Hema
We all come from different neighborhoods which makes us experience and interpret differently from each other.
Being in my neighborhood makes me feel like home. Everyone around me cares and love for others, respect each other, support one another, and that makes me feel welcomed. I get positive vibes as if I was to belong there. I've lived in my community my whole life and I can say I'm content with where I live and don't plan on residing to another area and starting all over. Here, everyone feels comfortable around each other and basically are familiar with faces. I love the fact how even though I don't know any of the adults names that live around me throughout the years, they still smile and always say hello. It makes me cheerful knowing there are so many kind people around me and I'm very grateful for that.
My ideal neighborhood would be living in a safe, peaceful environment to be in, feeling connected with people, and acceptance. What discourages this concept is when it's night, there would be careless teens who fall into the trap of being under the influence and disrupt the balance of peace in this neighborhood. This is not a usual thing you'd see here but when it does occur, it's still considered harmful to me because I don't feel safe walking alone and maybe other people might feel the same way.
Define the following terms in your own words:
These places have influenced me dramatically in a positive way because it has shaped me to the person I am today. An example of an defining experience I had around my neighborhood would be when I visited the park when I was really young (first grader) and played near the sprinklers with my friend. My friend and I were having a water fight and some random old lady pushed me out of the way, making me land on the floor, harshly hurting me for no reason. A very nice man who I've never seen in my life before, called the police to report her for child abuse. She then ran away and hid in the public park's bathroom while they were looking for her. When the police arrived and found her, she called herself mental and said she didn't know what she was doing so she can be excused and not get into anymore trouble. This shows me that even strangers care and would take their time out to do the right thing.
Mental Mapping
Mental mapping is a new experience for me. I have never payed attention to my neighborhood in a way that I did compared to how much I analyze it now. I feel like I've taken a big step out of the box since I've been more aware of what's going on outside of my home. I was able to see things in different perspectives because of my peers which made me open to new ideas and influences. Questions such as is inequality avoidable, does it end, where do these stereotypes come from and why, who's the one who declares we're all equal since they're the main voice, how is your behavior/mindset different than those who are tolerated, how are we privileged, what would a world be like without an emphasis on image, is there a better way to gentrify people in these neighborhoods.. etc came up while these conversations were held. It's amazing how one topic can change my mindset. Personally, I've never went to the Bronx or Brooklyn by myself nor with my friends. Social norms make people perceive particular neighborhoods in those areas in a negative way. Depending on how one has grown up and their memories/experience in that neighborhood, it shapes their liking. Not everyone will share the same opinion. I've noticed that some of my peers live near together and share different point of views and opinions which was very interesting. Does having to do with how you were raised affect the way you view your own neighborhood? Collecting all this data was mind blowing to me.. it's like information went in one ear and out the other. All these different experiences that other people went through made me actually wonder if I was being oblivious. Am I not paying close attention to my neighborhood because I feel like i'm tolerated? (friends, family, accessibility, hang out spots, etc.) I can honestly say I never cared to pay attention to what's been happening around me since I already knew what was out there for me in a way. I've been living in my neighborhood since I was born, and I am assured my neighborhood was comfortable/suitable for me. I've always consider that my home all my life, and because of that I don't think I really can point out the wrongs if there were perhaps to be any. I've noticed while we were doing a data analysis in class, I hesitated since I really didn't know what was so bad.. I wasn't so sure if I was the only one who felt this way, but I had to push myself out there to find certain answers. If you like and enjoy your neighborhood, and you're supplied with things you need as well as a good experience, then you may bump into some obstacles such as I, when it comes to finding all the negative connotations and the flaws.
