Century of Self

The Century of The Self quotes Sigmund Freud describing "primitive sexual and aggressive forces hidden deep inside the minds of all human beings [as] forces [that] if not controlled, [would] lead societies into chaos and destruction. The focus of the documentary expands on Freud's theory in the direction of "How those in power have tried to control the dangerous crowed in an age of mass democracy"

One of the most interesting aspects of The Century of The Self is that it reveals the progression of advertising.

A starting point for advertising as it is presently known would have been during WWII. Propaganda took Freud's theory and used it to manipulate people for political purposes. Propaganda was one of the first active illustrations of using people's inner desires for a purpose. For example people wanted an honest, relatable, yet strong leader in Germany, and videos such as Triumph of the Wills were created to portray Hitler in such light.

After the war Bernays said,"If you could use propaganda for war you could certainly use propaganda for peace." Bernays instantly became a Pioneer in persuasive advertising. First, he changed the word propaganda to 'public relations' because it had such a poor connotation. Today, public relations includes all mass media, but from the documentary it sounded as though the original thought of public relations was about "making money by manipulating the unconscious", otherwise known as advertising.

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 Bernays set out to get women to start smoking. He created this idea of "Lighting up torches of Freedom." The idea was to press in on the desire of liberty and equality. If everyone has freedom in America, then everyone is equal. Since women wanted equality and the cigarettes were selling an idea of freedom, then they would sell. Bernays said "It made him realize that it was possible to persuade people to act irrationally if you linked products to their emotional desires, and feelings. The idea that smoking actually made women freer was completely irrational, but it made them feel more independent; it meant that irrelevant objects could become powerful emotional symbols of how you wanted to be seen by others."

There is a clear progression from Freud's theory, to the use of his theory for  propaganda,  for public relations, then for advertising as it is known today. The same thought existed all along it simply expanded from a political force to a consumer force.

"Band"

One of the most reliable constants of film is that it never happens exactly how we would have imagined. Sometimes our expectations are far exceeded whereas other times trying to shoot seems like an impossible accomplishment.

For this music video, I wrote five different artist to see if they were interested in being shot, or willing to let me use their music. I have not heard back from any of them, but I have not given them much time to respond, either. In the meantime, I have a few friends who said they would like to help. We are not a band, rather a group of people who get together from time to time, and make music.

We plan to shoot on Saturday, February 9th in the Clarksburg, Maryland area. The music will be all original and it will most likely be improvisation. Generally, the music is praise or worship music, so walking in with a theme in mind will help the pre-production shot-brainstorming process. I do plan on shooting outside shots that are not of the band, but help to reinforce the theme of the music being played.

However, If one of the bands I originally contacted responds then I will shoot them, but for now, at least there is a plan. The reality will most likely defer from anything that I am expecting, so I am preparing to work with whatever comes around.

“Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”

As ridiculous as it sounds, it was not until the market researcher in the Persuaders asked “Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”, that I understood what really sells in the market.

Marketing sells an emotion, not just a product. We associate foods, kitchenware, music, colors, tools everything to a certain emotion. When people buy bread, they are not only spending money on a food to fulfill their nutritional requirements, they buy comfort. They buy tenderness, and they buy acceptance.

To logically think about trying to sell a intangible product, it seems impossible. However, when researchers ask if “you feel lonely when you eat bread”, and the answer is 'no', then the marketer has indeed sold a sense of fulfillment.

Repih believes that “consumers are driven by unconscious needs, and impulses.” This being said, if shoppers are feeling trapped, then marketers are going to want to sell the word, or idea of 'adventure'. If shoppers are feeling stressed, products will be marketed as 'relaxing'. The same sweater could be marketed as adventurous, or as relaxing. The tag could have a photo of a woman outside hiking, or the woman could be curled-up reading a book. Depending on the area the sweater is being sold, one idea would sell better than the other. A single mom might never have an opportunity to curl-up, and read, so the sweater might seem like a dream product. An instantly gratifying escape from her busy reality into a cozy day of relaxation, and peace if she sees the tag of the women reclining. Likewise, a house-wife who has read every book on her shelf might look at a woman enjoying the great- outdoors on the sweater tag, and be more inclined to spend money because the product will 'give her' adventure when she does not have any.

