Wow, time really does fly by. Freshman year was pretty tough for me and when I heard that we had to take a writing class and critical thinking class, on top of all my other classes, I contemplated on whether or not to stay in HISP. But I told myself to suck it up because I thought there was a slight possibility that I might actually do well this year. I should have known better. Now I wont get into college, my parents will send me back to the rice patties in China, and I will have to live on the streets as a hobo and I don't like hobos. Hobos scare me. Especially the ones in San Francisco. Even though things didn't go well for me in my classes, I never said I didn't enjoy them. There was a small part of me that really liked the zero period classes. That's what's so great about the HISP program. We are able to take classes that are totally different than the regular school standards. I really appreciate the opportunities we are given in this program.
Before I took this critical thinking class, I was oblivious to everything that surrounded me. I never knew the effect of media had such an impact on our lives. Media is everywhere, and it is scary to know that we are exposed to it everywhere we turn. It is almost impossible to imagine life without media. I admit that I am a victim of the media and now that I think about it, the media I consume impacts my life immensely. The media forces me to look at an advertisement of perfect people and compare it to myself. It makes me tell myself things that aren't necessarily true and it builds my insecurities to a point where I am ashamed of myself. I realize that I am not an individual. I follow trends, I act like people want me to act and I try to fit in with the crowd. It makes me angry to know that I am exactly what the media wants me to be. I have become more aware of the techniques advertisers use when they introduce a new product to because of the media unit we did in this class. I feel a little bit better about myself because I know that the people in the advertisements are clearly photo-shopped to perfection. There are such a wide variety of advertising techniques and the way advertiser's use them is very successful.
After spending so much time analyzing the media, I actually stop and watch commercials now a days. I apply every thing that we have learned and picked apart every aspect of the advertisement. It bothers me to know that the media creates so many stereotypes and makes their viewer feel as though they cant be themselves. I think teenage girls and boys are the ones who suffer the most when it comes to the media. During these few years, teenagers are filled with so much insecurity that we fall into the traps advertisers set us up with. I haven't changed how much media I consume on a daily basis but I definitely am more aware of the literacy and the meaning behind each advertising technique used. I don't take advertisements very seriously now because I have learned that basically everything we see is fake. However, I am not blaming the media for everything. It is partially our faults for being sucked into their little schemes.
Overall, I really enjoyed taking this Critical Thinking class because it opened my eyes to the world and the media. I looked forward to writing my blog every week because I got to share my opinion and provide my own personal writing to all of you. I also had fun reading everyone else's blogs as well because I felt like I got to know my classmates better by experiencing their writing and opinions. Okay.. well, um, bye. (:
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