Reflection

Media: we don't always notice it, but it's always there. We're exposed to thousands of messages every day: that number will only grow as time goes on. The only change we can make is how we choose to look at it. By becoming more literate in media, advertising, and marketing, I have been able to look at all of these messages in a new light. I can now see that the huge amount of media we are exposed to in our lives can really affect us. Media has worked its way into my life so that my mind has been influenced by all the messages I absorb. It can make me want to buy new products, change my opinions and attitudes, or even change what I think to be valuable or factual in the world. With so many people trying to win over my mind, it's no surprise that the way I think is a product of many media messages (among other things, of course). Being aware of how these messages are affecting me is really the best attribute I can have when facing them. I can now apply my traits of meta-cognition and skepticism to these many ideas so I realize that I am being influenced and that I should doubt most of the media I am absorbing.For example, if I see an ad online that drills into my brain that Google Chrome is the best internet browser, I can take a step back and realize that it is not my own belief, but the force of advertising that is making me think that way. I can then think for myself, free of influence, and decide that I prefer Firefox.

Because of my recent education on the matter, I would say that my habits have changed to favor a more reserved absorption of media. I consume a bit less, and at a much slower rate. I now try to make myself aware of every constructed message out there, so I do not fall into making assumptions. In short, I don't believe everything I hear anymore. This is primarily a result of my improved media literacy. Literacy in media is extremely important - you have to know what you're seeing in order to realize that it's deceiving. Advertising techniques, emotional appeals...all are important concepts to grasp that offer insight to the tactics of advertisers and brands. If you don't understand the Gestalt principle, all you see are bright colors and confusing images; in fact, you are seeing the whole of the message, which influences you into becoming curious about the product (or whatever is being advertised). If you have this so-called media literacy, you will not fall prey to all of these techniques. In time, you will even become an educated consumer. People with knowledge of their consumption take media literacy one step further. They are also aware of how marketing works, and how advertisers sometimes try to transfer ideas into your brain through subconscious appeals, cross-promotion, and branding. Being an educated consumer gives you the useful tool of media skepticism: you will not fall for traps that cause you to buy products. This can save you a considerable amount of money that you would have spent on a product you didn't need but thought you needed because of deceptive advertising. It can also save you from forfeiting your own views and values for the way the marketers want you to think. A world full of people educated against their own consumerism is a world of unique people with unique ideas and views. I believe it is a better place.

Keeping the blog was an interesting experience. I got to share my views on media messages, while also sharing what I have learned throughout the semester. The best part was the freedom I had in doing so. It was rewarding to be able to comment on things that interested me, effectively applying my knowledge to my life. It was also an opportunity to see what other people had to think on the same issues, issues I had noticed, or even issues I had never heard of. My lifestyle (e.g. the television channels I watch, the mode of transportation I take) affects the media I am exposed to; only through others can I see a wide range of media messages aimed at all types of people. All in all, I enjoyed the experience of having a project that belonged to me and was specifically made with my concepts in mind. I could really be me when writing the blog.

I know this won't reach many people, but I really hope that my peers get the same education as I had in media literacy. Today, media messages are almost, if not more common than novels and periodicals. So shouldn't media literacy be as important as literacy itself? I want a new generation of kids that are smart about what they choose to believe and are therefore smart with their money. It is sad to see families plagued by consumerism so harsh that it leads them to sever debt. I we could all be educated on this, we would be much more responsible as a whole.

Signing off,
Pablo