The Merchants of Cool

When watching the video “Merchants of Cool” I was shocked to see how much of teens culture is made up by corporations and media. Teens really do not have their own culture that is established by them for them. Their clothes, style, music, appearance is all dictated by these corporations out the make the next big buck. The corporations spend so much money to study the teens of today and sell back to them what is their idea of cool. From both sides I can see what and why they respond the way they do. The corporations are focused on making the greatest amount of profit, no matter how low they have to sink to make it. This just goes back to the idea that bigger is better. The business world has turned in to a dog eat dog world that you must stay afloat to win the game. The teens are just reacting to what they see everyday of their lives. How could they not when they are consumed by hours and hours of media that show how the typical happy teen lives their lives. Both sides create a circle that will continue to go round and round never finding an end. They both need each other to function or both would collapsed and not know what to do.

I believe the most interesting part of this video was the way that corporations reached their consumer by telling or showing them that “I am just like you”. One example was when sprite teamed up with the hip hop scene and used that culture as a catalyst to shoot them to the top. Hip hop was a very smart tool because it reaches a population way greater than the African American population. Hip hop as been the stereographic as a “cool” scene that all ethnicity should join in on. It has become a product rather than a culture. Corporations have taken away the culture that unites people and turned it in to a source of profit.

Another idea that really interested me was the way MTV went in to average every day young men’s homes and asked them questions about their everyday life. School, clothes, girls and used this information to sell products back to them. All this data created the idea of a “mock”, a loud, obnoxious male that is sex and enjoyment driven. Is this really what teen boys are like?

This video really opened my eyes about how my world is shaped by media and corporations. I notice myself going in to stores and looking for brands that are familiar. I will purchase a pair of jeans that were I guess titled “cool” even if they cost more than a weeks pay at work. This all just goes back to the idea that teens this day have a lot more freedom when it comes to their spending habits. Parents no longer can and do not dictate how and where their kids money should be spent. This is a very scary thought.

Consumption Log

16 hours does not seem like a huge gap of time in comparison to a day or a week. It is astounding how much media you are exposed to in such a small amount of time. As I roam the hall ways of the Fort Lewis College I am surrounded by media of all kinds. 50 Durango Joe’s posters, 23 ads for selling items, 27 for house rentals, 31 for music interests and 27 misc ads. Plus the music that played as I ate lunch and the music that the cooks listened to, the1000 of ads that take over the TV in a 16 hour period. This was a mind boggling experiment. I never knew that I consumed so many mediums, and it is at hours at a time. I have noticed that I only go to Durango Joe’s when there is a Starbucks down the street. I find myself looking at the billboards on campus for a lot of information because it is filled with media.

As I listened to the radio ads had advertising within in them. Like the radio station 991 the point was talking about a contest they were doing and listed all their sponsors. The Inferno, Durango Joe’s and so on. Media is a large source for consumption. Majority of the media I was exposed to had a lot to do with buying things. Which I thought was very interesting. Producers definitely have the right selling tools.

I never realized how much music you are exposed to, Music being flared from cars, from really loud IPods, to the music that is played at lunch. If you listen you can hear all types of different music, country, hip hop, jazz it’s all around us. During these 16 hours I heard music that I would not usually listen to on my own and realized that I was really interested in it. I heard a lot by just walking down the hall walls of my dorm.

I also saw that cars are a huge source of media. From bumper stickers to decals companies have been able to reach an array of people. Whether it is catchy slogans or business ads, cars are able to bring media to a un expecting audience. You can get a glimpse in to people thoughts with this type of media. Whether they are religious, what is the political view, if they are an artist, or a musician, where they go to school, what music they listen to, if they have kids ect. This type of media is a very effective to get a message across about the person or society.

These 16 hours were very eye opening. It was a great experience to witness what is all around me. It has definitely mad me more aware of my surroundings and all the messages I am consuming.

Weekly Blog Wk 4

I stopped today and looked around. I was surrounded by media. Posters, music, text messages, TV. We are controlled by it. What would the world be like with out media? A dark and lonely place. I often wonder what I would be like if I was never exposed to media. Would the world be better off or worst off with out media? I saw this really cool shirt that made me think. It said kill your TV.

Weekly Blog Wk 3

Last night at 2 in the morning I had nothing better to do but flip on the television. I was raided by commercials that played over and over. I was beginning to think if marketers target late nighters because their minds are not as alert as in the morning. Are you more likely to buy a product at 2 in the morning or at 2 in the afternoon?