Manuel
A. Beltran
11/3/12
Blog7
All of us (society) are influenced and affected by media. From the films
we watch to the news we read in the papers, watch on television, listen to on
the radio and even when simply browsing the internet. We are constantly being
socialized or manipulated into thinking about different things in certain ways.
Max Horkheimer defined this idea of analyzing the various aspects or events that
occur every day in society. In the article The Culture Industry: Enlighten
as Mass Deception
the authors describe how media changes the way we think and even react to
certain things – or do not react.
After having read this article, I thought about some of the youth I have
worked with over the past few months and to what extent they are influenced by
the media. At times I think this can be used in a positive manner but I have
realized that this is very limited. For instance, in school, we have been
successful to get these high school kids to start thinking about the election
and they in turn begin to talk to their parents about voting. However, this is
very limited because this only works up until they turn on the television or go
online on facebook and get bombarded by information that they are usually
interested in like which rapper is going out with who or who has some ridiculous
beef with some other, or what they wear. This latter aspect is very noticeable
when these guys or girls get new shoes or talk about getting them. They suddenly
“need” these cheap (quality-wise) $200 shoes instead of the regular say $50
shoes that would work just fine and do not really look all that different.
This is not limited to teenagers however. Even when talking to friends my
age or older, I often listen to stuff about the “need” to get a Coach purse or
buying a pair of Ray bans. I have noticed that a lot of times people (including
myself) limit themselves from having or doing certain things because of the
great influence media and even many actors in society have on them to the point
that we confuse want and need. One might stick it out with the pair of shoes we
have until we can obtain a pair of brand name shoes. This consumerism tends to
make people just go into a cycle where they tend to want money so that they may
purchase whatever products they are promoting and once we have them, they are
not enough. I think this is because the emphasis is placed on the obtaining of
the objects while usually ignoring or minimizing their actual value in terms of
use, quality and cost as well.
This cycle continues and in addition to objects we would appreciate, they
instead lose their value and at the same time isolate us from others. We have no
real reason to try to have relationships with other people since we are obsessed
with maintaining a relationship with products we continue to purchase,
satisfying our “needs”temporarily. This may be compared to someone addicted to
cocaine. Once he or she uses, they are satisfied for some time, until the effect
goes away and then have to buy more. There is no end for this process unless one
decides to break from their “need” or dependence of material objects pushed onto
us by consumerism.
A. Beltran
11/3/12
Blog7
All of us (society) are influenced and affected by media. From the films
we watch to the news we read in the papers, watch on television, listen to on
the radio and even when simply browsing the internet. We are constantly being
socialized or manipulated into thinking about different things in certain ways.
Max Horkheimer defined this idea of analyzing the various aspects or events that
occur every day in society. In the article The Culture Industry: Enlighten
as Mass Deception
the authors describe how media changes the way we think and even react to
certain things – or do not react.
After having read this article, I thought about some of the youth I have
worked with over the past few months and to what extent they are influenced by
the media. At times I think this can be used in a positive manner but I have
realized that this is very limited. For instance, in school, we have been
successful to get these high school kids to start thinking about the election
and they in turn begin to talk to their parents about voting. However, this is
very limited because this only works up until they turn on the television or go
online on facebook and get bombarded by information that they are usually
interested in like which rapper is going out with who or who has some ridiculous
beef with some other, or what they wear. This latter aspect is very noticeable
when these guys or girls get new shoes or talk about getting them. They suddenly
“need” these cheap (quality-wise) $200 shoes instead of the regular say $50
shoes that would work just fine and do not really look all that different.
This is not limited to teenagers however. Even when talking to friends my
age or older, I often listen to stuff about the “need” to get a Coach purse or
buying a pair of Ray bans. I have noticed that a lot of times people (including
myself) limit themselves from having or doing certain things because of the
great influence media and even many actors in society have on them to the point
that we confuse want and need. One might stick it out with the pair of shoes we
have until we can obtain a pair of brand name shoes. This consumerism tends to
make people just go into a cycle where they tend to want money so that they may
purchase whatever products they are promoting and once we have them, they are
not enough. I think this is because the emphasis is placed on the obtaining of
the objects while usually ignoring or minimizing their actual value in terms of
use, quality and cost as well.
This cycle continues and in addition to objects we would appreciate, they
instead lose their value and at the same time isolate us from others. We have no
real reason to try to have relationships with other people since we are obsessed
with maintaining a relationship with products we continue to purchase,
satisfying our “needs”temporarily. This may be compared to someone addicted to
cocaine. Once he or she uses, they are satisfied for some time, until the effect
goes away and then have to buy more. There is no end for this process unless one
decides to break from their “need” or dependence of material objects pushed onto
us by consumerism.