Reflection Post

At the start of these media blog posts, I would write them as I watched a show, I would do all of my homework sitting in front of the T.V. Now I do my homework in my room. Not without any distractions like the T.V. but I have to admit I take a break on my phone every once in a while. That is definitely progress and I'm only getting better. Before we were assigned to write about our media consumption on the first day, I already knew I spent too much time, with the screen in front of my face, but writing about the media has allowed me to see the real reason and effects of the media that is thrown at us and displayed on every corner. For example I now know that advertisers get into our minds to make us feel uncomfortable so they can brainwash us into buying their product. I know that they use different techniques such as hiring celebrities that people admire and want to be like to use their brand and show it off in commercials to get us buy it to be more like them, or by telling us that if we don't buy their product we will be alone, or bribing us, or rushing us into buying their product, or by lying to us and promising things like an escape and popularity, individuality, power, superiority, and so on. They use these techniques to appeal to the basic human needs. Advertisers don't just use those needs to target a specific audience, they research people, stripping them of their privacy, and they use this information to directly focus on you when their trying to sell their material.
Being aware of these things allow me to obtain from falling for their untruthful ways of persuading us.

Because of this class I've also became aware of how the media effects us. I've learned how the media specifically targets teens because teens are easily influenced and because they believe that all teens have lots of money to spend from their parents who because are never around give them money in order to make up for the absence. I've learned from this class that this is a reality assumption because not everyone is under those circumstances. I know for sure that I'm not one of those teens because I'm trying to save my money to go traveling after school. I have no intention in spending my money. seeing this has helped me to see how advertisers appeal to teens by using stereotypes such as how teen are only interested in two things; sex and violence. Because they believe this, They've made all of the teens media just about those two things. Teen movies and shows always show the the same things with a women who is barely clothed, only serving as the love interest, and a man blowing things up in order to save the world. The effect that this is that women are seen as just that; a sex object, or a man pleaser. It completely disrespects women because it sends out a message that that is all that women are good for. Teen girls take this in and reflect it out by wearing small clothes to get the boy's attention, acting older than they really are, thinking their looks are all that their worth, so they try to change themselves by buying makeup, straightening hair, going on diets, and buying clothes that match the image that the media has put out. Because women believe that that's all that their worth they push aside or forget their education and becoming high ranking business women and women in political positions. The media hold women back.

Keeping this media blog has allowed me to practicing analyzing and noticing all of the things that I've mentioned above. It has served as a way to better my skills as a critical thinker. I am now tentative before believing what the media us saying. I am open,minded when I see the image of women that the media does not portray. I using the habit of a critical thinker of metacognition when I write these blogs to reflect everything. I've also become aware of how unethical the way advertisers advertise their products because they warp so many of the six pillars of character and promote so many stereotypes that are so wrong. Taking this class has allowed me to realize when the media is influencing me to become something that is a false image of women, exercise my skills of a critical thinker, and making the implicit messages clear to me so I can keep clear of them.