The article “Commodify Your Dissent by Thomas Frank, analyzes what makes an advertisement or commercial appealing. In his writing, he concludes that the depiction of rebellious behavior, breaking rules and being carefree are what make advertisements effective. For example, commercials would show people misbehaving, not following the rules and simply choosing to be different. One quote from the passage that shows America’s shift in advertising style is, “Corporate America is not an oppressor but a sponsor of fun, provider of lifestyle accouterments, facilitator of carnival, our slang-speaking partner in the quest for that ever-more apocalyptic orgasm” (pg 152, Frank). While reading this article, the quote stood out, for advertisements and commercials often take this approach to make their product seem more desirable. One example of how being fun attracts people is through campaigning. Growing up, there would be campaigns for class presidents. After witnessing a few class president speeches, it seems as though the student who received the loudest applause was the one who aimed to make recess longer, who wanted to reduce homework and who wanted more school dances. Furthermore, another example that shows corporate America supporting fun is through commercials. In commercials, viewers can often see that the ad wants the viewers to believe that people doing work at home are boring, while people partying and drinking were having fun. With this, the camera would then focus on the specific brand of beer that they were trying to sell, making the lifestyle and partying seem more desirable and glorified. As one watches how much fun and enjoyment this person in the advertisement is having, it creates a longing for the same feeling. Looking at today’s society and the fact many years consist of long school years, stressful work hours and tiring days, it makes sense why America’s commercials create the longing of a escaping. Due to the fact that life, work and studying have become a boring routine makes change seem more exciting. Thus, fun and selfish pleasures have become well earned.
The article “Convergence Culture” by Henry Jenkins explores the idea of convergence within technology and whether it harms or helps our society. One quote that stood out states, “The old idea of convergence was that all devices would converge into one central device that did everything for you (à la the universal remote)” (pg 433, Jenkins). As technology progresses and their advances aim to make human life more efficient and comfortable, controversy exists on whether convergence can be either beneficial or negative to society. For example, ever since Apple began releasing the iPhone, there seems to be a new iPhone generation released every year, but with increased functions of course. When the first iPhone came out, it was one of the most popular smart phones for people were now able to listen to music and take pictures. Then, iPhones began to evolve with features such as SIRI, a responsive helper, and Facetime. Now, it seems as though Apple wants to reach new heights as virtual calls and images are a close possibility. Although these features seem great and convenient, they generally reduce the amount of work humans put in and create a less driven culture. For instance, many would now choose to complete the job using the quickest way possible, thus being less thorough in their work. Furthermore, in today’s world, one can often find him or herself going to a restaurant and seeing couples that would rather play with their phones, than to enjoy the company of their significant other. In this case, technology has shifted the priority of ones focus and has robbed us from the satisfaction we may find in little things.
The article “In the Digital Age, Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” Salvador Rodriguez talks about how the Internet prevents people from moving on. Because the Internet is capable of remembering what people search for and what people like, telling the computer to not remember one’s most popular search or visited pages is unlikely. One quote that stood out in this article was that “As soon as we post information, it is forever on the Internet somewhere” (pg 415, Rodriguez). Looking at this in a positive viewpoint, some may believe that having the web as essentially a large database makes searching for information easily accessible. To add, information is not only easily accessible, but is also easily advertised and exploited. For instance, Facebook has many advertisements and many websites has pop-ups as well. One reason why information posted on the Internet being permanent is positive, is because it could help reveal who the criminals are and informs the public on who has committed injustice crimes. For example, when Brock Turner was put on trial for rape, people would endlessly repost his image on Facebook so that his pictures would continue circulating the Internet; as a result awareness was raised. While this act is satisfying for those who want to exploit people who have committed injustice acts, the Internet makes it very hard for people in general to change their reputation. For example, if one were to apply for a professional job where the company decides to look into their social media history, there may be pictures and words which the applicant later regrets having post ten years ago. Therefore, this quote is an advice of wisdom that one should think carefully before posting anything on the internet.