Blog 3

            Influence of how one should act, look, and be has been around ever since great civilizations began to develop. Over time, the creation of better and better technology has made this influence stronger. Fast forwarding to today’s technologically driven society, the influence that mass media has had on their viewers has taken away the identity of the individual. This influence in mass media is advertising. Advertisements today tell us what classifies us as hot or ugly, smart or dumb, or socially significant or invisible. We are told that there is a particular body type and clothing we must wear in order to be attractive. But who is to say that someone that doesn’t fit the criteria should be rejected? While everyone attempts to achieve this social status of perfection, it is never obtainable. We strive for a goal that only few can reach, but this perfection acts as a standard for what we consider normal. Targeting this insecurity of being ‘abnormal’ is used by advertisers, and is what continues our drive toward perfection.

            In a commercial by Weight Watchers, a company that guarantees weight loss shows before and after images of those who have used their products. The before pictures show the user as overweight and unhappy. The advertisers tell the audience that they need to believe that this person is ugly. The after photos always show the user much thinner, happier, tanner, and also having received a makeover. Weight Watchers tells its audience that you probably look like the people in the before photos, and the only way you can look better is by using their product. Audiences now feel insecure about their weight and begin to doubt themselves and how they look to others.

            The claim in this blog addresses learning outcome three by showing the way mass media uses image to inform and persuade. Mass media’s advertising today uses unrealistic images to target the insecurities of its viewers into buying their products. The use of photo-shop and before-and-after photos make the viewer feel as though they are ugly compared to these photos, and in order to gain normalcy, they must then remove their personal identity. We are then told what is considered ‘in’ or ‘out’, which causes us to subconsciously strive to become part of the in crowd. We wish to be desired in all aspect of life simply because advertising tells us to do so. We have become robots in this day and age to the controller that is media.