He Is A Content, Middle Aged, Turquoise M&M And His Name Is Herman.

The character to the left is an absurd, modern creation known to mankind.   Today, society has steeped incredibly low because people are stylizing M&M candies on the internet.  Do people have nothing better to do with their time?  Society is immersed in marketing tactics with out realization.  Adolescents turn on their computers and play “M&M dress-up” for entertainment.  Applications, such as this, have engraved curiosity and interest in to peoples’ minds.  People are able to remember products by putting a face on them.  In this case, they are literally doing so.

“Become an M” is an interactive advertisement because it is an example of new media where the viewer can alter the image of an M&M candy.  According to Len Manovich, new media entails interactivity.  He conveys that the simplest idea of clicking on an image in order to go to another image is an example of interactive computer media (61).  Therefore, it is common sense that the M&M application is interactive, being that this is an application that is found on the internet.

On the other hand, the M&M “make-over” game is interactive for a more specific reason: the viewer can engage in the product.  Interestingly, the consumer can alter the color, shape, size, hair and face of the M&M.  People can even name and assign birth dates for their creations.  Also, there is no restriction as to how many M&Ms a viewer can design.

This freedom that is handed to the viewer and the application’s user friendliness affects who the audience of the advertisement is.  Evidently, “Become an M” is directed towards adolescents.  The application is very similar to the classic childhood game, “Mr. Potato Head”.  Children are enthused by their opportunity to personalize an M&M candy, just as the design of a Potato Head.  Coincidentally, M&Ms are already worshipped by adolescents because they are sugar coated chocolate candies.  Children love candy, primarily sugar.  Even to adults, an M&M is an irresistible comfort food.

After I played with the interactive advertisement, I realized that this is a clever and unique marketing technique.  Just as the Mars company desired, I showed the application to friends because I was amazed to see how extensively one can alter an M&M in a matter of minutes.  It’s ludicrous that anyone around the world can personalize a simple M&M candy.  Also, I find it comical that people can add features and give a name to an inanimate and quite delicious “thing”.  Next time I open a bag of M&Ms, I’ll want to talk and play with them, as if they’re Barbie dolls or action figures.  However, I’ll try to hold myself back as best as I can.

She buys Diesel Clothing Because She’s a Seductive Rebel; He buys Rolling Rock Beer Because He’s A Manly Man.

It’s evident that stereotypes have been created for people based on what brands they purchase:

Adolescent drenched in clothing from Urban Outfitters= Modern and hippie

Someone wearing a Ralph Lauren Polo and khaki pants= Preppy and wealthy

Mother wearing a Juicy velour tracksuit with a pair of Ugg boots= Woman going through middle- age crisis (Even my mother wears this from time to time). 

(Mrs. George of Mean Girls).

Each store caters to the stereotypes our society places.  Perhaps, they are the reason for stereotypes.  As human-beings, we are naturally separated by our interests, hobbies and appearance.  In reality, marketing accentuates this nature.  Author Elsa Oliva asks, “If there was one store that combined all main styles (preppy, gothic, ghetto, skater, hippie), would it strip away the need for any labels at all by one style taking on the characteristics of another?”  

In “Irreverent Post- Modernism in Contemporary Apparel”, Calvin Callaway emphasizes the connection between vintage, provocative and rebellious stereotypes with the Diesel clothing brand.  He explains that the Diesel clothing company has purposely distinguished itself as a rebellious and creative brand to entice a particular crowd of consumers.  Men and women are grasped by Diesel’s obstinate and provocative advertisements around the world.  

Sometimes, people buy brand-named products simply because they are of that brand-name.  Hence, ”The Diesel customer likes the idea of being a Diesel customer” (207).  People maintain their reputations and live-up to their stereotypes by purchasing things that society has placed a title on.  

