Something that strikes me the wrong way in particular is the recent ads put out by Dolce & Gabanna and Louis Vuitonn.  Both companies featured Madonna in their advertisements, and both companies portrayed her in some way that could be taken as demeaning towards women.

There’s one thing I want to point out, and that is I’m not an overbearing feminist. I believe in equal rights, sure, but I’m not one of those people who goes looking for trouble just to stir things up.  I actually like the “home role” of some women…I like to cook and bake and plan parties – you know, “girl stuff.”  I like chivalry and a man who treats a woman with respect simply because of the fact that she is a woman.

However, this past semester has made me look more closely at the gender roles of our society, and it has made me think that maybe I need to increase my advocacy for women.  I’m still going to let a boy hold a door for me, and I’m still going to enjoy doing domestic tasks such as baking, but what I am not going to do is be belittled by advertisements.

With that said, I will share a letter that I think should be sent to not one, but three separate parties involved in what I call offensive advertising.

Dear Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Yves Carcelle, and Madonna:

I am sending this letter to all of you because I think there is not one sole party responsible for the demeaning advertisements I see coming out of the fashion industry today.  In fact, there is a whole corrupt world of advertising companies and models and CEOs out there, but I’m going to start my quest to correct some of that corruption with the four of you.

Dolce & Gabanna, your ads really come as no surprise to me.  You show Madonna in a domestic environment, washing the dishes and peeling vegetables.  How about a woman in a position of power, of class, for a change?  I would think that after one of your last ads was criticized for portraying gang rape in a positive light, you would put the brakes on the powerless role you give to women in your advertisements, showing them as sex objects – things to own and take advantage of.

Louis Vuitton, you’re no better.  Your advertisements featuring Madonna are obviously meant to strike a sexual note in a consumer’s mind.  High boots, low neckline, and exposed skin galore…but this isn’t even the aspect of these ads that I find most appalling.  What I really can’t stand is the amount of retouching that has been done to these photos.  Madonna’s not twenty five years old anymore, so why does she look that way in some of these pictures?  In some of them, she doesn’t even look human.  Her face and skin are so distorted in a few of these ads, but why?  It doesn’t look artsy to me.  To me, it just looks disgusting.

And Madonna, let’s have a little chat, shall we?  I know you’re getting older, but growing old doesn’t mean you’re growing ugly. There are women out there that would kill to look as good as you do at your age now, and yet you continue to submit yourself to such photographic exploitation as the advertisement campaigns you were featured in for Dolce & Gabanna and Louis Vuitton.  STOP, okay?? You are still beautiful!  Of course you don’t look like you did when you were twenty, but everyone’s looks changes as they grow older; you’re no exception to that rule.  Just think of what you’re doing to the body image not only of young girls this time, but of older and middle-aged women as well.  I think the older demographic of women is often one that is forgotten since young minds are so susceptible to ads, but we should never forget that women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond have feelings and self-esteem issues and certain susceptibilities just like little girls do. If you agree to only be featured in ads if your picture will not be so heavily retouched, then I think you could do a world of good!

So please, all of you, try to find a more positive way to create good advertisements.  Dolce & Gabanna and Louis Vuitton: You have beautiful products, so why not showcase them, instead of showcasing a dehumanized woman’s body?  And Madonna: You have a beautiful voice, a beautiful smile, and you still have a beautiful body.  Please use those facets wisely, and don’t give in to the pressure to look perfect.  Perfect isn’t beautiful.  Perfect – well, it isn’t even real.

Sincerely,

Kristen Gioffre

The USA Today article above, entitled “Keeping a lid on salt: Not so easy,” talks about many of the health risks associated with a diet too high in sodium.  Some of these risks include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.  Of course all of these health problems are serious, and evidence proves that too much salt may increase one’s risk of contracting one of those problems.  However, there are many other factors which contribute to these health risks, and I think people need to be presented with both sides of the “salty” argument.

Food manufacturers are facing huge potential losses in profits if they have to reduce sodium in the food products they produce.  First, developing new, lower-sodium products will take a good deal of research and development, which means a good deal of money and time.  Second, consumers are often wary of trying tinkered-with versions of their favorite snacks and beverages, so sales may decrease.  To help food manufacturers, the salt industry, and the public, I have began to develop a public relations campaign to reverse the negative publicity that salt and many companies tied to it are experiencing right now.

