Course 3401 Blog

Jean Kilbourne's documentary, "Killing us Softly" came as no surprise to me. The media tells us who to be, how to act, and even how to dress. Ads are everywhere and they affect us even when we think they donâ??t. I like how she illustrated this point by explaining that we retain this information subconsciously. We may not think we bought a pair of Nike sneakers because Michael Jordon endorses them but subconsciously he has taught us this is whatâ??s cool. I find it scary to think of the detrimental effects of advertising. Presently the advent of digital video recorders on cable television has caused advertisers to take their impact much farther. Now they are implementing adds into the narratives of television shows and movies themselves. One example can be found in "White Castle" where a number of neighborhood punks endorse Mountain Dew as an extreme drink. This associates the drink with extreme sports. The world of media advertising is a scary place. I believe it threatens the American lifestyle as individualistic and free. We no longer have a individual identity. Rather, it is given to us through the media.