Blog 7

Do you think people today use the mass media differently compared with how people use media 10 or 20 years ago? Whatever your position, justify it.

I believe that people use mass media the same as they did 10 or 20 years ago. Regardless of the form the media takes the goal is always the same. Take advertisements for women’s clothing for instance. In every era the message women receive is not one of comfort or usefulness, but the idea of maintaining physical beauty for a man. Advertisements for cooking products have always been directed towards women, except for grills; they belong to the men. And while perhaps the messages may have changed over the years, the goals for corporations have stayed the same. The idea is to instill the values of the perfect man or woman.

Television shows do the same thing, though differently than advertisements. Movies and television have longer to get their message across than a thirty second commercial, so they are able to be more subtle about it. Look at a show like “Friends,” which aired from 1994-2004. In friends the women are always dressed perfectly for the year it is. Even during flashbacks Rachel is always praised for being popular and pretty, while Monica, who is heavier in weight, is not. Even Phoebe, whom they all love, is a little on the outside of it all because of her quirkiness. Though they love her and she is still as much a part of the group as any, it is clear she does not follow the same standards as the rest. From 1994- 2004 the characters changed but the messages viewers were receiving did not. I believe mass media is used the same today as is was 10 or even 20 years ago.