The Feedback Loop

Teenage culture is rapidly becoming more prominent in our society. There are more teenagers than ever before today, and they have become the largest demographic that marketers research and advertise towards. Because of their disposable income and lack of serious, adult responsibilities, teenagers are able to spend more money than even some wealthier adults are. As a result, the teenage demographic is being researched and studied more than ever before. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Luke 12:34. Marketing and advertisement agencies are targeting teenagers because they are more valuable than any other demographic.

With advertisers becoming more and more focused on the teenage demographic, there is a growing epidemic called the "feedback loop." How often have you heard the phrase, "Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it"? The feedback loop is similar to a modernized, more culturally serious version of this phrase. Rather than repeating history and past mistakes, the feedback loop refers to a system where advertisement is based off of teenagers, and teenagers base themselves off of advertisements. It is a never-ending system.

The Merchants of Cool discussed this issue in depth as it presented the big question: are teenagers leading advertisement, or is advertisement leading teenagers? Laura, a teenager who watched the film, had this to say: "It wasn't me telling them. It was them telling me." These are dangerous waters! If a teenager herself is expressing the deep effects that advertisement has on culture and her individual demographic's choices, we are headed down a path of serious retribution and destruction. Is it safe to allow advertisers to have such a vital role in teenagers' choices? And more importantly, is it even possible for this cycle to be stopped?

Some researchers believe that "cool hunting" (the practice of searching for and studying trends and what is popular in a specific demographic, generally the teenage demographic) is leading our society's adolescents down a dangerous road of risky choices and behaviors. Advertisers often view teenagers as rebellious kids who are pushing all the boundaries just to try and get noticed. Because of this, advertisers will often market and merchandise promiscuous or even illegal behavior because they believe that is what teenagers want. Unfortunately, these advertisements promote such behavior and instill in these adolescences' minds that these actions are not only tolerated, but they are valued.

In the feedback loop, the lines between advertisement and real life begin to blur. As teenagers are continually exposed to advertisements that encourage risky behaviors (drinking, smoking, promiscuous sexual activity, etc.), they become desensitized. Eventually, it becomes difficult for them to make the distinction between what is just advertisement and what is real life. Advertisers base their ads off of a pre-conceived notion about what teenagers will like, and teenagers base their clothes, their hair styles, and so much more off of these ads! Who is controlling who?

One example of how destructive this cycle can be is through television shows. We all know that advertisers seek to market their products to teenagers regardless of how harmful this product may be, but what about television? Surely that's just for entertainment... Right? Wrong. Adolescents are being fed thousands upon thousands of advertisement campaigns just by watching television. If a teenager identifies with a specific character, perhaps he or she begins to notice his or her clothing and goes out and purchases something similar. Or maybe the "popular" kid on a teenage boy's favorite television show is a player who is constantly promiscuous and jumping from girlfriend to girlfriend; it is very possible that this boy will begin to do the same, leaving each girl more heartbroken than the last. There is a direct parallel between the entertainment and advertisement one is fed and how they behave.

A show that was wildly popular just a few years back is The Secret Life of the American Teenager. This television show leads us through the life of Amy, who is struggling with how to handle her recent discovery of an unplanned pregnancy. Many teenagers would probably jump to defend Secret Life, claiming that it shows the true side of teenage pregnancy and the difficulties that Amy and her family go through together. However, I disagree. Although Secret Life does not glorify or encourage teen sex, it does not discourage it at all. At the start of the first season, Amy is the only one of her friends who has had sex. At this time, she is just a freshman in high school and she had lost her virginity to an older boy over the summer... At band camp. Just a few seasons later, all of her friends are sexually active and yet few of them suffer any consequences whatsoever. The parents are relaxed about the situation, and the teens continue to live their perfect lives as sexually active adolescents. Perhaps there are some instances when this happens, but generally this is not what takes place. Secret Life does not educate its viewers on STI's, broken hearts, or any of the other dangers that come along with teenage sex.

We are living in an advertisement-saturated world. Wherever we go, there is a marketing campaign targeted towards us. "Cool hunters" prowl around on the lookout for the latest trend, as advertisers wait to pounce on us at any moment. As we go about our days, we become desensitized and get bogged down by all the ads and marketing that is constantly being thrown our way. Stephen Butler Leacock said, "Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it."We must fight our way through senseless campaigns and seek out real life. It does exist; you just have to find it.

Internet Availability > Movie Experience

When's the last time you went to a movie? I didn't ask when's the last time you saw a movie, I asked when was the last time you actually drove your car and went to see a movie? Those are two very different things, huh? There is a seriously big difference between merely watching a movie and actually investing the time and money to go see a movie in the theater. Today I'm going to take a look at the "movie experience" versus DVD or internet streaming. I'm going to tell you some advantages and disadvantages of both, my preference, and how these preferences connect with the film industry as a whole. Lights! Camera! Action!

