Advertising is all about trying to sell products through imagery. I think almost every American over the age of 12 can identify this ad:

It is the iconic Air Jordan symbol. It for many represents the American dream: overcoming our short comings and persevering until we do in fact reach our dreams. It is now a trademarked brand and logo because of how the American consumer embraced Michael Jordan's underdog story and him, as an athlete and as a human being. Now as a brand, it represents almost an elitist club-"amazing athletes need the equipment from an amazing athlete." Not only does this brand reach out to serious athletes but has also become a somewhat fashion forward brand as far as athletic ear is concerned. Many young rap and R&B artists have been spotted wearing their Air Jordan shoes or clothing. This ad speaks to both these demographics, but also to anyone who's heartstrings would be tugged just by seeing this image and reliving the first time they saw Michael flying through the air! The Air Jordan brand fills the need of to be a part of something great. A sense of belonging to a group with a man that captivated our hearts. We too can be "a Jordan" by wearing Air Jordan. That being said while their are many of us that will revel in those feelings of MJ when seeing this symbol, such as myself, I won't be out buying and Air Jordan stuff anytime soon. I feel that many woman and especially the 40+ crowd would not be heavily persuaded by this ad, Air Jordan is a more youthful label.

Here is another ad that most people are familiar with: it is one the famous Corona beach ads. These as always feature a man and woman relaxing on a beautiful beach with their Coronas. Corona is connoting a feeling of relaxation and pure bliss with these ads. You too could be sexy, just vacationing your life away if you drink Corona! Many alcohol companies sell sex and partying, but Corona sells oasis living. Obviously they are marketing these ads to adults over 21 years of age  who need to feel their need for a little time out in their lives. We as Americans run and run and run ourselves all day long, we really feel the longing to slow down the pace and Corona gives us this image of what we long for: relaxation and peace! Does it deliver? I don't drink alcohol so you'll have to be your own judge..... I don't believe that certain "other beer brand drinkers" would be too persuaded b y this ad. I know many people who are die hard to one brand of beer and I don't this ad would bring any feelings of relaxation and bliss. 

This next ad is for fashion designer Michael Kors. You know the expression, "The clothes make the man" or should I say "woman?" That is exactly what Kors is selling. The picture itself shows a very attractive woman stepping out of a fancy car, all put together with her high-end sexy-yet-polished fashion. She seems to have it all together. It is screaming "Woman of the world, envy me." And we as normal woman of the world, often do. The reality of this photograph is that this girl is actually 16, not mid 20's or 30's as they would have you to perceive. Her hips have not yet widened from having babies nor has her skin started to sag in certain areas due to time and gravity. But still many of of look at her and think, "I wish I looked like that." 

Because of advertisements such as this one, men have engrained this idea of a woman into their heads and woman feel like they need to compete with this woman. We have given ourselves as woman such low self esteem and this need for physical beauty to feel that void. That is why fashion ads have and will continue to target woman in their 20's to 50's. And that is why fashion advertisements will only continue to get smaller and "sexier" models in them, to further our complex and increase their bottom line. Men are less likely to see this ad, and go out and buy a Fall 2010 Michael Kors dress. They don't have this constant stream of media telling them that they need to be skinnier, prettier, and more fashion-foward to be of value.

Well, whatever the product is, the advertisement behind it, will not only be marketing a product, but rather an ideal or hope of what life could be like if you too owned such an amazing product! 

The ethical impact that the creation of the internet has had on American society is astounding. Twenty years ago, if some would have showed you a video of a car accident where someone had died, or a video of someone getting beat senseless, you would think that person was masochistic. But now American society uploads videos such as these to YouTube for entertainment purposes and then forwards these videos to everyone on there email list. What has become of our society?  

The Internet was created to make us all be able to communicate with one another, no matter the distance that divides us. It is suppose to be a tool to facilitate us at work, help us gain valuable knowledge that was once out of our reach, and to make it easier to perform certain tasks like shopping, mailing, and staying connected with friends and family. I am a technology kid and I spend a majority of my day on the computer and would be lost without, however, I do think that with the continually expansion of once-restricted material on internet, we are losing a since of morals and good-nature.

I think that we as human beings have become very desensitized to many things because of the exponential growth of media such as the internet. All the graphic images we are exposed to everyday we sign onto the world wide web, has made our hearts calloused. It's as if we have trained our brains to think that because we are seeing these horrible things through a piece of glass, it's not real. But the truth is that when someone views a man physically assaulting a woman on the computer, and they brush it off as entertainment, they are losing some of the values and morals that once made this country very safe and respectable. The constant desensitizing that goes on in the minds of all Americans, may somewhat be responsible for many of the horrific crimes that happen everyday in the US. Decades ago, events such as the ones we see and hear about daily were more isolated and few and far between. Today, it is commonplace. It's so sad, but true.

Of Course, the ethical ramifications of the internet are not only isolated to violent crimes and death desensitizing. But we as Americans have become more lazy post Internet. Prior to the birth of the information super highway, when we needed to know something, we had to research it, whether that meant breaking out the old encyclopedias, or going to the library to reading some books. Either way, we had to invest the time and effort. Now all the effort that is required is typing in a few words into a search engine such as Google and we have an almost limitless library of resources at our fingertips. That is awesome, don't get me wrong, but it has made us lazy. And in some cases, it can help us become cheaters. I know there are many people out there that have used the internet to look up answers to questions on tests, help them figure out math problems, and there are even sites out there that have written essays that people can buy and then pass off as their own work! Were is the moral code in that? It's as if people on this side of the piece of glass feel there is a since of anonymity , thus they will never get caught. That is the mindset.

As the development of the Internet and all it entails grows and grows, I foresee the ethical standard will dwindle and diminish. The infamous "Where's the line?" question we have all heard and seen, used in any literature that talks about ethical behavior has been crossed time and I fear will continue to be crossed and pushed further and further away from the moral standard that once governed this great country.

Change: for the better or for the worse?

During the last Presidential election, we saw this iconic image everywhere. From television to print media, on billboards and all over the internet. For many people this image invoked an idea of change. An idea of a better life; and idea of hope.

Fast forward two years. Does this image hold the same meanings it once did. I can't speak for everyone, but I would suggest that it does not! I was never an Obama supporter, but know many people who were. I emphasize were, because these particular people would try and jam Obama and his ideology down my throat, but now these same people are just as frustrated as myself with the current situation with our Government. Now for many, this same image evokes feelings of disappointment, broken promises, and frustration. There have also been many interpretations of this image such as socialist implications as seen below.

Bubble Spinner

http://www.addictinggames.com/bubblespinner2.html




Here is the link to a video game called Bubble spinner. I am not a huge video game person, but I did get a bit addicted to this game a year ago for a few weeks after a friend of mine showed it to me. I grew up playing Tetris. It is my all-time favorite game. Apparently I am a sucker for the color-coding matching games. Why? I don't quite know. Maybe because I am such a visual person or maybe it is  haphazard nature of these "think-fast" video games. Maybe it is both.

In Bubble Spinner, the player has an isometric perception with a subjective gaze; it's basically a bunch of ball you see from, an aerial angle and you are an arrow shooting more balls at the ball mass. The visual technology behind this game is nothing compared to the advances in video gaming technology that we see on television daily. It is very reminiscent of the early video games that I grew up playing years ago, and that may be why I am often pulled towards these puzzle-type games. It is a game that I can play for 10 minutes to get my mind off other things, but yet I can walk away from it and come back to reality.