The media: a positive tool?

No doubt we are all affected by the media these days. We are surrounded by it because of the new technologies and the globalization phenomena. However, its negative effects are more noticeable and media is continuously criticised. But media is not just violence and explicit sex that harm and fill the mind with dust. We will see both sides of the coin.

            The media has brought the possibility of being updated of what happens all over our world. These international events are brought to us by the speed of technology. TV, online newspapers, and even Twitter, to mention some of the tools that the Internet has, send and make information available in minutes and seconds. An online newspaper is not reliable if the piece of news it publishes is delayed or has a difference of minutes compared to other newspapers.

The new necessity of knowing what is happening here and in the rest of the world has been created, and actually, the disinformation in social, political, economical and meteorological issues is a serious problem in our society. However, we are acquainted with yellow news and an earthquake seems to have the same importance as the divorce of an actress.

Finally, media has increased our awareness about the masses about social and moral issues, which forms the future citizens of this global community. Children’s first reading habits and enrichment of vocabulary are produced by newspapers and the possibility to influence them. It is responsible for changes in cultural and moral values and also attitudes and beliefs in mankind. It is said it has a strong impact in the lifestyle of society as it influences behaviour. Although our capability to tolerate and listen to other views, opinions and beliefs has been widen, and we can also publish what we want, from an opinion to an advertisement, consequences are not always positive, as explicit sex and violence had been spread even by cartoons. Nowadays it is normal to watch a film with intruding sex scenes that have nothing to do with the plot.

We criticize media and its effects hardly but in fact, we cannot escape, we do not want to escape and it is more comfortable not to escape from them as we have already got used to it.  

Actividades.

1.Choose one essay and make a summary of it. (50-100 words)




2.Write your own essay: (150-250 words)

     a- giving your views about any of the essays in this blog.

     b- about a different topic you want.

Languages are changing...

Languages are changing….

The “language” called Globish was coined by a business man who wanted language to be easier and universal, in order to do business. It has its advantages and disadvantages which are going to be explained in this essay.

From my point of view, the barrier for people who want to communicate among each other will continue to exit, although this man changed the language to make it simpler, and easier. He reduced the quantity of words, and he does not respect the rules as they are, which could mean that the language becomes easier, but anyway, there will be people who will not learn the language, and those people who learn this language, will acquire it in a wrong way. In other words, he is killing the language, without taking so much advantage from it.

What is more, Globish meets a communication need regardless of the English culture and traditions which mean that the people who use that language do not worry about the language itself; but only about the negotiations they can do using this .I do not agree with the fact that using Globish, you are not taken into conisderation the culture and the history of the language and the society where the language is spoken.

Another aspect to take into consideration, from my point of view, is the pronunciation of this new language. Thinking carefully, we are able to recognize that one of the most important aspects of a language is the pronunciation. The Globish language does not take this into consideration. They see language only as a tool.It is also important to take into consideration that the creation of Globish is also commercial. For them it is like a product which they want to commercialize, not a language. They only want to take advantages of it, and make money, without taking into consideration all its important aspects.

However, it has some advantages such as the possibility of speaking a language which will be understood by everyone, as a result of globalization. But I still disagree with this because of all the reasins mentioned above.

All in all, every human, is different and this is great. When we as human choose to do something, like speaking a new language which is simplified, thinking that we can communicate with one another using the same method; we are affirming that we do not want to be who we are, and that we are not taking into consideration the importance of being different.

Misunderstandings...

Consumerism and its possible effects...

Consumerism….

Firstly, when we talk about consumerism, we should take into consideration what it means. As we know we refer to consumerism as the habit of buying and buying new products, without taking care of how much money we spend.

Once upon a time, people were not used to spend money as people do now, and the reason for this is that they were not so exposed to new things, because the media did not get to all the people it reaches now; and the other reason is that people took care of more important things, in the sense of buying and having new things, did not represent happiness for them.

Actually, people live for buying and having the new products which are in the market because this is the meaning of happiness for them. As we mentioned before, the media also has its effects on people decisions. Nowadays, people are exposed to a lot of different “propaganda” , which tells them that this or that product is excellent, selling them the product, and convincing them that if they do not have an x product, they are nobody, and that they will not be happy. These are consequences of Globalization.

Globalization allows us to know what is happening all around the world in exactly the same moment. Communication has improved our way of living, things which were unthinkable, like knowing what is going on in the other side of the world, or communicating with your friends in a cheaper and intimate way, are possible thanks to Globalization; but the question is: “ ...has it only good effects, or benefits?

Globalization has also bad effects on people and one example of it, is when people consume and consume, without taking care of other things. As we know, the media tries to convince us that we need all what they offer to be happy, and we as human beings believe it. Another bad effect is that we disconnect ourselves from the real world, for instance, when we chat with others, through Facebook, or when we make comments on Twitter, thinking that we are much more connected and that in this way we are more communicative with others, when in fact this is not true. While using all the benefits Globalization gives to us, we are not enjoying common things like

spending time talking face to face with our parents or friends. As a consequence we are less communicated among us.

More or less the same happens with people who consume a lot in the sense that as they are shown that they are nobody if they do not have the latest product, they buy this new thing. The media does not only sell us all new products and objects in the market, but also imposes a way of living. And what is worse, it convices us that we can be happy, only if we have all these things, and it does not give any value to real life situations which are enjoyable.

