Performance Final L.A
Sahil Desai
Media Literacy
Smore #1
What is “media”? Well “media” or “the media” is a way you can communicate with the use of technology, and even television, and even the radio. Some people might think that the word “media” only refers to social media such as Instagram, or twitter. But media could vary. It could be from video games, to music, and many more. Media could also be very helpful for advertisement. For those who uses twitter or Instagram, companies are starting to advertise their product. Same for Pandora, when there’s a brief commercial it’s usually about a product or a game for your phone. Now that we have a brief description about media, what exactly is a “media literate”.
Literate media (or media literate) I feel like is a way to “advertise” reading, writing, just pretty much anything that has to do with language arts. For example, we are doing “Smore” (its pretty much a blog) about what I think media is, and what literate media is. Posting this topic on the blog would be a literate media. Another good example would be CNN. They would take what the media (such as Facebook, and websites) and they would keep people updated of what’s going on around the world
Networking, Interaction, Application
What Does Media Literacy Mean?
Importance
What Can I Do?
Smore #2
Violence posted on various social media sites has become very common in the present. Children are exposed to much more violence in general online that generations in the past. Although this has raised awareness of children to what is happening around them (such as police brutality or violence in other countries), a lot of today’s generation is insensitive to the violence happening. This can lead to a bad influence especially on younger children who view violent videos being posted. They can lead themselves to engage in violent behavior especially at an early age. Cartoons and commercials average 25 violent acts per hour. Children as young as 14 months will imitate violent behavior they see on television. I believe it’s important for younger generations to be monitored in what they are viewing. Also, adults can protest for media to promote more positive shows, and things to post. By expressing our concerns to government regulatory agencies, advertisers, and policymakers, we can make a change. In addition, we can promote kids to spend more times on extracurricular instead of social media. Social media is an ease to access, and with little effort children can watch violent acts or issues occur. It’s essential for us to set good examples and regulate what our children watch. In the future, violence can be viewed by them for them to become more aware. However, children are being exposed to young which has a negative effect.
Superbowl Advertisements
Smore #3
The Superbowl has always been a centerpiece for various new advertisements to unfold. Since it’s the most watched sporting event in America, more than 100 million viewers will see the commercials displayed. Advertisers will use certain techniques to appeal to a specific target market. Commercials will also use a certain tone to set a feeling within an audience, weather its humor or serious to promote their product. For example, the most popular commercials used humor, such as Hyundai’s commercial featuring Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart plays the role of a protective dad in which his daughter goes on a date with a boy. He allows the boy to take his car (a Hyundai) which allows Kevin Hart to track and stalk the couple on their date. The use of a comedian and his role as a dad in the advertisement appeals to other fathers looking to buy a car in the nation. However, not all Superbowl commercials are meant to appeal to the majority of the audience (which are families with children). Some commercials use more adult content to promote their products. Such as Peta, they used sexual content in order for their audiences to have a vegan diet to “last longer” than meat eaters. In conclusion, the most popular commercials were appropriate for all audiences. These advertisers were Doritos, Axe, Hyundai, Colgate, Pokemon Company, Campbell Chunky, and Acura which were ranked to be the top. They used similar satire to present their product, making their brand notable in this year’s Superbowl.
How does Gender in Advertising affect society?
Smore #4
Gender roles in media have played a large role in affect society. The way genders are presented on television, magazines, videos, etc.… all directly impact society on how they want to be perceived. This puts a lot of pressure, especially females to have a certain figure in order to be successful in society. Although debatable, the majority of the population is influenced by how genders are presented on media. Men are perceived by the media to strive to shape their bodies according to the media’s standards. As with the same with women, their media’s standards for the ideal female body type is heavily debatable among society. Many women look up to the image perceived, while many criticize it. Gender roles in the media aren’t only limited to just the human body. Brands, like Mr. Clean and Windex subtly use women using cleaning supplies instead of men. This pertains to the stereotype that women instead of men should be engaging in cleaning. Another example would be men drinking Budweiser while watching sporting events instead of women. This pertains to the stereotype that men can be sitting around loathing while women prepare meals, clean, etc… Gender roles in media therefore affect gender socialization. Certain figures, such as Rosie the Riveter, or Uncle Sam have prompted men and women to contribute to help society. Now, a lot of media figures prompt men and women to meet a difficult standard which also fuel stereotypes and negative socialization.
