Reflection

Well, I must say that the analyzation of the media around me has brought me to an understanding conclusion about the sometimes malicious intentions behind something as simple as an advertisement. Commercials, at first, seemed like they were being friendly enough, almost like the "nice" people in the middle of the mall who just want you to try out the product they're selling because "it really will make your life easier!" 

Sometimes, I forget that all messages from advertisements are made with the intention of getting me to convince myself to give a company my money. However, with this study of the techniques and appeals used by companies in their advertisements, I find myself to be more skeptical whenever I'm faced with a new advertisement that tells me that I need their product in order to be an acceptable human being. 

I think it's important for everyone to be an educated consumer, so nobody gets tricked into purchasing an item that they really don't need. Things aren't getting any cheaper, and we need to be smart spenders in this economy and prioritize our purchases. Do we need a whole new MacBook, or do we need to pay our rent? Prioritize, my people. 

Overall, keeping this media journal definitely helped me grasp the concepts and strategies used by marketers. Now, I would say that I'm more mindful of my own consumption, and ways that I can control what I view and how I can prevent it from letting carefully crafted-messages infect my values and how I see myself as a person.