Media Blog Reflection

                So now, as my last act in media concerning blogs, I reflect on the various experiences with blog posts. So, with a lack of introductory skill, I’m just going to jump into it.

            First, for paragraph one, I’ll talk about my relationship with Media this semester specifically. As mentioned in my first Media Blog post, I consume a lot of media, mainly Youtube Videos. Even as typing this up, I’m watching a YouTube video that pits Godzilla and Gamera in a battle. So my media was mainly entertainment purposes. Now, after the media blogs, my media tendencies have changes. Entertainment is still a main portion of the media I consume, but news and other blogs and articles are included as well. As a result I have become even more aware of the world around me, further widening the bubble of social media I had previously lived in. However, with more media being consumed, I’ve found myself to be even more reliant on my phone and laptop, spending a couple hours a day surfing the digital waves of the interwebs. So, overall, my relationship with media has changed in this blog activity, both forcing me to learn more about the world and forcing me to check my phone screen every minute.

I’d just like to point out that the phone is upside down.           

For PARAGRAPH THE SECOND I think I’ll discuss what the media blogs themselves did for me. So, I had never analyzed forms of media before specifically looking for these techniques. Previously, I had only pointed out obvious things, like “that isn’t logical” or “You can do that if you get this.” Teaching us about advertising expanded my view on media, and how it worked. This positively made me learn about how the world worked, and what beliefs advertisers exploited to sell their product. However, it also affected my slightly negatively. I have become critical of almost every single bit of media I see. When I see an Ad I ask myself “What are they trying to sell on a psychological level.” When I see a TV show, I say “what makes this show so good?” I have sort of lost the innocent carefree view on media, seeing that it is just there for my consumption. Unfortunately, now I have the habit of thinking about everything I see. Well, it could be good or bad, depends on your opinion.

(Stop rambling)

(Hey, it’s you again)

            Por El Parrafo Tercero, I’ll talk about what I learned about media. So the aforementioned habit of thinking of everything you see is Media Literacy. This can be seen as a good skill because, with analyzing media, you can understand what kind of person this advertiser is selling to, or what kind of person would watch this TV show. Analyzing and seeing if the product matches up with what you, the consumer wants creates a better media-consuming experience. This is so that you don’t waste your money on something you don’t need, as save it for something like college or a new X-box. Another thing I learned about media through analyzing advertisements specifically is that advertisers no longer sell the product itself, they sell the ideas that come with the product. For example, paper plates advertisers sell the plates for their usefulness at people’s gatherings. Movies also go along with this somewhat, selling the themes and ideas presented in the movie instead of the actual movie itself. (Wait, I just thought of Terminator, never mind) SO media is now focused on targeting consumers and appealing to them not by the media itself, but with the themes it comes with.

Time to wrap the last homework I’ll do this month UP. So, overall, I enjoyed Media Blogs, I might even continue just for fun. I liked that it forced me to educate myself about media, and it also allowed me to express some of my creativity. (Heh heh, you lack dopamine)(Excuse me?) I also enjoyed it a lot because I was able to read the blog posts done by my friends about media. I liked commenting because it allowed an exchange of ideas and thoughts between people, furthering any interesting discussion.

So, as a last thing to say,

Thank You Mr. Starace for the blessing of Media Blogs and the curse of work on Tuesday nights.

Signing Out, Tristan Lam

(And Anakin Sywalker)

(Darn You! Ruined a cool ending)