The Media Consumer I am now

After taking this class, I’ve become very aware of how the media manipulates what we, the consumers, get to see. I am somewhat scared of how the media controls us. It has made me somewhat borderline schizophrenic knowing that.

Remember “A Face in the Crowd”? Even some country bumpkin can make a nation follow his lead; or the movie "Chicago"? Chicago was about a woman who was a cold blooded murder who was able to get off the hook because the media made her into someone lovable.

The media does have a lot of power, and especially when the media is controlled solely by a handful of people and when only their views are getting heard and independent voices get muffled, I feel my free speech is threaten. It happened to the Dixie Chicks when they bad mouthed President Bush on national TV. All their songs were pulled from a lot of major radio stations because the man who owned it didn't like what they said.

I am more aware of the media. I am more skeptical of the views that radio, TV, print expresses. I do not jump to conclusions when I am given information because it can be spun into what the owner of the station perceives.

I have been taking in the media in small doses. I am very wary of what they have to say. Ah, how I've lost my consumer innocence.

Youtube and All of It's Follies

Youtube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim in 2005. Youtube is a video sharing website that allows people to upload clips and share clips with each other. It was sold to Google for a staggering 1.65 billion.

Youtube clips most contain individuals who made their own video and wanted to share it with it with the world. Sometimes, it is videos of unsuspecting co-workers making a fool of themselves.

A Bank of America employee, identified as branch manager, Ethan Chandler, was filmed spoofing U2’s “One”. The original lyrics were replaced with, “It's one bank/One card/One name that's known all over the world.” Followed with, “What's in your wallet?/It's not Capital One/It's us.”



I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy uploaded it himself.

Public Relation’s New Toy

So what have I learned about blogging in relations to my PR major? I’ve learned that the business market have been using it as a communication tool. Major companies are creating blog sites where they have their employees blog. Remember the whole controversy with Apple? They really didn’t know what to do with a blog. And there are PR companies that really are bad when it comes to using blogging to attract their market.



Wal-Mart has been under scrutiny because of bad press from planting a blog with a couple posing as real people going on a RV trip called "Wal-Marting across America". The couple would use Wal-Mart parking lots as a free camping ground for their RV. During their stay on Wal-Mart grounds, the couple documented it on their blogs. They wrote about how the employees love working at Wal-Mart and their great work conditions there. It was later discovered that the couple were hired by Wal-Mart and when bloggers found out about the scandal they were infuriated. Wal-Mart does not understand the mechanism of a blog; Blogs are not advertisement but a form of communication and that is why Wal-Mart has not succeeded in the blogosphere.



But I still shop there because where else can you buy 20 packages of Hoho's for a little over two bucks? The "Walmarting Across America" blog does attract negative press but I don't think it affects their business because their items are really cheap and people will still shop there.

Think Mesh Shirts

Homosexuality was once scorned and made to believed that it didn't exist, but as of late, there has been an onslaught of TV shows with homosexuality as its underlying theme. Television shows has turned homosexual. Take "Will and Grace", a show set in New York City about Will Truman, a gay lawyer, Jack McFarland, a gay actor taking on situations just as any lawyer or actor would but with twice the puns.It was one of the top rated shows for a few seasons. Or "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" which is about five gay guys using the stereotypical gay sense of style to makeover straight men who are slobs.




Or even the gay talk show hosts like Ellen on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" or Rosie O'Donnell on "The View".




I would like to think these shows are results of our country becoming more open minded. I somehow doubt it. While many countries around the world are legalizing gay marriages, we are still devoutly dragging our proverbial feet and actively keeping out gay marriages. These gay shows are the genius idea from marketing. Those people on the board picking TV shows probably knew that the gay market has been an untapped resource. These shows have made being gay, trendy.

This is the episode where South Park is poking fun at society's need to be trendy. Gay is Fab-BO-LOUS! (Spelling done on purpose)

South Park

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I believe in gay rights. Even though these shows are probably meant to get ratings, I still have hope that it will change our nation's way of thinking.

A Positive Look at Celebrity Power

I’m actually starting to believe that celebrities have dimensions out of their usual getting doped up and sh*t-face drunk on their off days. Angelina Jolie have been getting a lot of press lately for her saintly actions like adopting children from 3rd world countries, donating her own money to charitable causes, and much more. Our latest edition to when celebrities do good deeds is Bono’s Red Campaign.

Bono is a lead singer for U2, a very large rock band. He has a lot of celebrity pull power and he has put that to good use. He has contacted many top celebrities to lend their hand to his campaign.

The Red Campaign is a campaign to help raise money for a global fund for the fight against Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis. He has recruited companies to join his Red campaign. The companies areas are American Express, Apple Computer, Converse, Motorola, The Gap and Giorgio Armani. Gap is the biggest donator because they will donate 50% of what ever they make from their Red Line. Companies are clamoring to join because the bottom line is it will make money. After the Bono appeared on Oprah, Bono’s campaign blew up because it raised enough to save 3,800 people in just one weekend after it was aired. It proved that his campaign is a success.

I always turned a critical eye towards any celebrity’s goodwill. This is a great act may it be for Bono’s big blow out attempt to get publicity or really out of the goodness of his heart. Either way, I’m glad they’re using their power to help those in need.

My Take on Sex and the City

"Sex in the City" was first aired in 1998 and became one of the biggest hit TV shows of among young girls to middle aged women. It was about four women who were protrayed as the stereotypical New York women; very sexually active and very trendy.

I thought some of the shows were borderline pornographic. It isn’t something that you sit and watch with your mom while sipping on tea and crumpets. This was something that I thought was only suitable for private viewing. I remember I was catching an episode on HBO and to my embarrassment my parents decided to join me in the viewing of Sex in the City that night. Umm, if you watch the show, you know that Samantha screws a guy or three almost every week. Let’s just say it was mortifying to say the least.

This show was a total trend setter. Whether it was good or bad, people followed it. I remember the one where Carrie, the main character, wore something that had a giant flower on her blouse. The next week, there wasn’t a trendy women store that didn’t carry those hideous flower shirts.

Or what about the high-couture fanny pack. A fanny pack is a fanny pack by any other name is, and forever will be, a fanny pack. It’s ugly and something your grandma would wear. Talk about the power of influence. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she sported a garbage shirt and the next day everyone wore something similar. *Gag*

"Sex in the City" have affected our society making it okay to be more sexually liberating and a more snazzy dresser.

Super Star Nation

I wonder why our nation is so obsessed with movie stars and stardom itself. It is at the top of our news heap. Take for example our very own Professor Lilly Buchwitz falling prey to CNN’s “Breaking News” containing Johnny Cash’s death and probably leaving out the fact that there may be a cure for all of the world’s diseases because they found Cash’s death a tad more important. And if she hasn’t unsubscribed yet, I bet that she is being attacked with a flood of CNN’s “Breaking News” about Britney Spears’ recent divorce. I don’t think that is news but I'm pretty sure that's top news to a lot of news stations.

I blame it on reality TV. Reality TV has made it possible for a no name anybody to rise to the ranks of C and D list celebrity stardom like Tera Reid, and Kathy Gifford. It gives any Joe Shmoes hope that one day they get their 15 minutes. There has been a rapid rise of reality television producing these 15 minute wonders.

Shows like "American Idol" create these anomalies of celebrities. “American Idol" is a show where contestants from all over this country compete to get signed up for a singing contract. I can’t forget William Hung. He got his own album even though he sucked. But the studio wanted to milk him because he was getting press time.

Listen and watch “She Bangs”. It is god-darn awful.




Some people worship celebrities and some people hope to be just like them. And I really mean it literally. Take for example, “I Want a Famous Face,” which aired on MTV where people get plastic surgery hoping to look like superstar counter-parts. MTV does not pay for the plastic surgery, or give them any form of payment. That means these people do it on their on will without anyone’s intervention. I don’t think obsessive describe these people; I think “neurotically deranged” fits them more.

Jennifer Lopez wannabe went from a transgender..



..to J Lo.



Brad Pitt wannabes went from dorky looking twins..



..to homosexual looking guys.



Pamela Anderson wannabe went from pretty lady to transgender looking lady.



Oh well, I'm sure plastic surgeons probably tried their best.

If you see me on reality, I’ve probably fallen fatality to the stardom bug bite.