Branding

I wanted to do a blog about our discussion on branding because it stood out to me more than the other articles that we read throughout the semester. "Branded for life" in particular was an interesting article. It's amazing how we come face to face with many different forms and situations involving brands and culture that affect us without us even realizing it. One thing that surprised me in "Branded for life" was that toys made nowadays, are clothed with designer brands. The example that the article uses is a Barbie doll with Tommy Hilfiger clothing on. That just goes to show how much the world is changing and I don't necessarily think that it is a good thing. The reality is that most people can't afford designer brands. Clothing brands aren't the only brands around obviously. We are exposed to brands everywhere. Another thing that stood out to me is that experts have a new long-term strategy of "putting adult brands into the hands of young children, even babies." This is extremely smart, but it is crazy to me that it is that deep. The article also discusses how children first relate to brands in infancy. Then a year later, they start to evaluate their choice of brands. These statistics are really unbelievable when you think about it. In the business world, things can be challenging, overwhelming, and very competitive. Obviously each company wants their products and brands to be noticed by consumers. With the level of competition sky high, it can be very difficult for a business to keep a high reputation, as well as be able to make itself noticed and wanted by consumers.

The Truth About Food

With the growing debate on what is really in the food we are eating, I decided to blog about food and the food industry. The video that was shown in class opened my eyes in part because I am a picky eater and always wonder what am I really eating. From hybridization to genetic engineering affecting our foods, who knows what is really in our food these days. Nowadays, there are so many things that can be added to the food that we eat. It can be processed, waxed, sprayed, colored, preserved, genetically altered, etc. It seems like there is no more eating just plain, raw, simple food. From the field to the processing plant, the grocery store, to the checkout clerk, the energy of others is being passed into and stored in your food. The video we watched in class went behind the scenes of these plants and farms, and showed us the reality of what happens to our food before we buy it. It was shocking and I think most people would agree. However, we continue to buy and eat these things that have been touched, processed, preserved, etc. Our bodies don't have an owners manual like a car does, but it is the more or less the same thing. Would you put diesel gas in your car if your car specifically takes unleaded? It is kind of the same thing when it comes to the food that we eat. We really need to be more cautious about the food that we put into our body.

Gender Roles In Athletes

Our discussion on gender and athletics the last couple of days have prompted me to do a blog on why there is no question why both males and females should be allowed to participate in sports. Most people would argue the same thing and that should be the end of the discussion. However, there are individuals out there who do not feel the same way. Throughout the past 100 years, gender roles of men and women have started to change greatly in our society. Female athletes have made big strides in gaining equal representation, and media coverage. The video we watched in class displayed this and other problems with athletics in popular culture. Most people would say it is a free country and we (the people), no matter what gender, can participate in any activity, whether it is sports related or not. I feel like I am arguing this for no reason because females continue to break stereotypes and cultural barriers that have prevented them from participating in sports, despite being discouraged. Take Danica Patrick as an example. Danica Patrick is a famous race car driver who is an inspiration to younger aspiring female race car drivers, or any sport for that matter. Danica has proved that she can compete and succeed in a sport that has been dominated by men. This right here shows how women have changed how they are viewed in the sporting world. They continue to challenge stereotypes against them. As gender roles continue to evolve, we will continue to see women participating in certain sports that were dominated by men at one time.

Parasocial Relationships

I think by now, we all know what parasocial relationships are. Parasocial relationships are defined as "the connection people get from celebrities and other famous people." This definition doesn't really tell you much in my opinion. Parasocial relationships are actually a very easy concept to understand. I wanted to use this topic in one of my blogs because this is the topic that my group is presenting in class. After researching parasocial relationships with my group, I have learned a lot about the interaction between celebrities and "normal people." I think that the internet allows one side relationships to flourish because of networks like Twitter and Instagram. There are obviously many more websites where you have the ability to interact with any celebrity that you want. I learned that some worry that these kind of connections more prevalent than meaningful, real-world relationships. If this is true, than I don't know what our world is coming to. To know that there really are people that sit around on their computer all day in an attempt to get a celebrity to notice them, is comical. Some people base their whole day on these things. On the contrary, parasocial relationships can also be a good thing. If we're talking about technological advancements and overall production, you could argue that parasocial relationships were a major breakthrough in advancements into the future. A new characteristic of mass media - radio, television, and the movies - is that they give the illusion of face-to-face relationship with the performer. It is actually pretty amazing considering this wasn't even thought of 15 years ago. It makes you appreciate technology a little bit more I think. This is why I take both sides on parasocial relationships. Hopefully we can continue to expand and develop new and improved ways of communication with celebrities.

Video Games

I found our discussion on Wii Shall Overcome to be an interesting one. The reading prompted me to think about video games in a different way than I already viewed them. Dave Gilson, who is the author of Wii Shall Overcome, wrote about Jane McGonigal's views on video gaming. McGonigal discussed a variety of topics involving gaming and why we get so much joy out of playing them. McGonigal states that video games "aren't brain numbing drivel." She then goes further than that saying video games give us a sense of accomplishment, meaning, and productivity. This is where I started to analyze the different reasons of why we enjoy video games so much. I guess I had never thought of video games in a way that made me think why we really play them. I always just thought we played them because they are fun. That is the main reason, but when talking about other aspects such as epic wins, sense of accomplishment, and things of that nature, I had never thought of it in that way. McGonigal goes on to explain that enjoyable video games "dole out psychological rewards that keep us coming back for more." Therefore, it is not manipulation that keeps us coming back, but motivation. I agree with this statement. I also think that a big reason for continue to play video games is because of the "epic win" concept. An epic win is defined in our reading as "the unique feeling of accomplishment you get when you do something extraordinary." McGonigal explains how the world needs more of this. The world needs more opportunities for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. For example, change or save someones life. When analyzing video games from this point of view, it made me wonder why we really play video games. I agree with everything McGonigal said in her TED talk, and truly believe that video games may have a deeper meaning than just playing for fun in your free time.