Reflection

The media logs that I have been doing for a few months have influenced my outlook on media. Whether positive or negative, I can now judge all forms of media in a more appropriate way. I have become more aware of the techniques and tricks that people use in the media, such as emotions through music and heavy assumptions that advertisers create. This has changed my interaction with media. Now, I spend more time analyzing and trying to figure out the true purpose of publicizing each picture, video, etc. However, I do tend to critisize the media more than praise it, because now I can see how many pictures and ads are clearly fake. It’s now very easy to point out where the messengers made mistakes, and where they are being unethical or making assumptions. But, I can find the good parts of media, too. For example, I can appreciate companies that try to sell a lifestyle or positive message; not just their product. Media is basically a scramble of positive and negative messages, and we all had to learn how to figure them out.

Moreover, I feel like these extended observations have made me more media literate. Now, I can quickly find the essence of a brand, the role of women on social media, the strategies of political campaigns, and so much more! And it’s quite interesting to be exposed to the surface messages in media, but then be able to recognize the underlying intentions that aren’t supposed to be obvious to consumers. Being educated in media in this way is very important! As the one receiving the messages, I can effectively find the messengers in media, and what they’re trying to tell me. Especially as a teenager, I know that I am a huge part of media today. In order to make rational decisions about the events going on around me, as well as how my personal opinions connect to the world, I must be able to properly decipher all complex messages that are forced upon me via media.

Keeping this log has changed my ability to analyze media, but that didn’t really change my consumption of media. Although media can confusing and deceiving, I really just use it for fun. I go on social media when I’m bored, I listen to music as a habit, and I only read articles that sound interesting to me. So, I don’t take media too seriously. I may think more critically when I’m on it, but I still immerse myself as often as I did before I started my log. Overall, I learned that everything is not always what it seems, and that media isn’t the most trustworthy or nicest thing in the world.

In conclusion, these past few months have taught me a lot. I'm now educated in the hidden tactics, complex messages, and appropriate responses involved in the participation of media. This didn't scare me away, though! Media is almost like another world, and I'm interested to keep exploring. It seems overwhelming to find out that I actually knew so little before, but now I feel even more prepared for the future of media.

Old & New

There has been on ongoing debate for years. It may be minuscule in the world, but it's brought up a lot in my family. This argument is centered around music. Some say that music was way better in the 1900s, some say the best music was playing ten years ago, and some say that the best music is playing right now. I am very neutral in the topic of music; I like almost every genre from any year. So, I have several reasons why music "back then" and music now is equally enjoyable.

Now, I'm not one of those hipsters who listens to "vintage" songs exclusively, but there are tons of amazing songs that were coming out before I was even born. The main example of this would be The Beatles. Songs like "I Am the Walrus" and "Here Comes The Sun " are so peaceful and always give off nostalgia when I hear them. Older songs like these have definitely not lost their quality over the years, and they are great for bringing back old memories. Also, songs like "Vogue" by Madonna are iconic and still being obsessed over today. I couldn't possibly bring down these classic songs; I still have them memorized!

Next, I love the songs that came out in the early 2000s. I've mentioned songs that came out in 2000 and 2001 when I talked about boybands, but there's so much more to listen to! Some of the ones  I listened to as a child include "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers, and "So What" by Pink. It's crazy to think that these songs are around a decade old! I may be biased for them, because I grew up around these songs. These songs have so much emotion, and they helped me establish my taste in music. These may not be my absolute favorite songs, but they always have a place in my heart.

Finally, I have the songs of today. Many songs exhaust the same message, I'll admit, but I think that these are the catchiest songs. Songs like "Work" by Rhianna (ft. Drake) and "Panda" by Desiigner get stuck in my head, whether I want them to or not. And everyone around me knows these songs, so they're great for hanging out with friends. Some new songs are just for fun, and nothing's wrong with that. Other songs can also be emotional, and they can connect more because they bring up modern/trending topics. Overall, the songs of today are nothing to undermine!

All music is great. Everyone has an opinion about what's best, but I like them all. Each song is good because it's different, and they all represent the people of that year. Music is meant to be enjoyed, and it's truly a privilege to have.

Photoshop

I have talked about this in a few previous blogs, but I think that Photoshop needs more attention. Photoshop is a program that allows someones to edit a picture and, if done right, it looks incredibly seamless and realistic. This is an amazing concept; being able to completely alter and recreate images. I'm sure that Photoshop's original intents were just for fun, or maybe for artists. However, photoshopped images now have a reputation within social media and advertisements. And this reputation may not be positive.

In advertisements, companies photoshop their products to make them look perfect and desirable. However, the actual product doesn't look like the picture at all. This is especially true with fast-food.

As you can see, the food has been enhanced before it is presented to the public. The advertised food looks really good, but that isn't a good thing! People will get disappointed if they expected the food to be like the advertisement. Granted, most people know that fast-food will never look that delicious. But, it's still disappointing when you get the real food. The real products are dull and tiny in comparison to the edited products.

What's more disappointing is that Photoshop is also used for people. The models we see on the covers of magazines almost always have some sort of visual enhancements. This appears a lot in advertising as well, but that's expected. But, it's troublesome when people Photoshop themselves on social media. Many celebrities are rumored to Photoshop their pictures, but it's hard to tell if they're edited or not. And that's scary! Regular people who see these photos get self-conscious, because they see an impossible beauty that the celebrities may not even have. These regular people may even start to edit their own pictures, but with apps like Facetune or Perfect365. This just creates a domino effect; now even more people feel bad about themselves because there are more edited pictures.

These photos may look beautiful, but they really aren't doing any good. And, it seems that most photoshop is done to women. This only encourages the struggle of women and the appearance stereotypes. Nevertheless, Photoshop versus reality is a struggle all on its own. Photoshop can be fun, but I don't think it's necessary. 

More Miss Representation

Since we have finished Miss Representation, I have more to say about the message of the documentary overall. There were questions that we should've been considering, and I'd like to touch on them now.

The main impact that the documentary presented was to show that women are considered inferior in the media, and that women basically just revolve around the standards of men. The media makes this possible by presenting women a one-sided, stereotypical characters that could easily be replaced. Or, the media shows women as sex objects that are driven by beauty alone. This has been a problem ever since television and social media were invented.

This is an incredibly true message, but it wasn't delivered in the strongest fashion. The documentary had many examples and statistics showing that women are being undermined, but Miss Representation also had many assumptions. One assumption that stuck out to me was that many men are out to ruin women. Obviously, this is not true. There were men in the documentary who were talking about the need for more women's rights! Another assumption was that all women deeply care about their appearance. This may have more truth to it, but that seems like a stereotypical statement. Also, this documentary is slightly aged, so I wonder if the statistics have changed since the documentary was made.

So, it's obvious that the whole women's misrepresentation is an issue, but it's a complicated issue to solve. I don't think that we should just try to bash men instead, because that is only fighting fire with fire. I agree with the solution that people should start boycotting media that depicts women in a negative light. However, it would take a lot of people boycotting to make an impact worth noticing. If all the feminist supporters would band together, I think boycotting companies and keeping their money could really lead to a solution.

Lastly, I don't think that commercializing women or yourself is a good thing. Even though almost everyone does it, I believe it putting the real you out into the world. If people don't like that, then you don't need those people in your life. Miss Representation has only proved this point, and it seems that edited media (like photoshopped pictures and autotune) only have a negative effect on people's self-confidence. In order to be happy, I think you need to focus on how you see yourself; not how other people see you.