Media Manipulation
Smore #5
The world’s largest corporations, such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Kellogg, Pepsi, or any brand that has mass worldwide appeal. These types of brands are always putting out content on social media, television, or newspapers to advertise their products. However, in most cases these advertisements are hypocritical. A lot of these brands contribute to the American obesity crisis, which has risen periodically. In most advertisements, the product being displayed such as Coca-Cola or a Mcdonald’s food item is shown to be healthy and beneficial to consumers. Healthy and fit people are usually shown consuming the product in order to persuade the audience to buy their product. Most of the products being advertised are considered unhealthy, and yet are frequently bought in the nation due to their successful advertising campaigns and techniques. There has been a push for corporations to release more healthy food but this hasn’t solved the rising numbers of obesity in America. A healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved by frequently purchasing unhealthy items such as big macs, sugary kellogs items, or soft drinks. Media manipulation had led to unhealthy eating practices and increased viewer time spent on watching television and the internet. This affects children primarily as they spend the majority of their time on social media or television other than sleeping.
Should Apple Fix?
Smore #6
1984: Agree or Disagree?
Smore #7
If the government were to be able to freely spy on their citizens. It would be the steeping stone in creating a society similar to 1984. All citizens are entitled to their privacy. There is a line between spying on citizens to find out who is a terrorist and putting tabs on non-suspicious people, so the government should not be able to do that. It can create a lot of misunderstanding and citizens can feel unsafe. The Patriots Act enacted in 2011 allows for FBI and the government to conduct surveillance in order to improve security without consent. This has angered many American people as the government can freely monitor private emails and phone calls. To me, this violates the fourth amendment which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. The government still wants to renew the act despite citizen opposition. Sixty percent of United State citizens want the Patriot Act to be reformed in order to limit government surveillance. Edward Snowden, an infamous computer programmer for the NSA leaked secret information that exposed the government’s wrong-doings. I believe this was the right thing to do in order to show how the government is abusing their power. Security and freedom are two concepts that go hand in hand, but the abuse and corruption of the government (such as spying on citizens) can prevent either from being possible.
Politifact
Smore #8
Politifact
"Out of 67 counties (in Florida), I won 66, which is unprecedented. It's never happened before."
Donald Trump stated this on March 21st, 2016 at 10:50 a.m in Florida. Donald Trump won 66 out of 67 counties votes for the presidential primary in Florida. Trump claimed his win is “unprecedented” which isn’t true. Big win elections in Florida aren’t uncommon for the past several decades. You need to know that there are several instances of candidates winning all 67 counties in the past. Which makes Donald Trump’s statement illegitimate.
“The 2013 immigration bill expanded President Obama’s ability to bring Syrian refugees to this country without mandating any meaningful background checks.”
Ted Cruz said this on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016 in a town hall event in Windham, N.H. Cruz repeats false attacks about immigration bill letting Syrians in U.S. without background checks. You have to know Obama’s policy on the immigration bill in the first place and the type of people he has let in the country. My thoughts are that there is too much discrimination against immigrants who will be working for the country. They should be allowed in more freely.
"Since (welfare reform) was signed into law, the number of families living in extreme poverty has more than doubled."
Bernie Sanders said this on Wednesday, February 24th, 2016 in a news conference. Sanders supporting statement was “"What welfare reform did, in my view, was go after some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in this country". This turned out to be mostly true according to statistical data. You have to know that there’s a 130 percent growth in families in extreme poverty, compared to just about 20 percent growth in the population as a whole. I think there should be a new welfare reform.
When it comes to fighting terrorism, "Another thing we know that does not work, based on lots of empirical evidence, is torture."
Hillary Clinton said this on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016 in a speech at Stanford University. Evidence backs Hillary Clinton claim that torture is counterproductive for counterterrorism. According to data, it is well documented (including by the Senate study of the CIA program) that torture generated enormous amounts of false statements. This quote turned out to be completely true by Hilary Clinton. I feel as if torture isn’t the best way to obtain information from capture terrorists.
I found that the republicans, statistically greater on average come with more false statements than true ones compared to the democrats. I doubt most people politifact there desired candidates. They only go by what they say during the interviews or the debates on television. Everybody lies, but some candidates lie a lot more than others, and it’s interesting because Donald Trump lies the most yet is a political frontrunner. People should really take in account what the candidates are saying and figure out the legitimacy of their statements.