In a man’s world, Rolling Rock Beer must be present.  According to the “Sample Image Analysis”, the Beer Ape commercial for Rolling Rock Beer appeals to males because it incorporates beautiful women, a guitar and the concept of heroism.  Of course, the woman is not attracted to the hairy man who forgot the beer for the party.  The ad suggests that men who drink Rolling Rock Beer are appealing and brave.  A man with a Rolling Rock beer in his hands is the best a woman can find.

Hand Shadows=Phaeton Automobile?

A few weeks ago, a friend played this video for my discussion class at the art school.  Initially, I had no idea that this is a commercial.  As a matter of fact, I don’t think anyone knew.  The shadows casted by human hands are very fascinating.  This comes off as an enjoyable video, however, people claim that it does not suit the role for a car commercial.  

Some argue that this is a magnificent marketing device because it grasps the viewers’ attention.  Yet, almost the entire commercial has absolutely nothing to do with automobiles.  Yes, it concludes with a question, “Isn’t it beautiful what hands can do?”  Yet, on a technical note, this concept is contradicting because automobiles are seldom created by hand.  In today’s day and age, automobiles are created by machine.

On the other hand, does the video fulfill the purpose of a commercial?  Am I drawn to buy this particular automobile?  Will I remember the product as a result of viewing the commercial?  Clearly, I remembered this commercial and the product it’s selling.  The video has instilled wonder in my mind.  It is clever and interesting.  Perhaps commercials don’t have to pertain to the product they’re selling.  If commercials grasp the viewer and force him/her to remember the product, technically, nothing is being done wrong.

In An Absolut Fantasy

The advertisement influences the audience to depict a fantasy world.  The consumer is inclined to purchase a bottle of Absolut vodka in order to interact with an ideal terrene.  Elements of design, such as color, composition and contrast, are present in the image.  This allows the advertisement to look appealing.  The image is quite humorous and valid because vodka actually alters peoples’ mental state of mind.

The bright colors make the image vibrant and alive.  Vivid colors tend to grasp peoples’ attention.  Oppose to monotone images, this advertisement is anything but dull.  The dark night sky allows the colorful paintings to pop.  This also facilitates a high contrast, which draws the reader’s eye to explore the page.  In addition, the high contrast of the bright Absolut bottle against the dark street causes a distinction between the product and the fantasy.  The advertisement is merely suggesting that “you can see this when you drink our vodka”.  Hence, there are endless possibilities after consuming this beverage.

What I like most about the ad is that it is a familiar place that consists of magnificent, unfamiliar things.  The audience is already aware that the billboards and signs of Time Square are not glorified with historical works of art.  The ad beautifies and fantasizes a place known to people around the globe.  This is a key in advertising: to take something that is already familiar and comforting to people and to glorify it with extraordinary things.  This enhances the excitement and magnitude of the product to the consumer.

I suppose you can see famous and expensive pieces of art aligning the streets of New York City when you’re drunk, yet, would you see them as clear and as beautiful?  The advertisement is slightly contradicting.  Evidently, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol can  “make you silly”, not enhance your state of mind.   The image infers that after drinking, one can enter an ideal world; however, what intoxicated people actually see is typically blurred and distorted.  Is the message of the image entirely wrong? Alcohol allows people to see what’s not really there.  It is possible for intoxicated people to enter an absurd environment such as this one.

I Got 99 Problems And “Clutter” Is One…

  ”Clutter is the disease of American writing”, William Zinsser (98).

  

Why do Americans love to exert unnecessary words and complicated phrases in to their writing and speech?  Americans love to feel smarter than others.  Inevitably, we feel confident when we use sophisticated words.  We think that we look and sound brilliant when we include such complicated statements in our speech and in our writing.  

 

Zinsser’s argument reminds me of when I was being tutored for the English section of the SATs.  Mr. Doyle, my tutor, constantly told me that my thoughts and words were redundant.  My essays were always too verbose.  He taught me that it is most important to get my point across in a simple fashion, instead of throwing in a bunch of unnecessary and sophisticated adjectives.  

