Reflection

After this unit on media, my thoughts, experiences, and interactions with media have drastically changed. Before we started this unit, I would always be lured in to advertisements. I would always believe what the advertisers said. Since I believed what was being said, I would always want or buy the product that was being advertised. After this unit, I have become aware of the techniques and appeals used by advertisers to pitch a product to the consumers. I learned that these advertisers are able to sell any product as long as they know how to appeal to the target audience. I also learned about the techniques used on the target group. Now, I have become more aware of the ways the advertisers think. Because of this, I have stopped believing everything I hear and see in media. I am very glad I learned this important lesson. It is important for other consumers to be aware of the way advertisers think so they don't get tricked into believing and buying certain things. Being an educated consumer is also important because the media usually makes the consumer feel bad about themselves in order to sell the product. In Miss Representation, it was said that the media's goal is to make people feel anxious and to make women think their values are based on how they look. The media achieved its goal. Nowadays, women have more eating disorders, have lower self confidence, and feel powerless. If more consumers were educated, they would realize that the media is tricking them and trying to make them feel a certain way. If people knew this, there would be a huge morale boost. Many people, especially women, would stop feeling so bad about themselves because they would learn that the media is tricking them. Once I realized this, my consumption of media decreased. I know that the products being advertised aren't as amazing as they appear to be so this made me uninterested in most of the advertisements that I see or hear. I am still surrounded by media, but I have learned to stop believing everything the media tells me. After learning about the techniques and appeals the advertisers used, I saw media in a whole different light. I realized that I shouldn't believe everything that I see. This was a very important lesson for me to learn. It made me view the media that surrounds me in a completely different perspective.