Just a few years ago, viewing movies on the internet was almost unheard of. If you wanted to see a movie, you went to the theater and you saw it! At the very least, you waited until it came to the dollar theater so that you could save a few bucks (that's how my mama always did it!). Either way, the only way it was possible for you to see this movie before it came out on DVD was to drive to your local theater and see it. Things today are a different story. With 3G and wi-fi almost everywhere, we are able to download and stream movies instantly without ever leaving our couch.



In the video above, Andrew Karpen and several others discuss what they feel is the future of the film industry: free content. In today's world of high speed internet and a more ADD than every consumer, having a movie at your fingertips is exactly what the market demands. Consumers today do not have the time or focus to pour into a "movie experience" like they used to. Going to the movies can often become more of a burden than a blessing because of the time restraints and financial restraints it places upon the consumer. $10.50 for a two-hour movie? I'm sorry, but that's just not worth it.

On the other side of things, we have DVD's and internet streaming. DVD's are about twice as much as one ticket to a movie, but they last you for as long as you have a DVD player (I bet you won't have one in 10 years. Just wait. You'll see). The major advantage I see to a DVD is the communal feel of gathering around and watching a movie. At my house, we have "family movie night" every Friday, where we rent a movie and watch it together. With our busy schedules, Friday night is often the only night we actually get to spend in each other's company and it's nice to be able to simply enjoy a movie together.

However, my favorite way to watch a movie is internet streaming. Here are a few reasons why:
1. It's free. 100% free. No money leaving my pocket. For a broke college student, that's very important!
2. It's convenient. I don't have to dress up and get ready to watch a movie in my own living room. Sweatpants and a T-shirt are just fine in the comfort of the apartment.
3. Selection. I remember several times in my childhood when I would go to Blockbuster with my dad and we would spend half an hour just looking for a movie! Oftentimes, we wouldn't be able to find the movie we had come for and we had to settle for something else. What a disappointment. Online, you can find literally almost every movie that was ever filmed through a simple search engine.

Internet availability is shaping the way we look at the film industry. Why pay $10 to see a movie when you can download it for free in minutes? Movies are on the path of the music industry: free downloads. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good movie, but the convenience and affordability of internet downloads far outweigh the "movie experience" that you get by going to a theater. And by the way, the last movie I saw in theater was "Unknown".... In March.

Music's Demise

When you hear the word "music," what do you think of? Perhaps you think of freedom, expression, liberation, passion, and heart. Or maybe you think of fame and fortune. Whatever your definition of music is, one thing is for certain: the music industry has vastly changed over the decades. What used to be considered music does not fit the model for today's pop-star, and today's pop-star would've never made just thirty years prior. So what happened? What is responsible for music's demise?

First, let's take a look at musical styles over the past several decades. In the early 1900's, blues and R&B was the primary style of music. According to Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication, Blues and R&B is the foundation for rock & roll. This brings us to our next major genre: rock & roll.  Rock & roll brought a whole new ball game to the music industry as it shook what people believed about popular music. Next we have the incoming of British rock & roll. "All we need is love" is an overly used line by none other than The Beatles. In addition to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones stunned American airwaves with their cutting-edge music that appealed to a variety of listeners. During the period of rock & roll, listeners experienced folk music such as Bob Dylan, and psychedelic music such as The Doors. In the 1960's and 1970's, punk and alternative made its way onto the scene. The Talking Heads, The Ramones, and The Sex Pistols lit up the music stage, just to name a few. As music shifted, so did the culture. One could not move without the other; they were (and are) intertwined.

We now live in the days of hip-hop. If it's got a good beat, it's going to be successful. The content of the songs is truly unimportant, as long as it's a good "jam." It's gotta have some strong bass to get your car shaking, and a beat that you can bob your head to. The rest is completely inconsequential. Your main goal as an artist these days is to have mass appeal. Your feelings, your thoughts, and your music don't matter; the money is what matters. For example, the number one single on iTunes right now is "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber. So how did this young man make it to stardom? YouTube. That's right, this wildly popular teen sensation got his record deal simply by posting videos of himself singing on YouTube. In today's internet era, it's that simple: get recognized and get signed. All you have to do is build a fan base and you'll get noticed. After all, it's the fans that bring in the money that everyone's so desperately chasing after.

