Blog #8

In order to stay at the top of the charts, it seems as though networks must keep changing. A static network has poor ratings. The ways a network can change are endless. In the future, I foresee content becoming evermore graphic in order to withhold the attention of its viewers. As television has progressed, viewers have become desensitized to the graphic nature of its content. This will continue into the future, and, in order for a network to stay relevant, it will keep up with the trend.

Also, with TiVo and DVRs becoming increasingly popular, advertisements will have to really step to a new level. With the ability to fast forward and skip commercials, they will need to capture your attention in order for anyone to even consider watching them. New inventions and innovations will need to take place in order to keep up with the changing market. Advertising techniques will have to be altered--maybe commercial breaks will need to be cut even shorter than they already are. Embedding advertisements into television shows may also begin to happen.

Only time will tell what will truly happen...

Blog #7

Reflecting on what we've learned so far this semester, I have become a far more informed consumer of the media. I didn't realize how omnipresent the media is in our life and how much it truly affects our day to day happenings. Media saturation has caused us to lose ourselves in the craze. The television unit, which we are working on/wrapping up right now, has really opened my eyes to the effects of this huge mass medium. Because of its accesibility, its reaches are vast and its effects are great (great as in large, not great as in outstanding). It never really hit me that the media has control over our lives. By coming to this realization, I am a more aware consumer. I notice their advertising tricks and the sneaky things (like weasel words) they use to pull us in to their grasp and never let go. I've found myself (sadly) analyzing commercials as I watch TV. I can pick out the target market, propaganda devices, you name it. By being able to do this, I can also catch on to the tricks of the advertisers and it becomes more and more obvious that the media is what it is to make money. You never really realize that all you're getting is ads. The media can do basically whatever it wants and it can make you believe most anything.

"When you trust your television,
what you get is what you got,
cause when they own the information
oh, they can bend it all they want."
-John Mayer "Waitin' on the World to Change"