Brazzy Ben's Blogs

In an episode of Black Mirror that I watched over the weekend, people rated each other through every social interaction. Through every social interaction, you would rate people on your phone. This created a superficial way of talking to people so you could get a higher rating from a stranger. In this society, your rating meant everything, so it influenced where you were able to live, what job you had, and who you could be friends with. This episode shows how much we care about our appearance and how we will do anything to show people that we appear to be perfect. This connects to our world today because we like posts on social media which rates people. I think that this episode connects to present day media because we will often chose to go on social media instead of talking to someone face to face that is right next to us. This episode, (while very extreme) shows us what can happen when media is taken too far. It will ultimately change how we talk to each other because we are so focu...

One of the topics discussed in the movie Miss Representation  that we watched in class was how the media affects teenage girls. I have seen at school and in my personal life how girls constantly judge themselves and others around them, but I never really understood why they do that to such an extent. The movie discussed how there is a lack of females in the media and in politics. Even with the women that are in the media, they are very skinny and what is shown in TVs and ads are fake because of photo editing. This holds unattainable standards for girls because boys start to think that girls in their lives should look like that if they are on TV. Also with women in politics, instead of talking about the different policies that they support, they are degraded by the media because the media will only talk about if their dress is too short or what they are wearing. As a guy, I've always wondered why girls are so mean to each other. Why do girls always hate on what another girl is wea...

In response to the movie we watched in class, the documentary  Merchants of Cool  opened my eyes to the impact that advertising and advertisers have on the teenage mind. Even though the movie was old and a lot of the facts stated were outdated, I think that what they said still applies to the world we live in today. An example of this is how advertisers try and create a relationship with teenagers by emphasizing loyalty. Advertisers understand that teenagers are a big market and in order to understand them, they have to relate and think like them. Something that the movie brought up that I think still applies to today is "marketing a lifestyle." Even in class during part 1 of the marketing analysis project, most of the ads were trying to sell a lifestyle. I think that it appeals to most teenagers because people want to feel like they are a part of something. If they see a commercial that tells you you can be happy all the time if you have this product, or you will be de...

Supreme. One of the most popular brands in the world. However, why has this brand become so popular? Why do so many people want to own some of the apparel they sell? The simple answer is supply and demand. Supreme purposely drops a collection of limited items at certain times during the year. With only so many items in stock, and such a large demand for their products, no wonder the resale for their products is so high.  By doing this, having a supreme product is more rare than having something from a generic brand like North Face. People in todays society want to stand out, which is a common trend in media. All of us want to be deemed as special, thus we do everything in our power to separate ourselves from the stereotype that is placed on us. With a brand like supreme, having one of their products sets you apart from the crowd and allows you to be "different." Supreme has also become so popular because their pictures and ads target specific audiences. Somet...

When thinking about the most common form of media I think that music can be the most influential, especially towards pre teens and teenagers. Speaking from experience, most people don't really listen to music for the lyrics or the message it is conveying, but just for how it sounds. A lot of the time, kids don't realize what the artists are saying in their song.  Take today's pop music for example. Most of the time, lyrics are talking about sex or drugs. This  message that is being conveyed towards children without them even knowing is harmful. Take a 10 year old boy for example that listens to rap in today's society. The lyrics are objectifying women, so this may lead him to think that women are just objects. This obviously doesn't happen to everyone, I'm just merely pointing out that things like this could happen. With lyrics that talk about drugs, to someone 12 years old, this may rationalize the use of drugs. Artists today may not realize th...

Youtube is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. I will watch more than 3 hours of Youtube everyday whether it's just watching Clash of Clans live streams, Fortnite, or NELK boys I can always find a way to entertain myself on Youtube. However, it was taken over my entire life. So much to the point where I can't go one day without it. When I don't go on Youtube I feel like I have missed out on so much, which will often result in me watching more youtube than I normally do which is a problem in itself. Youtube is a way for me to escape from reality. With the suggested bar constantly attracting me with new videos I always find a way to stay on Youtube till 12am. But what's the attraction to Youtube? Why do I spend so much time on it? I think it's because Youtube has so many videos that it's easy to find a video you're interested in, and from there you just keep looking more and more. Media in general can take over your entire life but I th...

                Caster Semenya dominates the world in the 800 meters. She currently runs a 1:54.25 as her personal best which is the fourth fastest 800 of all time to be run by a woman. Recently the IAAF which is like the NBA of running won a case against her. Caster Semenya is born with an abnormally high amount of testosterone. This gives her an edge against her opponents and it is clear in the way she looks as well. In this case against Caster Semenya, the IAAF would give her hormone suppressants. And since the IAAF won this case it means she will either have to start hormone therapy to lower her testosterone or not compete at all. Surprisingly, this isn't the first time that this has happened to her. From 2010-2015 she had to take this same drug in order to compete in races. Media comes into play with this issue because there has been a lot of publicity of this story. Many people have been voicing their opinions online and have ...