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A Reflection

As a teenager growing up in an ever-increasing world of technology, I interact with the media frequently.  I have social media on my phone that I constantly am checking, advertisements are everywhere, I get news alerts on my phone, and with an increase of technology, it is so much easier to interact with the media.  You can go just about anywhere, and still be connected to the media.  We have access to the world, right in our pockets.  After having taken Critical Thinking, I have become so much more aware of my use of the media.  Especially when it comes to commercials.  I was never critical of an advertisement before.  I almost always fell for the advertisers tricks.  I now realize so much more about ads.  I can see how they build up artificial feelings, and give you a false sense of comfort and security.  How advertisers have specific target markets, and how they use certain platforms to convey their message in the most meaningful way.
          I am a massive fan of the Netflix series Stranger Things.  On Instagram, a social media platform in which I find myself spending (maybe a little too much) time on, I have had many advertisements pop up on my feed that were somehow related to the show.  A Stranger Things acting course in Los Angeles, t shirts with the show's logo on them, and even a Stranger Things nostalgic bicycle.  I always thought it was a little odd, before taking Critical Thinking, but in the end, I would think to myself "hey that looks cool!" or "wow, I love that show!" and then scroll past it, not thinking much about it.  After our extensive study of advertisements in this course, I have realized that its no coincidence that these advertisements showed up in my feed.  This was a result of tests, studies, and algorithms, conducted by advertisers in order to determine how they would be able to best sell their products.  They somehow knew that I was a fan of the show, and due to this knowledge, they added my account into their system of narrow casting, and roped me into the sea of Stranger Things advertisements, hoping that they will be able to feed off of me, in the time that I spend "relaxing" on social media.
          It is very important to have media literacy.  Without media literacy, it is so easy to fall subject to the demands of the advertisers.  Without media literacy, advertisers can manipulate our feelings, tell us how to think, and give us faulty solutions to the problems that we face.  With it, we can stand strong, and not be swayed by false ideals and solutions.  In the documentary MissRepresentation, one of the solutions to fight an unreal representation of women in the media was media literacy.  We need it.  We need to be able to know what is really thrown at us, to look behind the curtain and see that what we want to be true about the advertisements may not always be what is real.  While Old Navy may be offering us 70% off their clothes, with media literacy, we can see that we may be getting this great deal only on the t shirt with a rip, or on select items that were not selling well before.  
          I have learned so much while keeping these logs.  It was great to have an outlet to share my knowledge and realizations of the world around me as my eyes were opened to the world of advertisements.  By keeping these logs, I was able to take a closer look for myself at the world of media that constantly surrounds me, and discover for myself how my life has changed due to media literacy.  I have learned so much, and I am so glad that I was able to share this knowledge on this blog.
   

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