My public relations campaign is called “Put a Lid on It!”  It is inspired by the USA Today article along with nutritional information I have been learning about in my Health 101 and 207 classes.  Salt is necessary, even if it is in lesser amounts, for our bodies to function.  The USA Today article also shed light on the views of some people working in the salt industry.  Lori Roman, of the Salt Institute, said “The Italians eat more sodium than Americans, but their cardiovascular health is better than the Americans’, and the reason is they eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.”

The “Put a Lid on It!” campaign aims to educate people on how to make healthier decisions about the entirety of their diet, not just how much salt they put on their food.  If someone wants to have a pack of Ramen noodles (which typically contain a lot of salt), that person should be allowed to buy those noodles from the store and enjoy them.  The key is to enjoy sodium in moderation, and to add plenty of healthy foods to one’s diet to balance things out.

So how does this campaign stack up to the Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics?  In my opinion, it holds up fairly well.  Is this campaign truthful and accurate? Yes, all the information regarding nutritional advice would come from the CDC, the Institute of Medicine, and other credible sources. Is this campaign fair? Does it uphold responsibility to the public?  I’d say yes on both accounts, considering my goal through this campaign would be to help the public just as much as I’d help the food manufacturers.

Another part of the PRSA Code of Ethics is to “Foster informed decision making through open communication.”  I think the “Put a Lid on It!” campaign would do just that, because the campaign aims to inform the consumer, not make decisions for the consumer.

The main risk I can identify in this campaign is that, as mentioned above, too much sodium does contribute to serious health risks.  I wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea and think that any amount of salt is okay for them, but that is why in my campaign I would really try to stress the benefits of moderation and enjoying sodium responsibly.

Hopefully my campaign would be able to influence public opinion through the utilization of events and advertisements such as commercials, print ads, and billboards.  After all, salt can be a healthy and beneficial part of everyday life…as long as you remember to “Put a Lid on It!”

If you want a great example of a company that attempts to use the multimedia approach of advertising to its fullest potential, aim your gaze towards Alloy Media + Marketing.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal last year, ” ‘Teens today cannot be reached purely through TV. Their attention is divided through so many different media,’ says Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Electronics’ LG Mobile, which has worked with Alloy on youth-marketing promotions. ‘Alloy, with all of its networks, delivers strong results.‘ “

I believe Rabbani hit the nail on the head by saying that teens today cannot be impacted solely by one type of media.  Advertising companies need to expand their horizons and reach out to many different corners of the advertising market.  Alloy has done just that, and I think that is one reason that it has helped propel the Gossip Girl brand to such success.

Gossip Girl originated as a book series, but nowadays it is a wildly popular television show which airs on the CW as well.  Ads for the series can be found everywhere.  If a person joins the fan page of Gossip Girl on Facebook, ads for the TV show will pop up in that person’s news feed multiple times throughout the day.  These ads contain short video clips and previews of the show’s upcoming episode.

Television ads for Gossip Girl typically run in the evening on the CW in order to target their audience while that audience is already watching similar shows on their network.  For example, while watching the new 90210 series on the CW the other day, I saw a commercial for Gossip Girl.  Since 90210 is a show similar to Gossip Girl, CW can pull in followers of that show and keep them watching.

I think that by combining internet, television, print, and other types of advertising, the CW through Alloy has created a very successful multimedia advertising campaign that reaches many teens and even adults.  The racy ads posted in various places along with the juicy script keeps viewers interested.  This campaign also helps sales of the Gossip Girl books, which now feature the characters from the TV show on the front covers, instead of the generic pictures of girls from the face down that used to be on them.

Before I came to Towson, I attended a small Catholic high school in southern Jersey.  Sophomore year, we were assigned a controversial book to complete for summer reading.  The book contained scenes of drugs and sex, and because we went to a Catholic school, many parents complained that they did not want their children to read such material.

It is important to note that this particular book did not condone the heinous acts which were mentioned in it; instead it used drug abuse and other frowned upon activities to further its literary purpose.  Still, a large group of parents were appalled at the mere thought of their kids reading about sex, drugs, and beyond, and they eventually got the principle to revoke the assigned book.

My English teacher at the time, Mr. Matt, was easily one of the best teachers at that school.  He knew what he was doing, and he was disappointed that the parents staged such a fit of censorship instead of trusting his choice in reading assignments.  But instead of getting mad, Mr. Matt got clever.  He assigned us to read a book which became one of my favorite stories of all time: Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

For those of you who have never read the book before, Fahrenheit 451 is a science-fiction novel about many aspects of society.  Two of the most important topics of this book are censorship and the right to form factions.

