Reflection Post

Writing this blog and being in critical thinking for a semester has definitely changed the way I think about media and consumption. The material of this class probably applied more closely to our lives than it would for a lot of people because we're teenagers--constantly linked in and impressionable. It was actually interesting to see the ideas behind the stuff we eat up every day. 

I consume a LOT of media. If this means media as in music and movies and every form of entertainment, that's basically my whole life. I come home and listen to music, watch TV shows or movies, and go on the internet. If that means advertising, Netflix, Spotify, and every website ever has some form of advertising or marketing integrated into it or displayed on it, because nothing can happen without money. However, I don't use apple products or even have a phone with constant internet access, and my family doesn't have cable, so I think I consume less advertising than an average person my age. The advertising I consume usually just makes me sad about the outdated ugly stuff I own, but I don't always actually buy the stuff I like from commercials. The other types of media (entertainment) make up a huge part of my life, and I really like having access to them. If they're impacting me negatively I honestly don't really care. 

Being aware of my media consumption has actually made me more interested in commercials. Before learning all the techniques and needs that drive them, they all seemed the same--mindless, plot-less loud annoyances that interrupt my YouTube videos. They're still annoying, but now I can occupy myself by deconstructing them as I watch. It kind of makes me feel smarter than the advertisers. "Can't get anything past me anymore guys! Ha ha." With shows and movies and music, it made the whole experience less magical. I'm now painfully aware of the ever-present motive behind all media--money, so now every time I watch or hear something I think 'who are they trying to appeal to with this? What part of this is attracting people?' It's made me a bit more jaded and cynical, so thanks for that Starace :). 

I've definitely learned more about my media consumption habits, and could probably point out the most ad-heavy entertainment options I choose, but I don't think my actual habits have changed. The only thing we learned was how to analyze commercials, not how to find the willpower to avoid sites that have a lot of them, and find honest, indie websites to use instead. 

It's important to have media literacy because the people who "make" media are doing it as a job, not out of the goodness of their hearts (usually). So the entire point is to make money, and they do that by convincing people to give them their money. It seems good to have some idea of the ways they get us to do this, so we can recognize them and not fall for any tricks. It also lets us get more out of media, because we understand it on more levels. It gives a solid ground to base our takeaway from media on, so we can form more complete and more well-informed conclusions. 

Being an educated consumer is important because we have the information to make good choices about buying things and watching things, which are big parts of everyone's lives. Decisions about where to spend your money and what to consume can have big positive (or negative) repercussions, so it's a good thing to be well-informed in that area. It would also help you to know what products are the best, and what companies are the most honest, green, humane, etc., so you can use your knowledge and power as a consumer to do the world some good.

Keeping this blog was fun and different than most school assignments. It was less stressful because there was no physical "turning in" or possibility of losing your assignment. By the end I was more confident in my writing skills, or more comfortable at least, because we don't usually have as much freedom when it comes to topic choice, and not many people write outside of school, so this was a good middle ground where you could be creative but still had to actually do it. I definitely learned a lot about media and advertising, and doing the blogs solidified the information we learned in class way more than any tests or worksheets could have. 

Before doing this unit, I had no idea at all how concrete the philosophies behind advertising were. I'm a fan of more solidified "answers" to things, so that was really cool to learn about. It also gave more insight into the world of advertising, and how difficult a good commercial or ad campaign is, something I had never acknowledged before. It's such a big element of society and peoples' daily activities, but no one talks about it as much as other "day-to-day" things like driving or using the internet or cooking. I feel much more informed about the world around me.