Reflection

   Media is a huge part of the American society and culture, and is slowly evolving and having a bigger impact across the globe. Whether it's social media, like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc., or news outlets, like CNN, Fox, The New York Times, etc., all media platforms play a huge role in everyone's lives. Many forms of media exist, but are seemingly "invisible" or are "a part of our daily lives," even if we don't really notice them. For example, as I scroll through pictures on Instagram, I see and glance over many advertisements, even some that look pictures my friends would post, tricking the eye. That's the point. Media, in some cases, wants to be as unnoticeable as possible throughout sources or platforms that are mainly used by the teenage demographic. It's in that split second where we do that double-take and accidentally like a sponsored picture or click on an unknown URL that makes companies increasingly known. It's little tricks like that that catch us consumers off guard. However, this is not even the beginning of the several stunts advertisers have up their sleeves.
   After this semester, I have learned that there many little tricks and twists that go unnoticed throughout all mediums. This includes word choice and diction, tone, appeals, the advertisers use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, and so much more. To illustrate, big sports and athletic companies like Adidas and Nike use famous athletes to establish that common ground (Ethos), since these are people that many young athletes look up to. These companies are implicitly saying that you are not a good enough athlete, or even a athletic for that matter, but by buying Adidas or Nike gear, you can be. They set standards for young and aspiring athletes and make them feel less than, but these commercials make them think they're doing the right thing, for themselves and for their own personal improvement, by buying said products only because their favorite athletes use them or were featured wearing/using them. Those kinds of implicit messages touch on Pathos, which has to do with emotions towards something and images you associate with the company and their products. Because kids feel that their athleticism needs improvement or know they can be better by choosing these brands, they feel a connection to the product and the company and feel the need, then, to buy the products. This is what our country lives buy and runs on: manipulation and deception! It's just so sad that our world is run by these ideals and that we are so dumb and easily gullible that we get sucked into these shenanigans. I will admit, I have been persuaded to buy products, as most Americans do, but knowing what I know now will make me more aware of the digital world we live in.
   Once we began our unit, dove deeper into media, and observed and analyzed from a critical thinking perspective, I began to notice little things while watching TV, Youtube, or even going on social media. Like while watching a commercial for say Sprint, I would "dissect," in a way, the commercial and I would notice little things like the actors they used, the camera angles, the colors, who the company may be appealing to, and so on. In their most recent commercial, Sprint features a guy wearing an all black outfit, except for a bright yellow scarf. These are the colors of the compa

ny itself. Anyway, he began talking directly to the camera, as if talking directly to me or any other viewer. I knew this established Ethos, in that his tone was more personal and he was talking to me like a normal person would any other day, establishing common ground and credibility. Then, he mentioned how us viewers may remember him from Verizon or AT&T commercials, but he decided to switch to Sprint because of better coverage, rates, and prices. This interfered with the ethical pillars respect and citizenship. Implicitly, the company was degrading other cell phone companies, saying that "you shouldn't pay this much more for the same thing," or something along those lines. It was little things like that and other factors in advertising that I noticed and adapted into my life with social media.
   Now that I'm more aware and have opened my eyes to the many tempting, aesthetically-pleasing, yet deceitful elements of commercials, ads, and all other mediums, I will be able to spread the message on to others, and not be so gullible and vulnerable to advertisements. Now that I know the secrets of good marketing, I can go out into the world and "fight the power," and hopefully stray away from media for a while. I need some fresh air, because who knows what media will do next in this world. Who knows how far people will go to promote, fund, or buy a product? I predict the worst is yet to come. Media is just getting started.