 

I agree that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “presidential approach” during the blackout of 1942 was too complex and absolutely ridiculous for that matter (99).  I chuckled when I read the excerpt of Roosevelt’s speech because it could have been said in a much simpler way.  However, I know that if I were standing in the crowd and listening to him speak, I would have been in awe.  It’s comical that people sound so much more sophisticated when they splice in some complicated phrases and vigorous vocabulary.

 

Zinsser demands that we, as a society, simplify our phrases; yet, has it become too late to accomplish this today?  Standards have been engraved in to society.  Will speaking/ writing in a simpler form hinder the way we are individually characterized?  For example, everything has become incredibly competitive.  From getting a job to getting in to college, people can’t afford to “dumb down” their phrases.  I suppose that we’ll just have to continue our cluttering.    

New Media and the Future Of Design

On Friday afternoon, I attended a conference at the Rackham Auditorium about the “Future of Design”.  Little did I know that I’d be listening to countless speakers about different aspects of design.  I was surprised to hear a lot of talk about how the future of design is directly related to new media.  At 3pm, the first speaker I listened to was Margaret Stewart, a digital designer.  She immediately  engaged my attention and interest because at least for right now, I aspire to have a career in web design/ advertising.  Also, I realized that this would be a great topic to discuss in my blog!  

Stewart initially uncovered the idea that new media allows “the ordinary to become extraordinary.”  She grasped my attention when she stated that “today, the human voice has been amplified”.  She spoke of a clever example: when people have a problem with a specific product or service, they no longer have to waste time calling the company.  They have the opportunity to post a comment on Twitter and share their problem with the world.  Evidently, this will negatively effect the company’s sales and will hopefully cause the company to positively respond to the customer.  Due to the accessibility of the internet, the human voice has been greatly intensified.  In the world of design, more people can interact with what’s being created and can influence the way things are actually being designed.  

Marc Tsurumaki, the next speaker and an architect, talked about how new technologies tend to coexist with older forms.  On a humorous note, at this point during the conference, I was singing the “Hallelujah” chorus because I now had more interesting things to post on my blog about new media and how it interlocks with the future of design!  Tsurumaki explained that technological devices are all in a sort of paradoxical form that collaborates the “radical new” with the “deeply conventional”.  He seemed to briefly describe the process of technological evolution.  Tsurumaki’s speech reminded me of McLuhan’s claim about how the content of any medium is an evolved version of a previously existing medium.  I remembered commenting on Jamie’s blog a week or two ago and loving her example of this concept: “Movies developed from novels, television from radio…but there is one new medium that combines every previous medium together.”  I don’t think that Tsurumaki’s idea and McLuhan’s claim could be explained in any other words.

I am very glad that I went to this conference and that I didn’t fall asleep.  I was surprised that I became totally engaged and interested with what all the speakers had to say.  I did not expect to learn as much as I did on Friday!  I guess everyone should expect the unexpected from time to time.

Does Woolley successfully define “Cyberspace”?

• Credibility: Woolley sites sources.  Example: John Perry Barlow metaphorically explains “Cyberspace” (5). 
• He doesn’t literally define the terms, however, the reader can most definitely depict a definition for “cyberspace” and “virtual reality” due to the examples, quotes, historical evidence that he brings forth.

The essay is successful. Why?

• Woolley initially asks the reader “what is cyberspace?”  He uses a variety of ways to define what it is in order to help the reader to form his/her own definition.
• Extensive use of rhetorical questions.
• Important: “How did the word acquire much value?” (5).  This is a great thesis question, but he presents no solid thesis statement.
• He emphasizes that “the term, cyberspace, is unimportant.”
• I loved Trevor’s analogy of a kaleidoscope, that Woolley makes it more clear for the reader to create a definition.
• However, it is unclear where exactly Woolley stands. 
• He uses a bunch of definitional approaches.  It is debatable whether or not this is a “definition essay”.
• Bottom of Page 8, asks more questions and successfully answers them.  ”Is this, then, cyberspace? … Is this a metaphorical space or a real one?”  This flows in to his discussion about viruses. 

