Is the Media Brainwashing Us?

Think about it. How much of an effect does the media you consume affect your outlook on different parts of your life? Does is change your perception of men? Women? Children? Or does it affect the way you act? Your mannerisms and quirks. I bet it's got a greater impact than you'd think.

First of all, I'm not just talking about television and film. No doubt, television and film are two of the greatest mediums to have an effect on young people today. However, it's not the only medium that has a hold on us. Twitter, Facebook, Blogging Sites, magazines, smartphone apps, textbooks, coffee cups, clothing. You name it, they all have one GIANT aspect in common: they're all trying to sell you something. And that something is just their newest product. 

For example: 

State Farm, showing us how women are prudish and incapable of trust.

Maybe we could even have Volkswagen give us a lesson on how fathers are only capable of "passing down" a decent car, especially since this one's an inept athlete. 

                                       

No matter what commercial, television show, film, radio program, magazine, or blog you check out, you're going to find that companies and programs aren't just trying to get you to buy into their product, they're attempting to get you to buy into socially constructed ideals and values, despite how inaccurate they might be, in order for you to buy their product.

These large corporations rely on the fact that consumers are non-critical thinkers about what they actually consume. They hope you watch these depictions, find some sort of humor in them (probably because they're familiar due to the tired, unoriginality of the socially-constructed idea), and want to buy their product because you think they have a good sense of humor. Which, many people would say that's not a bad thing. Many people would argue that these companies don't mean anything harmful by selling to us like this. 

I would argue that these companies sell us these ideas because there are enough non-critical thinkers out there to buy into it and they can continue to profit from our capitalist society in this manner. These companies also instigate ideas of some sort of "normalcy" that they want us to buy into in order to seem more "real" and authentic. The companies truly only have one concern in mind: money. And I think Macklemore would agree with me. Macklemore, will you please share with us your thoughts on capitalism, specifically the Nike shoe company?

                                         

If I still don't have you convinced that big name companies aren't doing some serious damage to our society and culture, let me end with some images that might change your mind. High-end fashion companies are always going for "shock value" but these have gone too far. Companies like Dolce and Gabana, Calvin Klein, and various others are attempting to create this concept of what a typical person is suppose to be like.

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Are these the values you want imposed upon you, your family, or your friends? Are we going to let giant companies get away with attempting to sell their products through violent and over-sexualized images? Is this what we want to become our "new normal?" If not, what do you think we can do to change this?