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Influence on media in society
Influence on media in society
The influences of media
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A majority of people purchase items they want and not what they need. Some individuals believe the falsified advertisements, which make it look like certain items are needed for survival. In the article, “What’s Changed?” Jane Hammerslough discusses materialism and how it has significantly grown in modern societies. Every purchase an individual’s makes impacts their place in society as well their values. The exemplary example, with reference to Hammerslough’s assertion is the text, “The Cult You’re In” Kalle Lasn, discusses a cult-like nature of consumer culture on Americans. Lasn uses the word ‘cult’ as a metaphor; he does not mean an actual cult, but American consumers seem to be in a group that procures the same commodities. Hammerslough …show more content…
Hammerslough argues, “To keep up with such speedy changes, we’re forced to give material objects more thought. Solving problems we never knew about in the past has now become a pressing necessity (314)”. The consistent developing of technology makes American consumers endure purchasing the most recent products, otherwise ones place in society may fall behind. Staying up-to-date is required in today’s society because having the latest version of technology is understood as a requirement because without it, one may be excluded. Lasn states, “Do you feel as if you’re in a cult? Probably not. The atmosphere is quite un-Moonielike. We’re free to roam and recreate. No one seems to be forcing us to do anything we don’t want to do. (378)”. American consumers feel free to do as they please, but not really. They buy products and keep up with changes because one does not want to fail to keep up with society. Technology is helpful and convenient; however it has its drawbacks with the constant updates, and making consumers feel obligated to always buy the most recent version of technology. Hammerslough’s concerns about technology is factual because of consumers believe they are choosing whether or not to buy items, however, it is society who …show more content…
An object worth good value is determined by how society sees it. Hammerslough contends, “A fairly low price and decent quality for an item are no longer the only standards of what makes for good ‘value.’ The other sense of value- a source of strength or esteem-creeps into material objects as well (317)”. As years pass on by, the meaning of value one considers in making a purchase changes. How much an item is worth is no longer what is considered as good value, good value is considered to be an item that gives power, a feeling of being dominant over others who do not have such an item and revere those items. Lasn implies, “Your friends reinforce the brandhunting. Wearing the same stuff and hearing the same music makes you a fraternity, united in soul and form (379)”. Sometimes consumers buy items to fit into a clique or crowd. The clothes and valuables one wears and owns define their place in society. Wearing clothes out of date or different from others may make that person an outsider or outcast. Hammerslough’s claim was accurate because the truth is, most people do not even want the product; only buy it to feel dominant and feeling of acceptance to boost their
People may depict “The Change” by Tony Hoagland as a racist poem due to the authors’ choice of words he used to describe Serena Williams. Words like “big black girl” (line 10), and calling Serena “Vondella Aphrodite” as if “black” people have ridiculous or “outrageous” names as Tony Hoagland puts it (line 12). This poem has nothing to do with racism and every to do with culture, human nature, and the media. As humans of different backgrounds and cultures, we tend to root for our own kind. A great example would be the Olympics where people living in the United States of America like rooting for their nationality or race even if they are nowhere near their country. For instance, a European in the United States would
People are often deceived by some famous brands, which they will buy as useless commodities to feel they are distinctive. People require brands to experience the feeling of being special. People spend their money to have something from famous brands, like a bag from Coach or Louis Vuitton which they think they need, yet all that is just people’s wants. Steve McKevitt claims that people give more thought on features or brands when they need to buy a product, “It might even be the case that you do need a phone to carry out your work and a car to get around in, but what brand it is and, to a large extent, what features it has are really just want” (McKevitt, 145), which that means people care about brands more than their needs. Having shoes from Louis Vuitton or shoes that cost $30 it is designed for the same use.
You go pick one either because the picture is better or you saw the commercial the other day and you want it. During the length of this paper we will talk about two important writers, Kalle Lasn the writer of “The Cult You’re in” and Benoit Denizet-Lewis the writer of “ The Man Behind Abercrombie & Fitch”. They both talk about similar topics that go hand and hand with each other, they talk about the consumers “Dream”, how companies recruit the consumers, who cult members really are, how people are forced to wear something they don’t want, and about slackers. What is the dream we all have? Think about the main things that you strive for in life.
There are many people who are driven by consumerism, and many people who wish they could get in touch with that type of world. Consumers are often encouraged to advertise more of the products that they are buying to get more people to buy more products. Hari Kunzru, author of “Raj, Bohemian,” creates a narrator who is obsessed with maintaining his individuality and free will in a world that is overcome with consumerism. Believes that the world takes away individuality when consumerism comes into play and how hard it is to maintain their true self. In her LA Times article “Teen Haulers Create a Fashion Force,” Andrea Chang writes about the phenomenon of teenage YouTube users who make videos that publicize their latest shopping binges.
