Reflection Post (LAST POST, WOOH!)

Now that I've taken Critical Thinking, I definitely look at media with a different perspective as opposed to how I viewed it before taking the class. Sure, I knew that the main goal of most companies was to sell their product; however, I was certainly not aware of all of the advertising techniques/appeals, I didn't know about things such as narrowcasting and lovemarks, and I never noticed the implicit messages that are embedded in various advertisements.

Now that I am aware of the arsenal of techniques and appeals out there, I can't help but try and figure out which ones a company is using when I see one of their advertisements. It's a good thing and a bad thing I guess. It's good since I can figure out how an advertisement is trying to trick me or get me to buy a product, but It's also bad because it sucks the fun out of watching a movie since I'll just anticipate, for example. product placement. And it's like I can't watch a commercial without a bunch of techniques and appeals flying around in my head. But I guess there is a price to pay for knowledge. 

I don't think my media habits have changed very much this semester. The only forms of media that I really use are Twitter and Youtube and it seems to have stayed this way. This is probably just because they're not soiled with desperate companies trying to sell me, for example, a backwards robe as though it were some avante garde creation.

Being an educated consumer is important because educated consumers are able to look at advertisements and really think about whether they should buy the product or not. If one is not educated, then they may well be dumb enough to think that a McDonalds burger will bring happiness or that a Coke will make you the rad rabbit of the block.

I think that many media sources in America have some work to do. Too often they publish irrelevant stuff like a celebrity dating rumors or bend the truth in order to convey a deceiving message. Media should actually present things that matter, it should inform the people and inspire them to do positive things like climb out of any holes that they may have fallen into. I don't really care how "unrealistic" or "corny" it may sound, but something that lacks in a large part of our society is love and compassion, which is partially the media's fault. Media sources needs to stop glorifying foolish things and must tell the stories that count, it should be a backbone the reinforces the good (Ha, well that shows my value assumptions, doesn't it?)

Farewell my blog, it was nice while it lasted.