So when did this corruption begin? When did getting discovered become about popular demand rather than talent? When did image matter more than substance, quantity over quality, and money over morals? It all started with the age of the image, which is directly linked to the birth of Music Television (MTV). Before MTV, music was purely auditory. What you heard is what was important, and what you saw you only saw if you went to a show. With the birth of MTV, artists and music became extremely visual. As one of the interviewees on Before The Music Dies said, "Superficiality is in and talent is out."

In today's world, our artists are glamorous, sexy, sleek, and sophisticated. They're always put together, they're always beautiful, and they're (almost) always fake. One of the most popular pop-star of the past couple of years is Kesha Rose Sebert, better known as Ke$ha. Over the past couple of years, she has graced the iTunes charts with hit after hit, from "Tik Tok," (a song that describes a precarious night of drinking and partying- which of course can only commence when she has arrived) to "We R Who We R." The intelligence in her songs is striking, is it not? The first line of her #1 single, "Tik Tok," says, "Woke up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy." Compare this to a line from The Beatles song Across The Universe: "Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind." What a difference.

Today, music lacks the feeling and passion that it used to contain. Through television and the internet, our society has killed music as a form of expression and twisted it into a money-thirsty industry. According to Before The Music Dies, "Longevity is determined by how much money you make." Because the industry has become so financially focused, talent often slips through the cracks. Music today is based on popular appeal and generated revenue- nothing more, nothing less.



Oh, and check out these two videos; you'll notice some striking similarities!

Censorship: How Far Is Too Far?

In the publishing industry, there is a serious issue of censorship: just what is acceptable, and where should the line be drawn? The First Amendment clearly prohibits the government from making any law that restricts free speech. As Americans, we are entitled to our right to speak, our right to our own opinions, and our right to express these opinions however we feel fit. Censorship is in direct violation to The First Amendment, and yet it is something that takes place every day. So what do we do? How do we stand up? And better yet, what is book banning, really?

When I was in high school, I was required to read The Great Gatsby as part of my British Literature class. Unbeknownst to me, The Great Gatsby has been banned in some states (Campbell, 308)! So why ban a classic book like The Great Gatsby? Book banning usually results from the offending of another party due to your opinion or presentation of a particular topic in the literature. If I don't like what you have to say, so I'm going to try and ban your book. Unfortunately, everyone has their own opinion, and it is extremely difficult (I would say impossible) to try and please everyone. Somewhere along the way, it is very possible that you are going to offend someone; that is just a part of life.

So what's the big deal? You may think censorship only applies to some crazy mom in Utah who doesn't want her child to read the Harry Potter series because it "clearly alludes to witchcraft and the occult," but censorship stretches much further than just your average stay-at-home mom. I hate to be the one to have to tell you, but that is not true; not even in the least. In 1624, Martin Luther's Germanic translation of the Bible was burned by order of the pope. How many of you were taken aback by that? The Bible. Surely there is nothing offensive in the Bible, right? What could possibly be worth censoring from the Holy Scripture? Yet again, it didn't sit right with someone, and they just wouldn't have it.

Throughout history, there have been thousands of book bans. From 2001 to 2008, there were 3,736 challenges against American libraries. The list of the 10 most frequently challenged books of 2010 includes one of my favorite author's book Crank. This book contains a large amount of graphic, drug-related material, but what most people don't realize is that this book serves as an education for the harsh effects of drugs. This book does not focus on the joys of partying and getting high, it centers around the bad effects of drugs and it serves to educate readers on why they should not participate in such illicit behavior.

Overall, the clear issue here is freedom of speech. We are legally entitled to our own opinions and our freedom to express them however we feel is necessary. Regardless of how seemingly offensive or unnecessary material may seem, we have the right to free speech and expression. Don't be silenced.

Social Media

Socialnomics.net is a website dedicated to the social media revolution and its effects on our society. Things that used to be personal have become public, and things we wish we could forget, everyone and their mother seems to remember. Our past is now our present, and there seems to be nothing we can do about it; once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever. As we dive deeper into the world of social media, we become aware of the dangers involved in this type of media and how it is effecting our culture.

What is the real issue here? Social media is a choice, after all, so what’s the big deal? Surely we can trust people to use common sense: no one would be foolish enough to post pictures of them drinking alcohol if they’re underage, and they certainly wouldn’t post obscenities on their status a few days before a job interview! Of course no one would do that; that’s just dumb. And yet day after day, week after week, we see thousands upon thousands of people making these mistakes.

The real issue here is privacy. People often don’t understand that when you post something online, it is no longer private; it becomes public. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of the internet. If you want to keep something to yourself, do not post it online. Regardless of how unpublicized or hidden it may be, it will be found. And even if it isn’t found for a while, it is still out there. 

