The Media And Me
Advertising:
This can be found everywhere, its become such a huge part of everyday life that sometimes people don't even realise they are looking at an advertisement as they are so used to seeing them. For example physical forms of advertising can include billboards, posters in shop windows and advertisements on buses while online forms can include advertisements before YouTube videos or ads on websites. They are designed to make us want a certain product or service and encourage us to buy it. I often find that when I see advertisements I am persuaded into buying something I don't really need, such as new clothes or makeup. I would say advertising is a more negative form of media and it encourages people to waste their money.
Television:
Television is a key part of life for people of all ages. Personally I can spend hours each day Watching television or box sets, which I have done even from a young age. It wouldn't be surprising to me if some of the shows I have watched have moulded the way I think. For example, The show 'Call the midwife' encouraged me to get into feminism. Television can also influence us in different ways, for example live television includes advertisements during the breaks which may persuade us to buy a certain product or service or even to watch another tv show. While some tv shows can be educational, such as documentaries, I think that watching too much TV can be a waste of time.
Newspapers:
Newspapers are the most original form of media, despite not being as popular now as they once were due to younger generations preferring online methods of receiving news rather than physical forms such as Broadsheet and Tabloid newspapers. Personally I read the news from the news app on my iPhone. We must be wary that what we hear in the news isn't always correct as sources can be misinformed. As well as this each brand of newspaper will have a different political stance. While some newspapers are more political others will include gossip. For example, The Guardian is very left wing whereas The Daily Mail is very right wing, and The Mirror is neutral, often providing celebrity gossip. Newspapers will also include many advertisements, so can both influence how we spend our money as well as any political views we may have.
Internet:
Every element of our modern society relies on the internet. Whether it be for online shopping, research or use of social media, I use the internet everyday. I have found that social media has definitely influenced how I view myself, when I was younger and didn't use apps such as snapchat or Instagram I didn't care about how I looked or the clothes I wear, however now I find myself viewing celebrities "perfect" photos and following trends in fashion or makeup. Social media introduces pressures to look good, particularly on young people. The internet is also covered in advertisements which will often be personalised to the users likes and interests, meaning they will be more likely to spend money on something they don't necessarily need. While the internet can be a useful form of media it can also be dangerous to the mental health of young people by showing they unrealistic ideals they feel they have to meet. One celebrity who will often do this is Kim Kardashian, who posts perfect pictures advertising products or brands that supposedly made her look that way, encouraging people to follow the trend.
Film:
Everyone watches films at some point in their life, different films will be produced for different audiences. For example animated films are usually aimed at children, whereas horror films are aimed at young adults or teens. Different films can convey morals and messages, most obviously children's films will encourage them to be good and often will have a happy ending, however some films can have political stances too. Certain films that have influenced me include 'The Purge' which opened my eyes to a possible future if things were to go wrong in the world. While some films can convey positive messages they can also convey negative ones, which could be dangerous.
Radio:
Radio plays a key part in my life in that I always have it playing, whether it be in the car, while I am working or even sitting at the table to eat dinner with my family. Usually Its my dads choice of station, which is Radio X, a station mainly aimed at adult men. Different radio stations will feed their listeners a diet of songs that are popular at that time or that they think the listeners would want to hear. Personally I prefer to listen to Radio one, which plays music popular with young people. On the other hand my grandad prefers Radio two, which plays older music. As well as this the topics it discusses are more complex and aimed at older people. Radio stations, particularly small local ones. will also include audio advertisements which they will rely on to make money. These advertisements will also be catered to the audience much like the songs are. For example a station aimed at adults may advertise car MOTs whereas one aimed at young people may advertise a new app.
Video Games:
Personally I am not a massive fan of video games, I find that they are mainly more popular with younger or teen boys. However sometimes certain games will trend, for example Fortnite, which encourages me to play them. While video games can be a good form of entertainment they can encourage violence, which is particularly dangerous with easily influenced young people.
Magazines:
I rarely read magazines now, however when I was younger I would get children's magazines as a treat, which often included toys and games. Most magazines aimed at people my age now include gossip and advertisements, often depicting images of perfect models or celebrities. Much like with social media, this sets unrealistic beauty standards which can easily influence young people. Often wanting to look this way influences us to buy the products they are advertising. Magazines are often very negative, criticizing people in the public eye, such as celebrities.
Music Videos:
Despite often listening to music I usually do this via the radio or on Spotify, rather than watching music videos. In class we studied the music video for 'Ill manors' by Plan B, which was made in protest to the London Riots of 2011. While some saw the video as expressing the people of London's anger to the government, others saw it as encouraging violence and crime. This shows how even if a music video intends to portray a particular message, everyone will interpret it differently. Even though I don't often watch music videos, I might be encouraged to watch a popular song or artists video as it is the 'It' thing.
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