In attempt to make everyone think alike, books are outlawed. It is ruled that they must be burned as to not upset anyone or fill anybody’s head with “useless” knowledge.  The society supports a lack of thought by encouraging speed and keeping each community running at a fast pace.   Everywhere they go, people are washed over by technology telling them what to do and how to do it.  All of this technology feeds them useless facts and mindless information in an attempt to get rid of anything that could make opinions divergent.  After all, ideas can lead to differing opinions which can lead to conflict and fighting.

In class, we discussed the implications that this book has on our world.  Although Fahrenheit 451 is a science-fiction novel set in the future, factions are influential groups which continue to play a huge role in our society today.  Social and political “big brother” issues comparable to those in the Fahrenheit society  keep arising, such as phone tapping.  Even beyond government, monopolizing structures in corporate America have been collecting information on us, leading to an increase in consumerism.

Think about it: We live in such a fast-paced society filled with sports, games, and technology right now.  We’re always buying, buying, buying—looking for the next best thing that hasn’t even been invented yet.  However, a crucial difference between the Fahrenheit Society and our own is that we have a mostly free path to pursuing happiness at our own will (as long as we are not harming others of course.)  In our quickly-moving lives overrun with an abundance of activities, we still have books and past knowledge to guide us in the future.  Most importantly, we still have factions.  By banning them, we would not have a truly free society, and while factions can indeed pose some threat to government, they can bring about a lot of good, too.

Luckily our country has, for the most part, managed to control the worst effects of factions and maintain some semblance of order when dealing with them.  By allowing factions to be formed, we are solidifying one of the most important principles that our country was founded on: personal liberty, or in other words, the maximum amount of freedom allowed for an individual compatible with the freedom of others.  “Founding Father” James Madison would be proud to see that we have not fallen prey to the hope of making everyone happy by resorting to such desperate measures as forcing everyone to think alike or banning factions completely—two strategies he used as examples of what not to do in America!

Fahrenheit 451 influenced what I read today because it made me realize that I like science fiction as well as political novels.  In fact, the book I’m reading now, entitled The Haindmaid’s Tale, is a book set in the future with social commentary made similarly to the way it was made in Fahrenheit 451.  I encourage you to read both Fahrenheit 451 and the Handmaid’s Tale; both books are sure to make you think about the way we live!

To purchase Fahrenheit 451 or to read other reviews on the book, click here!

The above line is just one of many in Killing Us Softly 3 that caught my attention and really made me think about what the creator of this video, Jean Kilbourne, was trying to get across to her audience.

I think it is impossible for anyone living in today’s society to be oblivious to the demeaning nature that many advertisements have towards women.  I don’t consider myself an exception to that theory, but this film really opened up my eyes to just how bad that influence really is.

One idea that the film brought up that I had never thought about before is the “dehumanizing” nature of today’s ads.  Kilbourne says that the advertisements are sending the message that girls are sex objects, that “they’re not fully human.”  I never related cheetah-print lingerie to associating a woman to an animal or a piece of property, but now I suppose that it is all part of marketing companies’ slick subliminal messaging tactics.

I also didn’t know that 1 in every 5 American girls has an eating disorder. I knew the number was high, but I had no idea how high.  Girls today have such a skewed vision of beauty because their lives are inundated 24/7 with photos of skinny, underfed, overworked girls whose photos are retouched for countless hours after they are taken.

After viewing the retouching that was displayed in the movie, I decided to do a little retouching experiment of my own.  I searched Google for a “no makeup picture” and found a picture of Lindsay Lohan with no makeup on and less-than-perfect hair.  Here is the original picture:

Now, this is not the best picture of Lindsay because she looks a little disheveled, but personally I think she’s still a very pretty girl without makeup and certainly without any photo retouching.  According to advertising companies, though, this picture of Lindsay would probably never be used to sell a product.  Using www.picnik.com, I edited this photo by retouching many aspects of Lindsay’s face that advertising companies would find to be “not flawless enough” or just plain old not perfect.  Here are the steps of the transformation:

1. Softened/removed lines from around her mouth:

2. Airbrushed her face and neck, whitened teeth, removed some of the frizz from her hair

Also fixed her right eyebrow (the one on your left), added some color to her face, and some definition to her hair:

3. Removed shine, whitened insides of eyes:

4. “Instathin” tool (supposedly takes 5 pounds off of you in your picture):

5. Finishing touch – “Orton-ish” tool, which softens your photo and adds a “glowy” effect.

The final product:

The “After” version is quite different from the “Before” version.  These editing tools that in that past have only been available to professionals are now available to just anyone on the Internet.  This retouching was of course a little dramatized, considering I don’t think anyone would change their photo that much, but photo editing is just one of the many ways that women are experiencing a negative definition of beauty in their lives.  How do you feel about the way the media portray women in advertising?  I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section below.

