Media Illiterate? 1/25

Media inside of media inside of media which is also (wait for it) inside of media.
It's all connected.

By keeping these logs it has opened my eyes to the secretive ambitions of advertisers. Before, being the gullible person I am would have never really noticed what advertising did in the takeover of our mass media consumption, now sometimes when I'm consuming media I'm able to say "Hey! That company is using glittering generalities against us!" Personally knowing all these techniques has made me less trustful in the world. When advertisers use narrow casting to specifically pick out their consumers I believe is quite creepy. They go through great lengths in order to get a message across. Everyone should be media literate. I'm not implying to start a war against media but taking us for vulnerable fools of intake should receive repercussions. (not saying they're wrong either) Companies have cost us our own freedom of choices. With media everywhere in the 21st century is unavoidable and we have to be influenced by it. Media dictates our decisions like our self-esteem, the way we dress, and what we buy. It has become a very powerful tool for the marketers. No one can really go 'off the grid' or totally ignore it so we have to be aware of their techniques. Even though I know what they're doing I still fall for it. I'm engorged in media only because others are it's what is 'popular.' It can be tiring scrolling for hours at a time but I want to stay connected with everyone. By consuming so much all the techniques become more recognizable should have been obvious before because it's the same message presented in a different package. I should have realized earlier, they are truly everywhere. For example, there was an app released recently and at first I had no interest in it but when all my friends started playing it without me I felt I had to play. The app was endorsed by musicians we loved. Otherwise we would have never heard it or played it. It ended up being quite fun. I don't get to pick anything for myself anymore. The shows I like were the best advertised or in my recommend. Within shows they advertise the new Apple product that I later go out and buy due to they sell such a fun brand experience with it. I have to live with this knowledge. I watch everyone get absorbed or even demolished by the concepts they try to advertise. The impossible beauty standards they set are the easiest comparisons for our own selves. They are literally impossible. Model like women on top of loads of Photoshop. No one can ever live up to that. If people knew that perhaps they'd stop comparing themselves to something inconceivable. Media has changed us all from the shoes we wear to the cars we drive. Most don't wan to admit it but people have to open to their flaws in order to be aware of them. At this point we can't 'fix' media, what we can do is become more alert to it.