Overall, this mental mapping process was definitely a beneficial methodology. I feel like if I haven't done this process, my answers wouldn't have been as crucial and quantitative/qualitative. This was a new method of thinking for me because I haven't done anything like this before. It's like once I've come up with an idea, I have to keep on expanding it till there's nothing left. For an example, if I were to not like my neighborhood, I have to say why, then what made me think that way, how did it happen, when did it start, is it the people around me, is it my home initiative, can I say I tried to fit in and be active, etc.. (Basically a stretching out sort of thing) Everything went out smooth, and everyone in the class had something to say though ideas were repeated. It was really effective in my opinion, because I for one got a lot out of this. I've learned more about my neighborhood because I wasn't really being mindful to it since I'm comfortable and enjoy my home. One thing that I wish to be improved during this experiment would be the flow of the classroom. Some groups were talking for way too long to speak, which took up other group turns to present. In addition, not everyone felt like they had to share anything because they ran out of things to say since they were discussed frequently. People not having the chance to speak/not feeling like they have a voice might have occurred again as well. Next time, everyone should speak to a certain extent since the talks turn into long conversations which leads to being off topic. If you're interested in your neighborhood, and you're still trying to find yourself in there or make better out of it, push yourself to do these things. Don't say it, just do it! ✓
Overall, this mental mapping process was definitely a beneficial methodology. I feel like if I haven't done this process, my answers wouldn't have been as crucial and quantitative/qualitative. This was a new method of thinking for me because I haven't done anything like this before. It's like once I've come up with an idea, I have to keep on expanding it till there's nothing left. For an example, if I were to not like my neighborhood, I have to say why, then what made me think that way, how did it happen, when did it start, is it the people around me, is it my home initiative, can I say I tried to fit in and be active, etc.. (Basically a stretching out sort of thing) Everything went out smooth, and everyone in the class had something to say though ideas were repeated. It was really effective in my opinion, because I for one got a lot out of this. I've learned more about my neighborhood because I wasn't really being mindful to it since I'm comfortable and enjoy my home. One thing that I wish to be improved during this experiment would be the flow of the classroom. Some groups were talking for way too long to speak, which took up other group turns to present. In addition, not everyone felt like they had to share anything because they ran out of things to say since they were discussed frequently. People not having the chance to speak/not feeling like they have a voice might have occurred again as well. Next time, everyone should speak to a certain extent since the talks turn into long conversations which leads to being off topic. If you're interested in your neighborhood, and you're still trying to find yourself in there or make better out of it, push yourself to do these things. Don't say it, just do it! ✓
AdBusters Project
Methodology
Each person in America sees an average of 1,500-3,000 advertisements per day. When I came across these advertisements while I was walking home and on my free time, these caught my attention a lot. I wonder sometimes, do these people actually participate by purchasing these merchandise? Each of these advertisements portray different messages, but does everyone see them the way they want us to? Do they fall for these false advertisements? What I realized lately while taking these photos was that NYC subway advertising creates lots of attention no matter how busy you are. You can be reassured that you'll be caught looking at an ad at least once on your way to your next stop.. It's irresistible! Overall, I noticed that no matter what ever the message is, these ads are noticed.. whether or not you're interested in buying them. Noticing is the key.
Data Analysis
Content Analysis: One common theme that I found would be them trying to convince us that if you use what they're advertising, your life will be changed for the better. Advertisements persuade people largely by interfering with their emotions, thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, and actions which is why they're so inescapable. No matter where and when you go, they'll always be there. Most people are hardly aware of that, and assume it has no affect on them. They influence and shape the way we think in a way, making us take things for granted. What we have already will never be enough, which is why they're convincing us to buy their stuff to get rid of that ideology temporarily till you get bombarded with marketing messages once again. It's just kind of ridiculous to me, because every advertisement will always say they're the best and give some sort of false statistic to stir up our thoughts a little.. yet they're not really proving us that they're actually the best. These people who promote these things just make statements out of thin air. I believe that if some of these advertisers were saying the truth, they'd be well known enough for someone to talk about it because I haven't ever heard of these products when connecting with other people. I would only see it in the subway system. Important factors of an advertisement would be their tone, how they're presenting it, how they introduce their products/company/promoters to consumers, and how it'll affect my logic. We are the target here
Each person in America sees an average of 1,500-3,000 advertisements per day. When I came across these advertisements while I was walking home and on my free time, these caught my attention a lot. I wonder sometimes, do these people actually participate by purchasing these merchandise? Each of these advertisements portray different messages, but does everyone see them the way they want us to? Do they fall for these false advertisements? What I realized lately while taking these photos was that NYC subway advertising creates lots of attention no matter how busy you are. You can be reassured that you'll be caught looking at an ad at least once on your way to your next stop.. It's irresistible! Overall, I noticed that no matter what ever the message is, these ads are noticed.. whether or not you're interested in buying them. Noticing is the key.
Data Analysis
Content Analysis: One common theme that I found would be them trying to convince us that if you use what they're advertising, your life will be changed for the better. Advertisements persuade people largely by interfering with their emotions, thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, and actions which is why they're so inescapable. No matter where and when you go, they'll always be there. Most people are hardly aware of that, and assume it has no affect on them. They influence and shape the way we think in a way, making us take things for granted. What we have already will never be enough, which is why they're convincing us to buy their stuff to get rid of that ideology temporarily till you get bombarded with marketing messages once again. It's just kind of ridiculous to me, because every advertisement will always say they're the best and give some sort of false statistic to stir up our thoughts a little.. yet they're not really proving us that they're actually the best. These people who promote these things just make statements out of thin air. I believe that if some of these advertisers were saying the truth, they'd be well known enough for someone to talk about it because I haven't ever heard of these products when connecting with other people. I would only see it in the subway system. Important factors of an advertisement would be their tone, how they're presenting it, how they introduce their products/company/promoters to consumers, and how it'll affect my logic. We are the target here
Critical Discourse Analysis:
"Things to be desired, people to be envied, and life as it 'should be'" are what the images are presenting in advertisements."I've noticed that the word "you" has repeatedly showed up in these images. I think because since we're the only ones who can determine whether or not their business will be successful since we're the one who purchase these merchandise, they want to capture our attention by using that tone.