The ones I thought of were The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and the Aristocats.

Easy, right?  For many people in our society, naming five Disney movies may very well be easier than naming the Secretary General of the United Nations or the Secretary of Defense of the United States.  This might be shocking to some, but think about it.  The “Disney Culture” we are immersed in today has actually had a profound effect on our lives probably since the time we were born.

When you’re five and you’re watching a movie about toys coming to life and playing when their owner isn’t home, you’re just thinking of fun and how much you wish your toys could do that.  I would bet that most five year olds probably aren’t analyzing central themes and trying to interpret buried meanings while watching these movies; I know I certainly wasn’t.  Now that I’m older, however, I am able to more deeply analyze the worth a movie beyond “Cool mom!  Arial turned into a human!”

So what exactly are some impacts that the Disney Culture has had on our society?  Some people criticize Disney for giving children unrealistic views of the “real world,” such as the idea that if you’re a girl, one day your Prince Charming is going to swoop in on a white horse and you’ll both ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after together.  Ha. Ha. HA. Anyone who has ever had their heart broken knows that is not the way it works!  Relationships take work, not just a shiny suit of armor and a sturdy steed!  (Although, if any guys want to pick me up on a horse one day instead of in a car, I’d see no reason to object…)

But just because Disney may set some unrealistic standards up in young children’s minds, in my opinion, this does not necessarily make the Disney Culture a bad thing. My friends and I watched Pocahontas this weekend, and one of the things I was amazed at was all of the meaning and profoundness embedded within the movie.  Would the critics like to tell me that displaying the acceptance of differences, the importance of love and friendship, and the power of following your heart are bad things?  Because if they would, I would simply laugh and shrug them off.

Disney may have some negative impacts on our culture. And sure, it’s a monopolizing structure in our society, but I’m not going to lie – I love my Disney.  When I was little, Disney movies provided a way for me and my siblings and my parents to bond.  The movies appeal to all ages, and they have proved their timelessness by staying ahead of their time while remaining true to the roots they were founded on.

What are your thoughts on the Disney Culture?  Do you think Disney has a negative or a positive effect on today’s society? Feel free to sound off in the “Comments” section below.  I appreciate your responses and look forward to what everyone has to say!

To continue researching Disney’s effects on society, check out this video:

There are blogs on every topic you can imagine, from sports to crafts to celebrities and fashion.

Luckily, the large variety of blogs available today allows readers to be able to choose what to read from a wide array of topics.  Unfortunately, this also means that there is a lot of trash out there.  But don’t worry, you can pick out the blogs that are worth your time and readership with a little simple reviewing and evaluation of each blog’s content.

First thing is first: find what you love!  You are more likely to stay interested and up-to-date with a blog if it is written about something that interests you.

What interests me?  Food!  I love to cook, bake, eat – really I love anything that has to do with food.  Typical college student, right?  Lucky for me, in the world of blogging, there has recently been a boom in the number of cooking blogs being created and maintained.  Below I will review three cooking blogs by comparing and contrasting some important characteristics of each one.

Blog#3: Pink Parsley

Website: pinkparsleycatering.blogspot.com

Purpose: Josie, author of Pink Parsley, says one of her goals is to “cook as seasonally as possible,” but she is also interested in the science behind food and cooking.

Audience: Home cooks

Blog Style: Personal Diary

Blog#2: The Pioneer Woman

Website: thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

Purpose/Audience: The purpose of The Pioneer Woman Cooking seems to be to reach out to everyday cooks, especially moms and even dads who cook in the home.  Since Ree Dummond (writer of the blog) lives in a small town that does not have access to a large grocery store or an abundance of gourmet ingredients, Ree stresses the importance of using what you have on hand and making the best of the ingredients that are available to you.

Blog Style: Personal Diary

Blog#1: The Smitten Kitchen  (my favorite!)

