All Hail the Chief: Blog #6 The American Presidential Election

My response to the American Presidential Election…isn’t a whole lot. I have never followed the world of politics and quite frankly, I have no interest in it whatsoever. If it weren’t for the mass media coverage I wouldn’t even know who was in the running for the presidency. I think media is actually a contributing problem when it comes to the election. As McLuhan discussed in his interview with Playboy, people used to sit for hours and listen to debates between candidates. Now it seems that hundreds of thousands of minds might be swayed by something as simple as a commercial representing a candidate.

Anyway, I know that Barack Obama is running on behalf of the Democrats, while John McCain represents the republicans. This election also has a defining trait; it is the first time that a person of African American descent is running for President. However, it isn’t Obama or McCain that draws my attention. It is in fact McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. Palin is currently the governor of Alaska, which begs the question, “is this woman really prepared to step up as Vice President?” I don’t really have enough information to judge for myself, but there are a number of Youtube videos in which Palin is the topic of rather heated discussions. None of these videos are very glorifying for Palin and in fact make her look a tad bit ridiculous. I have included these videos in this blog. Even Matt Damon has something to say about the current state of his government and Mr. Jack Cafferty of CNN certainly isn’t a fan of Palin. Both men raise valid points and there are a number of other Youtube videos regarding Palin’s apparent ignorance. It is videos such as these, which make me wonder if Sarah Palin is in fact ready to hold the title of Vice President of the United States of America.

A shot at Absolute: Blog #5 Culture Jamming

The example of culture jamming to the left is a shot at the Absolut vodka company (no pun intended). Culture jamming is basically the ridicule of major corporate logos and brand names in a radical and often humorous manner. The people who create these images attempt to send a powerful message regarding their opinions on major corporations. The photo included is a culture jam that attacks a well-known series of Absolut vodka advertisements. It represents the tie between excessive alcohol consumption and erectile dysfunction. This culture jam suggests that if you drink too much Absolut vodka, you may experience impotence. The idea seems a little far-fetched, but culture jamming is supposed to be a radical example. This culture jam gets the point across and makes a truthful statement about the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Get Onboard, Get Online: Blog #4 One Web Day

One Web Day occurs on the 22^nd of September. It is a day designated to raise awareness about the Internet, focus on a key Internet value and focus attention on key Internet concerns. (http://onewebday.org/?page_id=290) The goal of One Web Day is not only to increase awareness and voice concerns, but also to protect what ‘sanctity’ the World Wide Web has left. It’s true that countless porn sites and multitudes of tasteless material may pollute the Internet, but it still acts as a great aid in the lives of people all across the globe. The organization behind One Web Day looks to promote the Internet for all of its useful qualities and they even try to spread the wealth globally with events spanning anywhere from London to Singapore.

The One Web Day site encourages people to submit stories of how the Internet has affected their lives. Personally, I wouldn’t say the Internet has changed my life, simply because I can hardly remember a time without it. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the Internet has played an enormous role in my assimilation into the technological, online world. I remember my first time using Msn Messenger in the sixth grade. It was such a fascinating new experience and ever since I have been able to maintain relationships with family and friends with a simple, yet ingenious program. I owe the Internet a great debt when it comes to school assignments. The Web is a phenomenal resource for facts and information. It has even spared me from hours of boredom by means of online gaming and entertaining video websites. Personally, I think the World Wide Web is the greatest form of media in the world today.

ICT stands for Information Communication Technologies. ICTs refer to basically all technologies for the manipulation and communication of information. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_technology) These technologies can include anything from phones to radio and television broadcasting. They play a great role in society. They aid in the spread of information and keep the general population in touch and informed. The Internet is a form of ICT, which has achieved huge success over the past few years. ICTs play a massive part in most peoples lives today and it’s almost impossible to imagine a world without them. The spread and manipulation of information is vital in society and it is hard to deny that the world would be at a great loss without the use of ICTs.

Flab or Fab?: Blog #3 Advertising Image from a Magazine

For my third blog entry I decided to analyze an advertising campaign, which not only appears in magazines, but anywhere from television commercials to billboards and almost every advertising media in between. This series of advertisements is the Dove skincare ‘Campaign for Real Beauty.’

“At Dove, we want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. It’s the message that’s at the heart of our Campaign for Real Beauty and Self-Esteem fund, and it’s why we continue to create thought-provoking ads, confidence building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty.” (http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/)

This is the major message behind Dove’s innovative campaign, which began in 2004. The advertisements feature plus-sized women with ‘real world’ features and bodies; this is what makes them so initially striking. If these ads featured stunning, slender and possibly anorexic models, the effect and entire campaign would be lost. People wouldn’t even give the ads a second thought. Dove’s campaign is undoubtedly an original idea and some might even consider it a revolution in advertising. The message being portrayed is a positive one and who’s to deny fuller bodied girls their self-esteem? The thing is with such a fresh, unfamiliar and seemingly ingenious advertising campaign, one must consider the flaws involved.

The major question in my mind is: ‘will this idea be played out?’ Will people begin to tire of this cutesy, feel good campaign? The advertisements already seem out of place in regards to all of the other beauty product ads out there. This gives them an edge now, but the general public might get bored of seeing flabby, big-bottomed women on anything from bus stops to billboards. People may even begin to associate Dove products with bland, plus-sized women. Other beauty products have achieved success in the past because of the gorgeous women that represent the brand in their advertisements.  Although the Dove campaign is inventive and may continue to draw success, it seems as though it may play itself out in years to come. I suppose only time will tell.