WOW! Century of the Self documentary was really eye opening into how we in the developed world turned into pretty much mindless puppets of a capitalist society through strategic advertising. This weeks theme is called “media spaces” and through our readings and the documentary we already know that the world and media space outside of school manipulates us and our students based on what large corporations want us to desire and buy into.
Thankfully, there are people like Funes (2008) who want viewers to recognize that they are being manipulated by advertising. Many advertising companies play on fan culture (see post from week 1) to sell products. We discussed in class the image of Katy Perry and un-did some of the overt and covert messages for the pop chips ad. I really think it is important to give students a language for being critical about the various ads they encounter daily as Funes (2008) discussed. The Ontario curriculum does cover what is often referred to as critical literacy and media literacy and it is our job as teachers to be creative on how we want students learn this critical language.
On that note what about young students? A few years ago in a psychology course I heard about how media targets children to get their parents to buy things for them. In the documentary called the corporation they refere to children asking for things as a “nag factor” that marketors create to get kids to ask for products enough times that parents will give in and buy it. Below is a short video explaining the Nag Factor.......
Thankfully, there are people like Funes (2008) who want viewers to recognize that they are being manipulated by advertising. Many advertising companies play on fan culture (see post from week 1) to sell products. We discussed in class the image of Katy Perry and un-did some of the overt and covert messages for the pop chips ad. I really think it is important to give students a language for being critical about the various ads they encounter daily as Funes (2008) discussed. The Ontario curriculum does cover what is often referred to as critical literacy and media literacy and it is our job as teachers to be creative on how we want students learn this critical language.
On that note what about young students? A few years ago in a psychology course I heard about how media targets children to get their parents to buy things for them. In the documentary called the corporation they refere to children asking for things as a “nag factor” that marketors create to get kids to ask for products enough times that parents will give in and buy it. Below is a short video explaining the Nag Factor.......
So if children are getting most of what they want at home, they are definitely expecting to get what they want/or out of what they don’t want at school. This plays on different media spaces between home and school and how we need to teach our children and students to be thinking more critically about the advertising they see. Parents should ask questions like why are you asking for that? Was it because of a T.V. commercial? What will you gain from that product? Below is a link to a lesson plan to get students thinking more critically about advertising.
http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/advertising-all-around-us-lesson
References
Virginia Funes. “Advertising and Consumerism: A Space for Pedagogical Practice,” Mirror Images. Pp. 159-177.
http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/advertising-all-around-us-lesson
References
Virginia Funes. “Advertising and Consumerism: A Space for Pedagogical Practice,” Mirror Images. Pp. 159-177.