It is necessary to take into consideration that not all the people react in the same way. There are some people who are able to make a clear distinction when believing in something the media says about a new object in the market, but, sadly, these people are very few.

What is more, some of those people who believe in everything the media says become “compulsive buyers”, in the sense that all they see, they buy, and by this way, they get in enormous debts. Some of them lose all they have because they buy and buy, without taking into consideration that maybe they cannot afford these things they buy. What is more, there are very intelligent people who studied how to atract people using marketing and as a result they convince the most intelligent person who can discern what is necessary for them and what is not necessary.

All in all, it can be said that the major responsible for consumerism, from my point of view, is the media, and its actions which are made intentionally, for convincing people to consume an x product, but it is also important not to forget that people themselves choose what to do, in relation to this topic.

Advertising and our buying habits

Advertising has been increasing and developing itself throughout history, since its beginnings, more people have been involved in trying to develop and think about the many benefits it has on sales. Some sociologists are hired to measure the effects advertising has on people to think about the different products to be launched.

Advertising, is to some extent, a means of communication, but not any kind of, it is a one way of communication whose only purpose is to show a product to the people to be bought by them. Advertisements are full of words such as ‘the best’, ‘the fastest’, ‘the cheapest’, ‘save money from’; all these words combined in different ads may lead us to buy certain products which appear in those ads. People do not often consume products which are unknown to them, on the contrary, many tend to buy things that they saw on the T.V., or in Internet, or different means of communication.

Many people believe that the ads provoke a desire to consume those products that are shown there. This is, at the same time, one the main basis of consumerism and its effects on people. By being exposed to different ads, a necessity of owning them is created and we are all affected by those ads, but, we may react differently. According to our social status we may afford different amounts of products, especially if we are wealthy enough. In contrast to this, some people who cannot afford this kind of products may react differently, for example they may just give up the idea of buying it in that moment, waiting for the time they can afford it. But, in this same case, some people who cannot afford it, and at the same time, cannot wait to have the money to buy it, have started stealing products or even robbing money to get them.

The main theme is how can we leave this aside and go on without being influenced by ads? It is difficult to leave them aside, because we are always looking at ads, they are everywhere. From my point of view, it is a matter of self-consciousness, in which we should think of those things that are really relevant for our lives at the time we are living. Unfortunately, it looks like a chain, which we cannot be apart from, and we need to consume in order to remain in it.

CONSUMERISM & ADVERTISING

Nowadays, no one can deny that we live in a consumerist society. But, to what extent does advertising determines our buying habits? Are we all affected in the same way?

To begin with, the term consumerism refers to “a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts”.[1] In other words, consumerism is the act or practise of an increasing consumption of goods. In general, the basics of consumerism are: the extraction of resources, the production of goods, the distribution, the consumption and the disposal. According to Mr Fortunato, consumerism can be defined as the “distorted desires to possess and consume things beyond what is necessary”.    In order to accomplish this, companies hire commercial advertisers to generate increased consumption of some services and products through the creation of different publicities.

Moreover, some people think that advertising cannot sell any product if the person does not want to buy it. On the other hand, other people argue that advertising is so effective that it can brainwash us and make us spend money in unnecessary things. So, entrepreneurs are always designing new products, creating new necessities, and thinking on how to advertise them so that we, as consumers, will (want to) buy them. 

Furthermore, what is true is that countless enterprises invest billions of dollars to get our minds and hearts and to influence our choices when buying.  For this reason, they create commercials in which the products effects on people are exaggerated and what they offer is an opportunity to be part of the “cool” people; to make you feel better about yourself. To do this, companies improve their marketing techniques through: emotional appeal testimonials, scientific appeal, glittering generalities, etc.

What is more, frequently the products that are advertised are: cosmetics, alcohol and cigarettes. In fact, the amount of money that is spent in advertising this kind of products it much greater than the money used to improve society.

Besides, advertising makes happiness be seen as equivalent to having, rather than to being. In this way, Philip Saltier says: “Americans become unhappy and vicious because their preoccupation with amassing possessions alleviates their loneliness. This is why production in America seems to be on such an endless upward spiral: every time we buy something we deepen our emotional deprivation and hence our need to buy something.” Therefore, in many cases people are willing to work long hours, to steal, etc. in order to get the products on offer and to keep the same standard of living as the people who are around them.

Also, advertisements can provoke people to be disappointed with what they already have, and make them want even more. Thus, people are exposed several times to products that they cannot afford, thus creating a feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration. Continuing with this line of thought, not all the parents can afford the dolls, toys, cars, etc. that their children see on TV. 

In addition, it is important not to forget that every kind of advertisement is targeted towards a specific population/segment. For example, children, teenagers, adults, etc. 

However, people are not interested in advertising anymore. Research has shown that people try to skip from two-thirds to eighty per cent of the ads. For this reason, companies have a big interest in placing brands in films, soap operas, etc. In this way, they advertise their products in a subtle way.

Taking everything into account, there is no doubt that we are immersed in a consumer society. But, what is important for us is to know  whether advertising determines or not our buying habits and what are the effects that advertising has on us.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism