Blog Assignment #4

• Question: Identify one aspect of popular culture in your own life that you will be thinking about more critically after this class is over.  How has your thinking about this example of pop culture changed since January?  Explain how your changed thinking will affect the way you use, view or interact with that particular example of pop culture, as well as popular culture in general.
• In general I am thinking so much more critically, but especially about advertisements, I never really realized what an effect they have on me and people in general. When looking at a magazine I can see the different ways advertisers are trying to sell their products. I didn't realize how much advertisers convince us that we NEED a product because we DESERVE it. This class has really helped me become more aware of the different techniques that are used to persuade Americans to buy something. I know that we didn't go into as much detail on the different advertising techniques, but all of the analyzing we did in class helped me look at things in the advertising industry more in depth. 
• Questions like why did advertisers choose that color and what did they mean by putting that in there ad come to mind now. I was even in Target the other day and noticed how their marketers arranged the store, they don't put all the beauty products or hygiene items in one section of the store they are spread out through out the store. Which is another way for marketers to try and get to buy more, because as your walking to try and find what you are looking for, you find all this other stuff that look neat, or that you think you need. I never would have noticed that before this class. My eyes were really opened up to how we are bombarded by all this advertising whether it be subliminal or not where ever we go. 
• Advertisement examples:

this ad is SO stereotypical, the family is white, happy and there's 4 of them, in most ads with families they display these characteristics

http://tek3d.org/marketing-and-advertising-to-children

There is a picture under this link that has a lot to say about what advertisements can do children starting at a young age.

• http://myeslsite.com/Reading/ComprehensionExercises/Media%20Literacy/PersuasiveTechniques/AdTechniquesReading.htm (Advertising techniques that we are all exposed to)
• ** I didn't really know what to put for links because this was more of a reflection blog as opposed to a research one. **
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Blog Assignment #3

Question #3
Can popular culture be used in schools to enhance education?  If you think so, give a specific example of how that might be done.  If you disagree, explain why popular culture has no place in the classroom.


I most definatly believe that popular culture can be used to enhance education. Popular culture is a part of history, think about how our society has evolved, and how popular culture has had such a big part in that. It needs to be taught, all good and bad parts of it, I firmly believe that being naive on certain topics such as popular culture, because we don't like some of the parts to it, is like burrying ones head in the sand.
Why we should educate about pop culture, (my 2 main reasons, this is all my opinion)
-The advance in technology has made our country what it is today, all the advertising for all of this has to do with popular culture 


America is known for being one of the most powerful countries in the world, and to fully educate on all of this glory pop culture aspects need to be addressed. Kids should know about all the wonderful things our country has to offer and how the media makes is know to the people. It's a pretty amazing and kids should know, here are the 5 latest and greatest advances 5-advances-shaping-the-future. All these new advances are shaping the future, and just think about what our country will be like in 10 years, kids need to know about everything and it needs to be taught in classrooms.


-Educating about the effects of the media is really important to young adults, it can help them become more aware of the medias ploys.


Targeting young adults is what the media aims for, during the ages of 12-18 is when kids are developing a sense of self according to Erikson's stages of development. Erikson's Stages of Development The media targets young adults because of this reason, by playing on the their insecurities, kids what all the things that may make them cool, according to again, what the media tells them. Young adults are the perfect audience to aim for, because during these 6 miserable years, kids are figuring out what the like and dislike, and what does this mean to the the media or advertising agencies, MONEY. One minute a teenager likes one toy and the next minute it's all about another toy.
This is why, education about pop culture needs to be provided, during the years of 12 and 18 kids can take many hits to their self esteem, especially the girls, and its important to give them the facts about the media is trying to do to them.