gabi's blog

With every event we’ve experienced in our lives comes a time to reflect on it. How it benefited us, how we changed from it, what we would be like without it, etc. One key event that I think of when I look at how my life has changed is overnight, sleep away camp. At the camp I’ve gone to for over 5 years, one thing that makes it so special is its no screen policy. This not only allows for better interactions between people, but stronger relationships between the campers.  I have found these past summers to be extremely life changing for me, as going to camp has brought something I never could have experienced at home into my life. I think that the result of having no current technology like phones or computers at a place where many kids are allows a place where they can be who they want to be and not have to worry about the constant pressure social media puts on us to constantly be updated. In my experience, I have found that I have met some of the best people at camp and I feel...

It’s a simple question asked with a much deeper meaning that is rooted far below our common viewing. We all want certain things in our life- to succeed, to be happy and healthy (emotionally and physically), to be knowledgeable, etc. But with some things we are made to think that we need them. Advertisers use our needs to cater their products toward us so we will buy their brands and advertise to more people, continuing the chain of consumerism. Certain needs of ours then make us want to feel accepted others by the brand we wear, what we eat, or what we have. Jib Fowles addresses these needs as our 15 basic appeals- need for sex, affiliation, guidance, prominence, attention, autonomy and aesthetic sensations as well as our need to nurture, aggress, achieve, dominate,  escape, feel safe, and satisfy curiosity. With these needs, we then become people who want their needs to be fulfilled and result to different products to address these needs. We become intertwined into a cycle of s...

There’s no doubt about it- we have turned into a technology fueled world. Wherever you go, you find at least a couple people on their phones, computers, digital watches, etc. We have become a world where you cannot live without your phone anymore. And although all these advances have helped us in many ways, they’re harming us too. Not only do many hours on screens cause an effect on eyes and sleep, it also effects our addiction and reward seeking and weight for adults. However for kids and teens it’s even worse. The usage of screens in our everyday lives impacts learning, self-confidence, social skills, emotion and personality, language skills, vision, weight and overall health. So why if it’s so bad for us do we keep coming back? It’s like technology and screens are drugs and we are addicted. And it’s not like there’s any cure coming soon. It seems that with every new gadget that comes out with a new feature, everyone wants it or that anywhere you go you can’t have an actual convers...

Throughout society we are made to think that we need to fit the perfect image of whatever gender we are. Men are supposed to be strong and women are supposed to be slim and elegant. Advertisers have created and maintained these ideas through their ads and use it to their advantage to capture our attention. We want to fit in with everybody else so they give us what we want. It fits with the basic appeals advertisers use to sell us their product. In the above ad, for example, it uses our need for aesthetic sensations(attracting us to beauty making us feel enhanced), need for attention(we want people to notice us) and our physiological needs(we need to drink.) Although practically none of these needs have anything to do with the skinny Pepsi can, advertisers make it seem like it is, making us want the product. The advertiser wants us to feel skinny-so by drinking their product, we can achieve this goal. The advertisers target young, stylish women by using a model who is young and stylis...

  Everyone listens to music- whether they want to or not. It’s a daily part of our lives just like advertisements which we are constantly surrounded by. Different genres and eras of music have different messages throughout songs. One of the problems that people find with today’s music it spreads a bad message to youth. For example, when I’m in the car listening to the radio with my parents, I now listen to music of the 70s and 80s with them because they don’t like the music of today. Part of the reason for this is because of the sound of the music. However, the main reason they don’t enjoy music of today is because of the message that is spread. When looking at the top 100 songs I can see the problem they have. One of the top songs this year has been shape of you by Ed Sheeran. Although some people may love this songs, it features lyrics like “Me and my friends at the table doing shots” and “I'm in love with the shape of you/I'm in love with your body.” It’s quite understand...

They’ve created the perfect ad. One that encompasses everything accepted in our society. Whether it’s the stereotype of those people and their typical behavior or something incredible and new, advertisers have created a way to capture our attention. It’s a mood or feeling that when you have the product you are accepted. We have a society now where we are fit into these groups of what we like and it makes us belong. But what makes us so different from everybody else? We have become a cult- ‘a social group defined by its religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or its common interest in a particular personality, object or goal.’ We all want to fit in and belong in our world that we embrace the values of everyone else. It’s quite similar to culture- ‘the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group and the characteristic features of everyday existence.’ It seems like instead of embracing individual ideas, we worship this perfect...

In this day and age everyone has social media. It’s not just for a certain age or type of person- everyone’s on it. With this usage from many people that spread over many beliefs, I quite often come into contact with ideas that I am shocked anyone can believe. For example, on twitter, I often see many people talking about Trump’s latest tweet and how he is discussing X issue but not Y issue. I see extreme amounts of people engaging in these tweets whether they agree or disagree with the statements he is making. However, many people have dug deep into Trump’s past- especially his tweets and have found a big connection full of irony and hypocrisy throughout his current actions and past tweets. For example, in Aaron Blake’s article, Trump’s old tweets are becoming a minefield of hypocrisy , he highlights the ways in which our President has contradicted himself from the past.  However, this idea of having our past actions come back to us is a scary thought. Although I have no symp...