How the news scares us to believe them

Watching the news today I couldn't help but notice how the news casters try to make things seem much worse than they really are. For instance, they practically scare everybody to death by how bad they make our economy seem. Also, they make some stories about killings and deaths much more than what they really are to scare people into believing everything that is being told to them. Today, the news announcers were saying bad things about our economy. I'm not going to lie, if I wasn't in this class I probably would of fell for how bad they made it seem and make me start saving my money more than I already do. Another example of how television scares people into doing what they want is the "click it or ticket" commercials. They make it seem like every time you don't fasten your seatbelt your going to get a ticket, very hard to believe. The news and many products instills fear into the public to make them want to buy their products or do/listen to what they have to say.

LIST:
Steelers commercial
T.V. show advertisement
Bob Evans advertisement
Honda commercial
X-Factor commercial
Steelers game highlights
traffic alerts
local news stories
click it or ticket commercial
victoria's secret commercial

I WANT THAT ON T.V.!!!!

If you have never once watched t.v. and saw something you wanted or someone you wanted to be like then this will waste your time if you read...

Have you ever watched a commercial on t.v. and saw a woman or man better looking than you or in much better shape than you are? Personally, I know I have. When I watch such commercials I sometimes wish I was that guy on t.v. with cut abs or muscular arms or even having what they are using in that commercial. It seems perfect thinking of looking better or having better things. There is no problem with wishing and working for an improvement within yourself, but as of late this subject has gone off the wall and is pointed towards females more than males.

While a girl or woman of any age watches t.v. they see women using things to make themselves look young, skinnier, using make up for skin improvement, etc. At a young age, girls view these people as the people they want to be. In many cases, these girls will eventually do absolutely anything in their power to reach this idea of perfection set before them. I believe it is the way that these enhancement products are advertised to the public as to why these people would do anything to be "perfect."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiih-dEC8Rw

In this commercial, it shows some beautiful woman who apparently lost weight off of a liposuction pill. The commercial shows off areas of her body that every girl and guy wants to see look great (Lets be real). The people sitting on the side of the pool are just throwing out all of these great compliments that would make anybody feel great about themselves. Finally, the commercial makes the pill seem like she just magically lost the weight and it was so easy for the user.

Many women would do anything to look the way that woman looks in the commercial. The way they sell this product is by making people want to lose weight to have the "perfect look" and get all the compliments and all the attention as this lady did. On top of everything, losing the weight by doing nothing at all other than swallowing. The media uses a woman that is found very attractive and showed her off to make their product look irresistible for any consumer to not want. 

Media is for Everybody

In modern days, media seems more abundant than the oxygen we breath. It is flat out everywhere, and not only is it everywhere but media stands for so many things. I'm sure that if you watch television long enough you will see an advertisement that almost relates to you or your situation, your feelings, etc. You could be driving down the highway and see a billboard that has a governor or some politic with a campaign saying that possibly has something to do with the community you live in. I'm sure that if anybody watched any of the football games or at least kept in touch of what happened 10 years ago today, there has been plenty of things in the media showing a ton of patriotic things that represent the United States and families involved in the 10 year old tragedy. Basically, they are including all of the citizens of the U.S. as one whole country or one whole community, representing such a touching subject and entwining our flag and the national anthem before every football game. That is just an example of how the media includes the people in their media, but there are many more examples out there. I am made to believe that the media is made by the public's wants, but also to represent the public. Not only in a large country wide basis like my example above but for many smaller communities. Believe it or not, a lost dog sign is a form of media that is representing a family, if there is something exciting occurring in your community and causes a lot of publicity, there will be so many forms of media promoting your community and for people to come to the event. Even if there is a family member passes away, if you read the newspaper there is something about the deceased individual including when and where the funeral is. Again, this is another form of media. If you think that you are not represented by any type of media, your flat out wrong because there are people like who who think like you and want the things you want making what you are watching, seeing and hearing everyday. 

The wrongs of the paparazzi

On the last "quiz" we took in class I didn't do too hot. We were asked things that people shouldn't really be worrying about. Whats more important to people? Whats more breaking news to the people of the United States? Is Will Smith and J Lo's divorce more important than the hurricane that just came through the eastern coast? I'm starting to be convinced that people care about what goes down on the red carpet than some really important things that are causing people pain or making people pay to have their lives back. Yes it might be exciting news to somebody that Lil' Wayne was sent to jail again but is it really necessary to invade every celebrity's personal space for the people's entertainment? I know that if I was out back in my house clothes and some random person took a picture of me I wouldn't be too happy but that is just a regular occurring event to anybody who is famous. Many of the things the paparazzi put in the paper or in the news are so out of place and are sometimes out there just to possibly ruin somebody's reputation or career. Personally I couldn't care less about how the people in Hollywood live, as long as they can keep me entertained by their music or movies then I will never complain because of their personal life like some people would. I feel the paparazzi should focus on other things that could actually inform the public of important things like producing more things with our government or whats going on with the economy. Not Justin Bieber kissing some 12 year old girl on his balcony. How would you feel if your child was showcased all over the country or world of him half naked kissing a girl? I know I wouldn't be a happy camper. People find that more exciting than regular news because it adds drama to lives which makes the world exciting. It's a problem to me that people care more about that than what they are gonna have to be paying for because the government is adding a new bill or some worldwide disaster. Yea, people will talk about it for maybe a week but until the next new "exciting" thing happens in Hollywood, its not talked about anymore. My main point is that I feel that it is wrong to be showcasing things that add drama to the world is wrong, people should care more about what is really important and what is happening to themselves. 
Honestly now, how would you feel if this was you in this picture plastered all over the internet and magazines? I would be pretty embarassed.

Media and the general public

Media plays a very large role in everybody's life, whether they know it or not. In the U.S.A people only have to look up while they are driving to see a billboard or hit a button to turn on the television. In Africa, a tribe would have some sort of symbol to represent the way they live and people walking by would notice this and have some sort of understanding as to what they are about. Plain and simple, in one form or the next media is everywhere the human eye can see. I believe that the general public not only consumes the media but we are also the ones who create it. Of course we pay the bills to see advertisements on television and movies, pay admission tickets to go see professional sports or movie tickets. This is the part of how we consume the media, but if the media producers did not know the wants, needs, and interests of the public then how would they know what we want to watch or see? Therefore by the public demanding a certain type of show, lets say comedy, then the producers are forced to make a comedy to please the public's wants, which in turn makes up the part of how the public also have a lot of influence over the media. Throughout this class I would like to learn about mass media obviously, but mostly the effects that it has on the public and how the media constantly keeps up to date with the wants and the needs of the general public