However, the advertisers promoting these value and goods are not organizations, corporations, or governing powers, they are ordinary people. Annie White’s interactions with her Jamaican family living in America dictated the values she associated with American goods. According to White, many of her peers believed that owning any American goods meant an increase in status, because they saw America as a country which represented wealth and success (A. White, personal communication, October 15, 2016). As a result, many people rely on commodities and goods to indicate status. In his article, “Conspicuous Consumption” (1899), Thorstein Veblen suggests that “consumption of higher quality goods denotes his [or her] evidence of wealth. Being able to consume in due quantity and quality becomes an indication of inferiority” (Veblen, 2000, 190). In other words, consuming American goods– to indicate wealth and establish a social hierarchy in which they have the highest prestige over
Veblen’s work was, and continues to be, quite controversial; however, his dissections of human behavior as it relates to social structure and consumption were far from inaccurate. Interestingly enough, it seems that his theories have even become increasingly accurate over time, as proved by the way conspicuous consumption and “Veblan effects,” have both played a significant role in changing not only the luxury fashion industry as a whole, but also in changing the image and symbolic nature of the luxury good.
“One hundred and thirty-thousand computers are thrown out every day in the U.S., and over one hundred million cell phones every year” (CBS News). We live in a materialistic society where more is good and the newer the better. In our fast paced lives companies used this to their advantage to continual bring out newer upd...
A man named Bilal Nasir Khan once said, “The most painful goodbyes are the ones never said and never explained”. In the poem “Changes” by D. Ginette Clarke, the speaker is eager to understand the reasoning behind the end of his friendship with someone who he seems to have been very close with. As one reads through the poem, the strong connection that the persona feels between him and his friend becomes quite obvious. Granting the persona’s endeavour to express his feelings towards his failed friendship in a calm manner, he essentially comes off as a curious, eager, and desperate man. Clarke represents these specific characteristics of the speaker through the use of repetition, word choice, and punctuation.
Everything in life has a value, but not every person sees it the same. Some things may seem like plastic to some while it is everything to others. Nobody can truly give the value of anything because it is different for everybody. Someone can tell another the price of everything but never the value. Many times something that is inexpensive has more value than something that only a millionaire can buy. In the short stories, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and “The Amber Bracelet” by Zong Pu the characters show that nobody can truly tell the difference between what is real and what is simply a cheap imitation Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as demonstrated in these two short stories.
The common train of thought in a majority of the world today is that technology just progresses and we accept it and let it change the world around us. Thus a consequent train of thought is that we have no choice but to accept the change in technology. Some people, however, see the lack of necessity for some technological advances. Take for example the iPod or the cell phone, some people are perfectly happy with their old music player, such as a Walkman, or their older non smartphone instead of giving into the current iCraze. Some people do not see the need to have a phone that does everything that a computer does since they may already have a computer at home. Therefore, a person or culture must first accept a technology before it can change the world that they live in; and the culture is able to adapt the technology to fit its specific needs.
Sassatelli, R. (2007). Consumer Culture: History, Theory and Politics, London: Sage, Page 30, Page 126, Page 132, Page 133
-Status symbols: Sophisticated customers who value the distinctive, exclusive collection seem to value the corporate-branded version of luxury. –Philip Martiz, chairman of the board
People learned that it is acceptable to satisfy their own desires and needs. As Julia T. Wood states in “Gendered Media,” “Media encourage us to consume” (Wood 280). We live in a consumer driven society where individuality doesn’t fully exist. Society is manipulated to continuously buy and shape their personal lives around products. In “Advertising and Consumer Culture,” author Douglas Kellner explains this notion as a “commodity self.” Here, personalities are shaped by advertising certain products that adhere to consumers’ beliefs and values (Kellner 1). People form their image around the products they purchase. Wood says if people buy certain material objects, they will feel “sexy, cool, and desirable” (Wood 280). Some people will purchase the iPhone 8 simply to fit these
In many high schools, if you don’t have an iPod or any other cool device, a replacement automotive or lots of cash, then the cool crowd typically doesn’t even notice a person. In nearly every organization, cash and things are the entire foundation, thus it is sensible that Americans would be thus materialistic. Of every last one of ideas inside economic concerns, supply and interest is maybe the most well-known by the overall population. Individuals' assets are constrained, yet everyone's needs and needs are boundless. “We shop to assert our superiority to the material objects that spread themselves before us,” (Rose 482).
Individuals also learn to adopt materialistic values through social learning from family members, peers, and the materialistic messages that they are frequently bombarded with in television programs advertisements (Kasser et al., 2004). The materialistic lifestyle, According to Kasser (2002), is a process of acquiring material goods beyond the necessities to meet human needs. It is of high importance to the individuals to attain financial success, impressive possessions, an attractive image, and a replicable status. Materialistic people tend to use money as a mean of self-enhancement (Kasser et al, 2004). Similarly, Belk (1985) explains materialism as the importance a consumer places on the acquisition and ownership of possessions (Belk 1985) and the view that there is a ris...