*N3w Media is Freakin’ Gr8 ! =) Lol

I was browsing youtube for an interesting video about New Media.  I came across this short video and it actually made me laugh out loud (lol).  I understand that this isn’t the most appropriate, but it’s hysterical! (It gets funnier as you watch).  Imagine if computers existed and if people could actually instant message since the beginning of time? Would history really be that different?

Enjoy.

Cyberspace and Virtual Reality, as told by Woolley

I never thought in depth about the difference between cyberspace and reality until I read Benjamin Woolley’s essay.  If someone had asked me yesterday to explain the difference between cyberspace and reality, I wouldn’t have known what to say.  Woolley explains that “the easy difference between cyberspace and virtual reality is that in VR we can actually believe we are in it.”  Woolley claims that he has no sense of being “in the matrix” when he talks on the telephone (2).

In August, when I was given information about my roommate, my mom suggested that I speak to her on the phone, oppose to getting to know her through text messages and emails.  Ideas, language and tone are less difficult to be misinterpreted when speaking with someone on the phone.  However, it is evident that one can not truly and completely learn a person through the telephone.  Perhaps in the future, people can communicate through virtual reality.  If my roommate and I had the ability to put on head gear and simultaneously see and speak to each other, then it would not have taken me five weeks to learn about particular things about her.

Virtual reality has actually benefited important research developments in the United States.   Nasa’s Human Factor Resarch Division adopted the concept of virtual reality by implanting video cameras on robots that are sent to hazardous environments in space.  Woolley explains that “the robot’s cameras would be connected to a head- mounted display so that te wearer could see what he or she would see if actually there.” (8).

On the other hand, virtual reality can be harmful and detrimental to one’s mind.  After experiencing a specific virtual stimulation, one can be reminded of a nightmare or of a horrifying situation that he/she has been in.  Virtual reality also allows people to experience things most people would never want to experience, for instance, a plane crash or intense warfare.

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Media, According to the First “Pop Philosopher”

Herbert Marshall McLuhan was basically obsessed with writing about the “electronic age”, hence his observations concerning media and its mediums in his two essays, “The Medium is the Message” and “Media Hot and cold”.  According to Wikipedia, he was born in 1911 and was an English professor, a literary critic and a communication theorist.  Importantly, he is known as the first “pop philosopher”, according to CBC.ca.

He was also a fine lookin’ man.

“The railway did not introduce movement or transportation or wheel or road into human society, but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure”, “The Medium is the Message”(pg.8).

I thoroughly agree with McLuhan’s ideas.  Similar to McLuhan’s observation about the railway, the internet did not introduce communication, research or a world wide network into human society, but it heavily accelerated the scale of previous human functions.  The introduction of new technology hasn’t changed human activities or the way humans think.  It has merely changed the form of human association and action, (pg.9).  Oppose to only being able to be updated with current events by reading a newspaper, people can browse the internet and download videos on their iPods.  Today, the different kinds of medium in which people can find information seems to be infinite.

In “Media Hot and Cold”, McLuhan explains the difference between his theories of hot media and cool media.  Interestingly, based on CBC’s digital archive of Marshall McLuhan, McLuhan adapted the references of hot and cool media from the TV jargon “high” and “low” definition.” For example, high definition means well-defined, sharp and detailed visually, such as a map. Low definition refers to indistinct images scanned by the eye, with which the viewer is left to fill in the blanks, such as a sketch.  Other than that, I didn’t really understand much about this essay.  I got the gist that McLuhan exemplified hot media as radio, photographs and lectures; and cool media as the telephone, speech, cartoons, TV and seminars.

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http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/topics/342-1818/

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