Website: smittenkitchen.com

Purpose: “What you’ll see here is: A lot of comfort foods stepped up a bit…We think food should be accessible, and are certain that you don’t need any[fancy ingredients] to cook fantastically.” - “About” section of smittenkitchen.com

Audience: Beginner cooks all the way to intermediate and expert. The Smitten Kitchen also caters to those interested in photography.

Blog Style: Personal Diary

What have I learned from all three of these blogs?

All three of the blogs I chose to review use a personal diary style of writing, which is something I think is important in relaying cooking information to audiences.  I remember watching an episode of “The Next Food Network Star” on Food Network one time and the host was discussing the importance of relating your own personal experience to what you’re trying to tell your audience, otherwise your viewers may loose interest or not be able to find your personality under the directions you’re giving them.

Smitten Kitchen is my favorite blog because it combines my love of cooking with another love of mine: comedy.  The author of the blog, Deb, really has a witty charm!  Another thing that draws me in to Smitten Kitchen is the beautiful photography, but Pioneer Woman Cooking and Pink Parsley both show off gorgeous photos of their food as well.

If I were to continue blogging after this course, I would definitely love to start a cooking blog.  An important thing I have learned from frequenting cooking blogs is the importance of posting often and regularly.  For example, I would aim to post at least every 2-3 days, that way my audience would know when to expect a new post, and the frequency of my posts would keep them interested and coming back for more.  Cooking blogs have also planted in me a passion for photography!  Even though I’m just getting started with photography, I find the field really interesting and I am anxious to continue experimenting with taking photographs and photography editing.

So watch out world!  Soon there will be another cooking blog in the blogosphere, and it’s going to be a good one, too!

Now tell me, Audience, what kind of blog do you want to start?

I’ll be 45 soon. And really, so will you. I’m writing this letter because technology has made it possible for my friends and I to write letters and send them back in time. I know you just broke up with your boyfriend and your final exams are next week, so I thought I’d jump on this new “writing to your past self” bandwagon and give you a little pick-me-up by letting you know: the future’s bright, kid!

I’m sorry Mom and Dad had to have you so soon. If only you were born 25 years later, you could have avoided such misery and inefficiency. You’re life is fine the way it is, you say? Well, just wait until 2035. Then you’ll really know the meaning of the finer things in life! (Side note: Don’t worry! Our favorite TV show, The Office, is still on the air!)

Remember that silly cell phone you got the month before you left for college?  You know the one; it had a touch screen and a full keyboard and you thought it was so advanced for its time.  Well guess what!  Your cell phone now makes that old hunk of junk look ancient!  3-Megapixel camera? Ha!  Try a 12-megapixel camera on the phone you’ll get when you’re older.  In fact, I’m writing this letter on our new phone right now.  It can print,

Are you in the mood for a snack?  Just type what you want into the FoodTube and have it instantly delivered to kitchen table! (…or your bedroom if you still feel like being young and defiant and eating on your bed even though mom says you shouldn’t.)  I don’t want to tell you everything, but your house will be wired with pneumatic tubes, and look a little something like this:

If you’re thinking that as you get older you’ll be less addicted to Facebook, you’re thinking incorrectly.  If anything, social media has become even more a part of our lives.  But don’t think that that’s a bad thing!  In the future, you will be able to connect to other people in ways that you never even dreamed were possible.  At your age now, you probably are exposed to media let’s say 8 to 10 hours a day.  Well, in my time (and later on yours), you are exposed to media 24/7!  Even as you sleep, advertisements and important messages are delivered to you through tiny inner-ear implants.

I hope you’re surviving the Past.  Don’t worry; there are only 25 more years until you get to really start living!

Love,

Your Future Self

“Come inside quickly,” he grunts.  Before he shuts the door you notice he sticks his head out the door and glances left and right as if he was making sure no one was watching him.

“What’s going on here?” you ask.  Without thinking, you spit out several more questions rapid-fire.  “Who are you?  Why do all the houses look the same?  What happened to your fingers?”  You don’t realize that your excitement (or perhaps your fear) causes your voice to get louder, but all the commotion you create summons three other peering individuals into the room…two are small, and one is tall and slender, but all of them are bald just like the man.  “And why doesn’t anybody have any hair??”

The man’s tone changes from unwelcoming to pleading.  “Please, settle down.  I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.  Just be quiet.  It might be watching.”