Social media is everywhere in our culture; if Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest and twice the size of the U.S. population (www.socialnomics.net). Pause for a moment and let that sink in. Russia, Canada, and Facebook? How does that sound for our new geography lesson? The population of the U.S. is approximately 312 million, and Facebook is double that! If these numbers aren’t registering to you, think about this: Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S. Hopefully, this is just as shocking to you as it is to me, because this is huge. 

So what do we do about this issue? How do we respond appropriately in order to further educate people and help them truly grasp how serious this can be? Classes in social media and mass media are extremely helpful in educating people about the seriousness of this issue. If someone can get involved hands-on and really investigate the issue of privacy in social media, he or she is more likely to have a better understanding of the topic and actually respond and do something about it! Educating people about the dangers of social media is the best way to encourage a better understanding and proper reaction to this issue. If people can grasp the depth of the situation, then perhaps they will learn to respond in the appropriate manner. 

Ethics: What Comes Up Must Come Down

Today in class, we talked about journalism, and specifically what the difference between journalism and news media is. Whether you realize it or not, journalism and news media are two very different things: journalism is conducted by journalists (and reporters) who gather information from various sources, whereas news media is the actual broadcasting or coverage of an event or "news."

To really delve into the importances in this distinction and how it affects our lives, let's start with news. What is news? As I was writing this blog, I did a generic google images search using the word "news" and was humored to see a Facebook logo come up as one of the results! How funny to think that today's "news" is often conveyed through social media just as frequently as it is the news media. Before I get too of topic, let's revisit the topic of "news." News is defined as, "A report of a recent event; intelligence; information." In short, news fulfills our need to know. We live in a culture that is moving at a million miles an hour, and news simply fulfills our need to keep up with our society as it continues to shape and change the way we live.

Now that we've discussed the topic of "news," let's dig deeper into the distinction between journalism and news media. Journalism is defined as, "The occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business." Journalism is the dirty work. As Dr. Wilson said, journalists focus on serving and educating the people. Their purpose of writing and reporting is to serve the public, not to make a quick buck. News media on the other hand is consumer focused. Whatever is going to bring in more revenue is more than likely what is going to actually reach the public.



The video above deals with the ethical issues we see in today's media. Are tabloids true journalism? If so, they definitely aren't following the journalism code of ethics. What stories are really necessary to be reported? Most importantly, what is "good" media and what is "bad" media? All of these questions are one that we struggle with each and every day, even as consumers, as we absorb news stories with every turn. Whether we realize it or not, when we buy a tabloid, we are breaking down the media ethics more and more as we encourage these news companies to continue to do such reports! As consumers, we actually have more control over what's reported than a lot of the journalists themselves!

So, what now? How do we, as consumers, shape the media? There is always going to be a tug and pull between the media companies and the consumers; the companies publish what they believe the consumers will like, and the consumers respond. In the truest form of supply and demand, if we did not buy those tabloids, the companies would cease supplying them. It is up to the consumers to stand up and transform the news media. Without such a stand, the news media will continue to veer further and further off the course, soon losing sight of ethics all together.

Media Convergence

When researching top media companies, one would expect to see Walt Disney and Viacom. One company you might not expect to see; however, is AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner is run by CEO Jeffrey Bewkes. Founded in 1990, Time Warner is one of the top media companies in the world. Besides owning Warner Bros, Time Warner also owns twenty-four different book labels, Time Magazine, and even CNN. Time Warner's subsidiary companies are countless, and the company as a whole brings in a revenue of approximately $31.8 billion. Clearly, Time Warner is a dominate force in media. The real question is: Is this for the good of the bad of the people involved?

Does media convergence truly mean "info heaven"?

There are upsides and downsides to media convergence. One of the downsides is that when a company becomes so large and powerful, there is a high risk of unethical political and economic influence. Capitalism is what our nation was founded on, but if a company creates an economic monopoly, it will wreak havoc. If a country becomes entirely dependent upon one company in particular, that company is able to virtually control the entire economy just by raising or lowering its prices. Think about the simple concept of supply and demand; if this company is essential to everyday life, the demand will be unstoppable, and so will the company.

Are we controlling the media or are
the media controlling us?

Yet there are also advantages to media convergence. Communication in the 21st century is vital; we pass information from source to source faster than some people can say, "Fiddlesticks." From Facebook, to Tumblr, to Twitter, we are constantly receiving and reacting to the information around us. Because of media convergence, technological communication has become part of everyday life. If companies were being constantly hindered because they were unable to become "too powerful," who knows if we would even have things such as iPhones and Kindles right now? Media convergence has drastically sped up the communication process.

Overall, media convergence is a part of life. Good companies become great companies, and small companies become big companies. In scientific fashion, it is truly the survival of the fittest. What your company does to survive today will determine how people interact tomorrow.