The majority of my individual time is spent on social media or social networking. And about have my regular day is spent on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and many other apps. Within these apps they are filled with commercials and ads that try to get across to consumers while using the apps. So while I am spending my time on those apps I am automatically exposed to all advertisements sent to convince consumers to buy their product. This doesn’t necessarily affect my life as if it were to be negative, but others aren’t as aware as I am. Even though I have never bought something out of desire due to advertisements, I am now able to recognize people’s intention and what they are trying to get across. And because of these blogs I was able to become more aware of those tactics that a specifically meant to draw in certain audiences. Therefore, I am able to protect myself from blindly obeying the advertisements that brands put out into the world. To add on, my media consumption has changed due to the fact that I am no longer unaware of the underlying tactics of advertising. For example, I am now able to see what brands are trying to convince consumers with and how they are able to utilize the tactics that they know works on consumers. To continue, it is essential within our society and our technology to have media literacy since we are exposed to all kinds of ideas and products. And because it’s not a very good decision to buy a product just because an advertisement says it’s the best in the world and it can change your life, how can one trust that? So through the ability to depict what brands are trying to sell you through those hidden messages within their advertisements it would help one to make the best decision for themselves. I certainly got a lot out of this journal and this experience of keeping one, like before I wasn’t completely aware of tactics that advertisers would use and how the most sentimental commercial or add was actually a tactic to draw certain audiences in. 

How Stereotypes are Enabled within Television Shows and Movies

Throughout our lives we have been exposed to stereotypes and even though we may not have realized it, those images of certain racial groups have been implemented in our brains. Within these shows and movies there are several examples of stereotypical references towards ethnic groups. For example, Hispanic people are always assumed to either speak Spanish or they are referenced as farmworkers who are poor and or they are over sexualized. Another example, is when Asian Americans are seen as the most intelligent out of everyone and that they can't speak English very well. So, when examples like these are always shown on large platforms such as television shows and movies, the audience that view it will have this certain image of a group of people or a certain individual and always having that image when meeting someone who looks similar. Therefore, people will have this incomplete perception of certain racial groups.

Source Used:

https://www.thoughtco.com/common-racial-stereotypes-in-movies-television-2834718

Women's Underrepresention within Politics

Within the lesson in class, we have further been educated about the lack of female influences within powerful/influential positions in society. And how through how society works it disregard women as their purpose is to follow the traditional woman role. But, as it has been further researched that from the time girls are young they are discouraged from any role that has power involved. Furthermore, as young girls enter high school they are most likely not going to run for any influential position, which then leads to adult hood and they are automatically discouraged. Also, from a very young age girls are expected to reach this certain image about how a woman should behave like and look like. Which, makes them feel even more unworthy of any important because now they are consumed with this obsession of being perfect to others rather than themselves. And now that young girls are striving to look like a certain image of what a woman should be they are now only focusing on that and therefore become distracted from things like school. To continue on the topic of the underrepresentation of woman in influential positions, men are 10% more likely to enroll into a political science than woman. This is because women are likely to become subjects to harassment and discouragement of in a successful career within politics. So, in reality those who run for positions that involve any sort of power/influence are degraded and harassed endlessly. But, those who advertise themselves that please others and have no real powerful message that would motivate others into improving themselves, are enabling the image that women have surrounding them. 

Source Used:

 https://tcf.org/content/commentary/womens-underrepresentation-politics-no-not-just-ambition-gap/

The Truth About the Show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is a reality show that shows the culture and daily lives of "gypsies" and what it is like when they marry. But, in reality the way the culture is represented is incorrect. Their examples of how there are two different cultures that are massed up into one category, which are the Travellers and the Roma. These two groups both originate from different places in the world and within this show it is misrepresented to those who don't know much about the cultures.
Within this show it also showcases how one must be better than everyone else in order to stand out or feel important. And they do this by their extravagant events such as weddings, birthday parties, and baptisms. In the show the viewers are also being able to see the competition between the women of the society through their want of looking better than everyone else. Therefore, enabling that behavior even more and allowing the viewers to believe that's what the cultures represents.

Source Used:
https://www.thelist.com/39833/untold-truth-big-fat-gypsy-wedding/

Body Image of Women in Media

Within our history in marketing and advertising there has always been a distinct idea of what women's bodies should look like. This is especially displayed through many outlets of media such as social media, commercials, and even movies. And when young girls grow up surrounded by this certain image of what all women should look and behave like, they begin question their image and become insecure with themselves. Therefore, causing negative body image and leading to them constantly want to look like the super-models on the magazine. This can also lead to the development of conditions such as eating disorders in order to achieve this unrealistic ideal of what girls should look like.
Throughout the years, the ideal body image of a woman has changed. In the earlier years of media it was important to be thin in order to be liked and popular. Now though more open about the beauty standards, there are still idealism within beauty. And because women begin to become obsessed with their image it affects their health and their self-esteem. Therefore, effecting how they are able to perform within their work or school. This applies to not only girls but boys as well.
And by addressing how media is creating and enabling these unrealistic body images to their audience, which is made up of both children and adults, will there be a change in order to solve the issues. And rather show a woman's sexuality on television or social media, people should showcase those who have achieved more by their intelligence rather than their sex appeal.

Source Used:

https://www.mirror-mirror.org/body-image-of-women.htm

Stores Tactics to Make Customers Spend More Money (Free Choice)

If you have ever gone shopping and seen a sale sign on a store window that you become excited? And then you go in the store and find out that the sale that was prominent on the poster wasn't actually how the sale seemed. Well if this has happened to you this is a clear example of how companies are trying to drawn in customers by tricking them with an incomplete truth being told. Stores that I have experienced this is was in stores like Pac Sun, Apple, Hollister, and many more. In these stores, they would state a certain deal that would appeal to any of the customers and then there would be a confusing process of the deal where one thing would be 25% off of a certain pieces of clothing and then the other piece of clothing would be full price. But, then once you go up to pay the employees would state that the deal only worked if you get a certain amount of items. And since stores like Pac Sun do this and their main customers are teens, it's seems like they are manipulating teens to spend more in order to obtain the deal. Or when there was a deal about how when you buy one phone you get another free, but in reality you don't receive a free phone. So in the end, stores like that are using tactics to trick and manipulate people in order to spend more money. 

Guerilla Advertising in Public Transport

Guerilla Advertising is the tactic of using non-traditional advertising. I observed this type of advertising while driving and I have noticed all the advertisement on the buses, lift cars, taxis, and even U-Haul trucks. And when I had observed the advertisements they would range from a store wanting more exposure to political ads. I found this interesting because though the majority of people choose to ignore the ads on the public transportation, advertisers still continue to do it. And when I have seen these advertisements anyone could tell that they are meant for a specific target group that they are trying to appeal to. So when advertising consistently they are trying to be the one ad that sticks out from the rest and they expand their range through public transportation. Therefore, utilization the tactics of Guerilla Advertising. 

 Examples of Guerilla Advertising:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=guerilla+advertising+on+public+transportation&&view=detail&mid=39D928A3C0D7FC8B9F2039D928A3C0D7FC8B9F20&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dguerilla%2Badvertising%2Bon%2Bpublic%2Btransportation%26FORM%3DHDRSC3