Research updaate

Being as I have not had the chance to do any research because of my hectic work week, I have had time to reflect on my topic and how doomed I am. I have come to learn that my topic was way too broad, and have updated my research question in which I have already found some useful information on. My updated question is "How have advertisements reflected and caused a change in American popular culture?" from here I can look at the way Advertisements have changed in respects to depicting different music genres, the roles of both men and women, and lifestyle changes. I expect to find useful information regarding this topic and I expect my question to become even more specific as I progress in my research. My original question started with the phrase "in what ways" and with my change to "How" I feel as though there is more room for discussion and to elaborate on each subtopic (which will also allow me to meet the length requirement). my position on the topic so far has not really changed, I believe that as the years progress and society becomes more comfortable with certain aspects of society, advertisements are not so far behind in depicting the now "socially acceptable." for example, I have noticed that many ads now depict women and men with tattoos, something that was never or rarely seen about 10years ago (and if they were seen they belonged to a prisoner or a criminal). this is just one example of how ads have reflected a change in society and with more research I can discover why ad agencies decided to make these changes.

Week 11 assignment

The topic I will be researching will be ""in what ways do the contents of advertisements reflect the change in popular culture?" I feel as though this will be an effective topic because I will look into advertisements that are from the past, i will analyze the type of music they played during the advertisement, what the product was and the type of people involved in the ad. I believe that Ads reflect change in pop culture from the type of people in the ad. who the ad is aimed toward, the music playing, the images associated with the product (if it is an ad that is not on TV). I feel as though not only do ads reflect pop culture, but ads can also shape pop culture. I believe that in order to make a successful analysis i will need to gather information on ads from the early 20th century as well as gather info on what was going on during that particular time period then connect the ad to pop culture. So far i already know and understand that many ads not only sell a product, but also sell a lifestyle. Knowing this can be of use to me when determining the message that the Ad is trying to communicate about pop culture and vise-verse. As of right now i would say that the content of advertisements reflect the change in popular culture in the way that they present the ad in regards to the lifestyle being sold, the images associated with the product, as well as certain subliminal ques that the ad suggests.

RESPONSE ESSAY 3 QUICK AND DIRTY IDEA LAYOUT

    Video games have made their way and proven their worth in popular culture over the past few decades. From the early linear, simple pong to today’s advanced graphics and intricate story lines. In today’s video games, character development and story telling are the most important factors that go into making a successful game. However, there are few video games that have transcended simple entertainment and have presented strong statements about culture itself, weaving these ideas throughout the story lines and through character development. Probably the most prominent example of one of these3 games would be Rock Star Games’ “Grand Theft Auto V.” In it, there are endless references to popular culture and a shining light on the flaws that are within society today breaking popular cultural myths by presenting the cultural ideas associated with them.
    Those who have played any previous “Grand Theft Auto” (GTA) game knows that Rockstar has come a long way in its character development and story telling. With GTA5, Rockstar attempts to incorporate character development with three characters simultaneously, where the stories of each individual are a part of the game as a whole, yet stand a lone to represent different aspects of society and the diverse mindsets of individuals within society. The game features the lives of 3 characters: Trevor Phillips, Michael De Santa and Franklin Clinton. Rockstar uses these characters to break popular cultural myths. Trevor Phillips is the most insane of the three. His character acts on emotion rather than logic. His strong sexual presence, drunken binges, rage filled rampages and the repeated instances of “act first think later”  represents the deeper side of every individual, the deep animal instinct within us that deals with out impulses, our inner demons which we are too scared to present to the outside world. Trevor’s character is a symbol of the inner demons and his character is associated with the consequences that are attributed with letting those demons run wild. He is constantly finding trouble and ending up in weird places (when you switch to his character in the middle of the game you can find him drunk somewhere, even on top of a mountain) proving to be a clever way of saying you may inevitably “lose yourself” when you act the way he does.
    Michael De Santa is the embodiment of greed and lack of fulfillment and the willingness to escape your past. His actions are justified by his good intentions in hoping to get his life back together after just “one more big score,” being the heist of the Union Depository. Michael’s life is close to perfect before he gets mixed up in the life of robbery again with is old partner, Trevor. Being that he owns a multimillion dollar house, a wife and two grown kids, Michael is a symbol of the elite, he is what society believes to be the top of the financial food chain. We are presented with the cultural myth that when you have money you have it all however, Rockstar breaks that myth by using Michael actions as a vehicle to prove that happiness isn’t in the amount of money you have but the stability that surrounds you be it in family or friends.

Im Sold Pleasure, Not a Product

Advertisers and ads themselves have changed over the years. Today it seems as though instead of selling a product they are selling a lifestyle that is associated with the product. An important factor in this way of advertising is the audience that the ad is being targeted to. In the advertising world the audience can be anyone from the stay at home wife to the up-and-at-em husband (and vise-verse). The emotion most associated with the products being sold by companies is Happiness or pleasure, and lets face it, what is considered happiness for a man is completely different from what is considered happiness for a man or a child. However, is the way that these ads play on the emotions of the audience harmful or beneficial to both the consumer and the seller? Well, the truth of the matter is: it depends. As a guy I notice many commercials that are directed toward me (or the certain audience i happen to be in). One of my favorite commercials are the Men's Wearhouse commercials, most notably the "Walk of Fame" commercial. Now think about what the Men's Wearhouse sells, and examine the commercial. they aren't just selling a suit. They are selling you idea of pleasure and confidence. Pleasure in the form of a beautiful woman passing you buy and shooting you a glance of "damn you're sexy" and confidence in the way you look which caused that woman to shoot you the aforementioned a glance. However, are these two things a cultural myth that is associated with the items Men's Wearhouse sells? well, one is and the other is not. Confidence can be found in anything that yo find represents you, whether it be the way you look or what you do for a living. but confidence alone wont get a woman to find you attractive, especially if you are a complete ass. That is the thing about companies and the advertisements that they put out there on television land. They aim to sell you a lifestyle and an idea of what that product might make you feel about yourself. In some cases this approach can be good or bad. It just depends on the product being sold and how it is being sold to you.

Early on in LeRoy Ashby’s article on the rise of pop culture, Ashby made one very distinct reference to historian Russel Nye, quoting: “Popular art confirms the experience of the majority.” When I read this I realized that this is the definition of Popular Culture. Everything that surrounds us can be converted into a reflection in popular culture, but in some ways our experiences may be exaggerated or may have an extreme example brought forth in order to bring some sort of point across to the audience. For example as in the “Don’t Text and Drive” commercials you are introduced to the idea that if you text and drive you are ultimately going to die or kill someone else. As this may be true, it is just one of the possibilities.  The article itself continues on with the same theme, which is that as the times change, so do what is reflected in pop culture. What happens in comic books, movies and radio are all reflective on the attitudes of the people and the events surrounding them. Pop culture is in a sense our own autobiographical Sociology book.