HON MEDIA LIT BLOG #8

I don't even watch Television on the TV anymore, except for flipping it on when I'm eating by myself. When there are Weekly shows on, it's hard for me to plan my life around them. Because of this, I really didn't start regularly tuning in to these network shows until about four months ago, when Fancast.com, (powered by Hulu), caught my attention. Since that, I have started watching in excess of eight shows a week, but I usually watch them late on the weekends.

What's more, is that the way that Hulu works, is it suggests shows that are similar to the one's you are watching. Watching CSI: got me interested in Law and Order, which got me interested in Southland, which got me interested in Lie to Me, which got me interested in Psych, which got me interested in House, and then Scrubs followed that, finally. Watching Family Guy got me to watch The Simpsons, American Dad, and Futurama.

Another upside to watching the online shows is that the commercials are MUCH shorter. Thirty seconds or less, and there is only one. I don't have to spend my time watching a plethora of commercials.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG #7

The most common form of media I utilize is video games. And the most common form of advertising in video games, obviously, is product placement. In the game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, for instance, Dodge paid to have every vehicle in the game a Dodge vehicle. In some war games, such as Battlefield: 2142, there is advertisements, for products such as Axe body spray.

The most popular games that advertising appears in is either Racing games or Sports games. Many of these games are played by young men, from ages 12-35, but most advertisers limit that to ages 18-34, since some games are rated Mature.

Also, in the past, these advertisements have been static, either a preloaded bunch of ads, or simply one ad that never changes.

More recently, in the game Burnout: Paradise, an arcade style racing game, features advertisements that can be downloaded every time you go online, so that new and different advertisements are show constantly. These advertisements can be based on where you live, games you usually play, and any additional information that you have giving when you registered for the account.

Video games offer a new and nearly limitless ways to advertise, and personally, I don't have a problem with it, assuming it doesn't turn out like this Photoshop job below.

That would not be too pleasant.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG #5

I use the radio and internet the most throughout the day, and I enjoy magazines and the paper, and some TV on the side. So the most ads I see in the day are internet flash ads. Now, these advertisements are designed to be formatted and in the style of the people on the website. So when I go to my Computer Tech forum site, all ads on that site are related to computers and computer parts, Science fiction, etc.

The most effective ads that I have seen recently are ones that don't necessarily make any sense until I click and follow their link. I saw one that was advertising Terminator, and it was all black, and a question faded to the top. I felt compelled to see what it was talking about, even though I don't like the Terminator at all.

Obviously, ads that target me are the best and most effective. I like ones that lead you on, and that make you think a lot more than usual.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG #6

To be honest, I like most Product Placement, because it makes whatever I am watching seem more real, because, rather than using made up products that sound stupid, they use products that everyone knows, and many people use. When movies use made up products, they usually come off as cheap knockoffs, and draw my attention away from the media.

I don't find it horrible to see companies advertise in movies either. Yeah, it is just a advertisement in a movie, but it's a much more interesting way of doing it. Regular formats just get boring. I think, because of this, that it is more effective than usual. People are used to commercials, billboards, newspapers, and seeing advertisements in movies tends to catch people off guard.

As pertaining to teenagers, I think that it's just as effective for us. Or more so. Teenagers see many more movies, I think, and I don't really think about them.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG #4

The media portrays women in many ways, none of which are ever good in this culture. Women, for the most part, are seen almost as objects, or things of beauty, rather than human beings. And it's not good. Many people don't view women as smart, capable beings, and since they don't view them as such, they don't treat them that way.

This creates many problems professionally and psychologically for women. Jobs are harder to come by, and because they aren't seen as mentally competent as men, they get paid less for doing the exact same work. And when women see ads and media that have women in them, they may begin to think the same way.

So now, we have men treating women less than they are, and women believing that it's right. And when school girls see themselves doing better than guys, they dumb themselves down, because that's not how they are supposed to be.

Media's portrayal of women affects everything, and nothing that it affects is good. We set up these images that are impossible to obtain, then expect them to be completed. It doesn't work, and it doesn't make sense.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG# 3

I chose the show Psych.

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...A young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara, California Police Department (SBPD) whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts allow him to convince people that he is psychic.
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• Achievement and Success - At the end of each show, Shawn and Gus figure out the mystery, after being doubted for the entire episode. They become hero's once again, and they "win." This tells people that they should just keep going at it, keep doing what they think is right.
• Activity and Work - In Psych, Shawn likes to goof off, and do everything last minute, where Gus usually tries to do everything on time, when it is supposed to be done. While it doesn't always work, Gus usually feels good about what he does, and shows people that it is the right thing to do.
  
• Efficiency and Practicality - Shawn like to do things as quickly as possible, so that he can get to things that he wants to do, such as playing games. He doesn't spend time on the details, like Gus, but rather sees something and then jumps at it.
  
• Progress - Gus and Shawn see the current Police force as inept at solving the crimes, so they pretend to be able to see into the future, and solve crimes the way they think they should be solved. Once again, this shows that people should find things that are wrong, and work at fixing them, by themselves.
• Material Comfort - Shawn and Gus consider material comfort very important. They do what they want, when they want. When they want to go eat, they do that. They buy what they want. This tells people it's okay to do and buy what they want.
  
• Individualism - Shawn and Gus are going against the grain, instead of waiting on the Police to solve crimes, they do it themselves. They aren't doing what everyone else would do, they are doing their own thing.
  
• Freedom - When Shawn and Gus are locked out of a case, they can't stand it. They feel depressed because they can't help people. They quickly find ways around it, so that their freedom is restored. They show people that freedom is always accessible, they just have to find it.
  
• Conformity - Gus always tries to conform to Societies expectations, and tries to be a "good" citizen. He believes that that is how to deal with most problems.
  
• Humanitarianism - Most of the cases that Shawn and Gus deal with have to do them helping or saving people from death or from jail. They are good people who are trying to help good people.
  
• Youthfulness - Shawn's dad often thinks back to when he or Shawn were young, and reminisces about it.
  

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG# 2

The video showed us how media is presented to kids at as young an age as possible, trying to fit itself into normal lives, so that kids grow up completely comfortable with total media saturation. They are marketed to as consumers at a very young age, marketed to be shallow, object-hungry, young people. Young kids have a lot of influence on their parents as well, making it kill two birds with one Target Brand stone. ;) They have consumer ready kids in the future and they get more money now from their parents.

Media saturation isn't specifically bad, but it's almost sneaky the way that advertisements get around to kids. And what do you do? Cut your kids off from information? No, that would alienate them. Do you let them run loose with it? No, because then they don't make the correct choices. Kids need to see the advertisements, but at the same time, learn what advertisements are trying to get them to do, or, in other words, become media literate.

At the same time, I wouldn't say that media advertisements are bad. They can be very helpful, if used correctly. I learn about things that I would like to buy anyway more quickly, and I learn of deals, so that I can save money. So it's all balanced out, at least at the moment.

HON MEDIA LIT BLOG# 1

My sister Maddie seems to get all her information from the internet, videos, etc. She uses the internet and communication more than from TV or the Radio.

My friend Matt gets his information from a variety of sources, including the paper, television, podcasts, etc.

Drew gets his news from TV, and uses it to tell him deals and things to buy, whats new, etc. He says that media is a form of communication, and drives peoples actions

Corey also gets news from TV. He spreads information to everyones houses, and keeps them connected.