Internet Tracking and Advertising

People are in control of their privacy. If they don’t want to give out their information they don’t have too. Some people may feel it is wrong that the internet is able to track what you do on the internet but they are doing no harm. They see what sites you visit then send you coupons or ads to convince you to get something. This is smart and helpful. Therefore they are able to target individual consumers more directly. I see this all the time. The other day I was looking at hats and then I went off the site, when I went to the different site for something else there was a little ad to the side for hats. This made me think of hats and put the idea back in my head. I do not see internet tracking in a harmful way but a positive way. Not all ads but most sell notions of “pleasure” that reflect harmful stereotypes and they will only continue to do this because it works.  Ads will continue to peruse the idea that if you by a certain product you will be happier, more fit and more outgoing. They will give you the idea of something that is not true at all. It happens all the time because people fall for these ads.  For example lots of Pepsi ads convey the message that if you drink Pepsi you will be happy and you will be skinny. This is wrong and I feel it would actually do the opposite. When you drink too much soda you can gain weight and feel sluggish and tired. To connect these two ideas when you see something you think you want you go out and buy it. If you slide a card or pay with something other than cash you can’t be 100% sure that your information is safe but that is taking your own risk. You are in control of everything you do.

Analysis of AT&T Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0FL1AzCAJ8

In the past years AT&T has made many commercials advertising their service. Most of them have been funny and some are funnier than others. When they have commercials they often do it in series of a specific type; for example when they had asked kids a question. They had many commercial of that type just with different kids and question. Now it is of a certain girl in the store that always has something funny to say.  In particular I am talking about the commercial about the kids that have funny response that don’t really have to do much with the original question because they are just kids. In this advertisement it is of a guy talking to kids and there response to his question. They guy asks the question “which is better, doing two things at once or just one?” The kids say two and one of the boys shows how he can do two that at once by shaking his head and waving is had.  To me this is a very effective commercial because of the cuteness of the kids and this is why it is likable to so many. Kids are innocent and funny and AT&T uses this to their advantage to sell their service. The idea behind the commercial using kids is if kids think a certain thing than it’s obvious to everyone that AT&T is the service you should use. In this specific commercial the kids think that two is better than one. The way that the kids relate to this is hilarious but true at the same time.  This makes you feel like you need AT&T because it obvious to the kids that you should use AT&T.  I don’t feel there is any myth behind this commercial because it’s not saying if you join A&T you will act a certain way or be a certain way it simply saying two is better than one in a kid way.

Conception of Pop Culture

In The Rising of Pop Culture: A Historiographical Sketch Ashby writes "...expanding interest in the experience of common people, as opposed to powerful institutions or individuals." Everyone affects pop culture, not just celebrities or people that play a high role in society. The Ashby also says “were the first medium of entertainment and cultural information to be controlled by men who did not share the ethnic or religious backgrounds of the traditional cultural elites.” This just goes to show it doesn’t matter what your background is and anyone and everyone affects pop culture. Over the last few weeks my view has changed on pop culture. I didn’t think too much in depth about what it really was and who influenced it. Now I realize that anyone can influence pop culture but it isn’t just one or two things that are popular as a nation. Depending on your personal culture, religion, race, ect. there might be something that is popular culture in your community but not to everyone in the world.