levels and ease me through heavy homework days.  Music is also there when I work out and provide a rhythm for me when I run.  Even when I am not doing anything I use music as a way to break the silence, so it really is a type of media that consumes much of my attention.  This is particularly one of my favorite types of media because of how diverse music can be.  Whatever the mood may be there is always a song that can match that mood.

Despite that some media may be a source of entertainment for me, it is also something that takes control of my life every now and then.  Whether it be spending time viewing between social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat or binge watching on Netflix, those are endless hours spent feeding my brain with the ideas projected by these sources.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that these sources of entertainment are necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, I think that letting yourself indulge and relax every once in awhile is a good thing and lets many of us unwind from our stressful lives.  However, when not enjoyed in moderation, media can very easily mold our opinions and consume our attention.

I suppose my relationship with media can be described somewhere along the lines of a love-hate type of deal.  In some instances I feel as though I need it in order to get stuff done more efficiently and other times it acts as a way for me to let loose the accumulation of the week's stress.  However when looking in retrospect,  I tell myself that I should not be spending so much of my time immersed in media and almost feel guilty for my actions.  Despite telling myself this, I don't actually do anything to change the current situation that I am in.  This blog is my opportunity to take a step back and truly understand what media is and how it affects not only me, but the rest of the world.