I feel like women are portrayed a certain way in advertisements which came off quite sexist and disrespectful over the past few years. Because of that, it has changed the way society views women. They use women to entice buyers. Generally speaking, they have disoriented women's self image. In advertisements, all the women are flawless. exotically thin, and beautiful. In reality, 99% of women don't look like that at all. It is unattainable for women to have that body shape. If they don't look like that, they feel like a failure, shameful, guilty, and self conscious about themselves. Many of these "beautiful" women don't even look like that in person. They go through a whole process of getting a make over, then air brushed and photo-shopped. That's basically saying they're not good enough to be on the advertisements. They have to be somebody they're not which makes the model feel bad about themselves as well. This kind of reminds me of the first ad that I came across.. this women has a tan, and she's being contrasted to other coffee brands out there. She has been called fake to represent all the others who are competitors with this merchandise. In addition, one ad that had come across this project represented a stereotype which indicated young mothers not being successful with their life. Since they had their child early, they have messaged the audience that the child is twice as likely to not graduate which I think is false. Everybody has their own story and nobody should justify anyone's future. I think it's unfair for these mothers to be viewed in such a negative way because no one knows them as a person. They can raise their child to be successful and take a different path than they have. Each person living has their own personality, which means everyone is different. Being a teen mom is portrayed to be downgrading which isn't right. I hope that one day, no matter who you are and what your story is.. everyone is mindful and respectful towards eachother.
"Things to be desired, people to be envied, and life as it 'should be'" are what the images are presenting in advertisements."I've noticed that the word "you" has repeatedly showed up in these images. I think because since we're the only ones who can determine whether or not their business will be successful since we're the one who purchase these merchandise, they want to capture our attention by using that tone.
I feel like women are portrayed a certain way in advertisements which came off quite sexist and disrespectful over the past few years. Because of that, it has changed the way society views women. They use women to entice buyers. Generally speaking, they have disoriented women's self image. In advertisements, all the women are flawless. exotically thin, and beautiful. In reality, 99% of women don't look like that at all. It is unattainable for women to have that body shape. If they don't look like that, they feel like a failure, shameful, guilty, and self conscious about themselves. Many of these "beautiful" women don't even look like that in person. They go through a whole process of getting a make over, then air brushed and photo-shopped. That's basically saying they're not good enough to be on the advertisements. They have to be somebody they're not which makes the model feel bad about themselves as well. This kind of reminds me of the first ad that I came across.. this women has a tan, and she's being contrasted to other coffee brands out there. She has been called fake to represent all the others who are competitors with this merchandise. In addition, one ad that had come across this project represented a stereotype which indicated young mothers not being successful with their life. Since they had their child early, they have messaged the audience that the child is twice as likely to not graduate which I think is false. Everybody has their own story and nobody should justify anyone's future. I think it's unfair for these mothers to be viewed in such a negative way because no one knows them as a person. They can raise their child to be successful and take a different path than they have. Each person living has their own personality, which means everyone is different. Being a teen mom is portrayed to be downgrading which isn't right. I hope that one day, no matter who you are and what your story is.. everyone is mindful and respectful towards eachother.
Discussion
This ad-buster's project was one of the most difficult tasks I've received throughout the whole course. It required a lot of thinking and it was difficult for me to find some of the hidden messages. I've learned that ads are there for a reason.. that reason being that ads are there to inform all people in society that we have flaws and we need to get rid of them or else you won't be accepted. We live in a world of advertising. I for one, believe that people are in-denial of the fact that advertising affects us. We assume we can adapt to it. If we don't pay attention to it, then they won't have much affect on our actions. The only thing we can do is ignore it by looking away.. I feel like we will continue to not appreciate and take what we have for granted because there will always be something better out there to buy. How much money we're spending is how we're being influenced. Promoters always seem innocent and harmless, but the real question here is are they really what they think they are if they're serving a harmful purpose?
The message towards the youth would be very unfavorable because they're most likely to believe what they see/hear than an adult would. I feel like teen years are the stage where every body once struggled most, and it sucks because now they feel like they should change themselves since it's the "right" thing to do. Questions that came up after doing this analysis were
This ad-buster's project was one of the most difficult tasks I've received throughout the whole course. It required a lot of thinking and it was difficult for me to find some of the hidden messages. I've learned that ads are there for a reason.. that reason being that ads are there to inform all people in society that we have flaws and we need to get rid of them or else you won't be accepted. We live in a world of advertising. I for one, believe that people are in-denial of the fact that advertising affects us. We assume we can adapt to it. If we don't pay attention to it, then they won't have much affect on our actions. The only thing we can do is ignore it by looking away.. I feel like we will continue to not appreciate and take what we have for granted because there will always be something better out there to buy. How much money we're spending is how we're being influenced. Promoters always seem innocent and harmless, but the real question here is are they really what they think they are if they're serving a harmful purpose?
The message towards the youth would be very unfavorable because they're most likely to believe what they see/hear than an adult would. I feel like teen years are the stage where every body once struggled most, and it sucks because now they feel like they should change themselves since it's the "right" thing to do. Questions that came up after doing this analysis were
- Is there another way to advertise without harming other peoples feelings?
- Why do ads pinpoint women so much?
- What are some strategies promoters use to entice consumers?
- Are they ashamed of themselves because they manipulated thousands of people?