 ”It?” you wonder

“I’m 0125182,” the man tells you.  He holds up a single metal finger, waiting for you to touch the tip of it with your own.  When you do not, the man eyes you questioningly.  “You really are from the past, aren’t you?  From your lack of ScanFingers and the presence of that froofy silliness on top of your head, I’m guessing you’re from the Old Decade, around 2010 I suppose?”  You nod.  “Come, sit,” he says, “I’ll tell you what you don’t want to know.

0125182 explains that since the time you travelled from, America has changed quite drastically.  People are no longer given names, only numbers, to distinguish them from other consumers.  Every digit represents a different demographic that helps marketers easily learn their customers inside and out.

At birth, every newborn has their fingers replaced with metal robotic fingers, and information (including your identification number) is stored in and can be transmitted through those shiny metallic claws.  The invention of ScanFingers has made the media industry even more information-hungry than it was before.  Now in stores you simply click a product’s picture on the screen to purchase it, and the product is delivered to your front door the next day.  But all of your background information is also delivered to advertisers and media companies simply from a millisecond flow of information through your metal finger tip.

0125182 explains the no-hair thing by saying humans simply grew out of it.  They no longer needed such extra frivolousness when they had the comfy blanket of advertisements everywhere they looked to keep them warm.  That’s what the government told them anyway.

Oh, and there is one more thing.  The OmniEye.  There are many of them actually.  In 0125182′s town, the OmniEye roams the streets at night and during the day, scanning each household for signs that it is not in compliance with the laws.  Not meeting the quota of products you must consume in a week?  You will be fined.  Or maybe sent to jail.  Or maybe even worse…

0125182 pauses at this point in his explanation.  “Good God,” he says with widening eyes, “Soon they’ll have OmniEyes everywhere.  My family is one of the lucky ones that didn’t have an OmniEye in our town until this year, but they’re spreading.  I can see them in every town in America by 2036.  Just wait and you’ll see.”

Suddenly, you hear the sound of a computer scanner moving and closer and closer to the front door.  “What is that noise?” you ask as the sound grows unbearably louder.

“Oh no,” says 0125182, his face blank and pale.  “It’s found us.  If It thinks we’re hiding you in here instead of keeping you prisoner we’ll be severely punished.  No one is supposed to harbor outsiders; the government thinks others will put ideas into our heads about the old ways of life!  Quickly, go hide!”

But it’s too late.  0125182′s town’s OmniEye comes through the door with a single blow, and before you know it, three metal belts are wrapped tightly around your body.

A cold robotic voice lets out three words “OmniEye knows all.”  You feel a pinch.  And then, blackness…

My media log for Monday

Oh and those two days without any media at all?  Well we’ll get to that later.  Trust me, it was not a fun time.

Media was present in my day within the first couple of hours of when I woke up on Monday.  On the way to my Health 207 class, I cut through the Union to avoid the freezing wind and make it to class a little faster.  As soon as you get into into the Union, you’re smacked with dozens of flyers and signs advertising everything from products to events to one-bedroom apartments.  When I got to the bottom floor I grabbed a New York Times as usual since the papers are right on my way to class.

The rest of the day perceded in much the same way – filled with a lot more media.  In class, we watched a clip of the Colbert Report, and when I got back and started doing some work, my roommate had NCIS on in the background.  So even when I wasn’t trying to consume media, I was.

The “Wikiality” clip we watched in health class

Some other media I consumed within the two-day period included advertisements for different restaurants, commericals on TV, the Office, and ads online.

Image courtesy of tvmedia.ign.com

Recording what media I noticed for two days wasn’t hard at all compared to what came before that.  I actually chose to do the two days without media first, because I usually don’t go to the gym on the weekend, and I knew if I had to go without music while I worked out during the week, I wouldn’t be as motivated to run or get on the eliptical.

What I learned from going without media is that I am way too connected to my phone and computer.  I was feeling anxious not being able to listen to music or check Facebook on my phone.  In class my teacher noted that some people felt more relaxed, but I just felt kind of antsy.  I did, however, get a lot of cleaning done.  That was one project that was a success!

I also learned that it is really hard to completely cut media out of your day, and in my case at least, it was kind of impossible.  For example, I still ran into advertisements while walking around campus, and I couldn’t help the fact that my roommate was watching TV while I was organizing my closet (which, by the way, *really* needed to be organized!)

All in all, this was a good “experiment” that helped me realize that nearly every hour that I am awake, I am exposed to some sort of media.  Would I want to go without media another two days though?  No way!