They next time I think about buying a product, or selling something I will ask myself “What emotion am I buying with this?”, “Do I feel lonely when I eat bread?”

Oreos

         Aside from the free public stations that played Arthur, The Magic School Bus, and Bill Nye, I did not watch much television as a child. As a young adult I chose Netflix over commercials, so compared to most Americans my television exposure is quite limited.  Granted, I saw this Oreos commercial, once, and I have never been able to forget it.

  

    This commercial is wonderful. Oreo’s remain in this man’s life as a constant and a comfort. No matter how old he is, he will always have his Oreos and milk. When people think about Oreos, they probably think – “comfort”. They sell the emotion and the security.

     All of a sudden this man’s norm is shattered and he is terrified. People are often afraid of change and the advertiser plays off of that idea. Rather than having the man try the product immediately, the advertiser exploits the reality so that the viewer can relate.

    Finally, the man tries the product, and his shout of discomfort, becomes one of great happiness. The commercial openly says it is all right to be skeptical, but we "will surely exceed your expectations."  

    The commercial doesn’t just sell the excitement of the new product, it reinforces the comfort, and goodness of the original product. 

I suppose no matter how little television one’s been exposed to, they will still remember something.

Cyber War

             The article " A farewell to arms" was one of the most thought provoking articles that we've read.  With a hint of sarcasm, the article presents a well supported sketch of current events. John Carlin, the writer, wrote about our nations most vulnerable place of attack,  including Washington's outdated plan of defense.

    Carlin quoted Voltaire in saying that, "For those on the ramparts of the world's sole superpower, the digital winds are blowing an icy chill through the triumphant glow of the post-Cold War." 

       Although I am familiar with cyber-attacks, identity theft, and even cyber-bullying. I have not thought of the web as the new battle ground for mass destruction. This article was certainty an eye-opener; however, it did not surprise me. When an enemy is looking to destroy, they are going to go where it will hurt the most. We have come to depend on the internet, and if someone is seeking to destroy our nation they will pull that crutch out from under us, first. In just one day America would turn upside down without the internet: education, banking, business, shopping, social networking, billing, it would be a fiasco. 

     I thought the most interesting part of the article were the statements made years ago predicting such an attack:

                 "From former National Security Agency director John McConnell: "We're more                                  vulnerable than any other nation on earth." Or former CIA deputy director William                         Studeman: "Massive networking makes the US the world's most vulnerable target"                         ("and the most inviting," he might have added). Or former US Deputy Attorney                              General Jaime Gorelick: "We will have a cyber equivalent of Pearl Harbor at                               some point, and we do not want to wait for that wake-up call."    


     The was a time of war when we had to transition from swords, arrows, and catapults to firearms, and bombs. Our weapons changed, but the basics remained the same. There was a plane of defense. Tactics such as guerrilla warfare, and flanking still existed. We are now in a new age of weaponry, and vulnerability. We need to learn what digging cyber trenches will look-like to our oncoming enemies.   

The final remark from writer was this: 

                   "A little digitally induced confusion might be par for the course in, say, the telecom
                industry or even on the global financial markets. But warfare is something else
                altogether. And while the old Washington wheels slowly turn, information technology
                is undermining most of the world's accumulated knowledge about armed conflict - 
                since Sun Tzu, anyway."

Future=Accepting the present

      "What does the future hold for us technologically? Will we be surfing the web in our sleep? Will computers grow to dominate us and use our precious bodies as batteries?" (Gay).

      Perhaps, perhaps we will become robots ourselves. People already have prosthetic limbs, metal spins, and surgically implanted boxes that inject chemicals to manipulate brain waves, and reduce pain. We use radiation to kill cancer, and X-rays to see bones.
 
      It is hard to predict the future of technology because it is constantly changing. I think that many of the technological advances that we can actually fathom have already been created. I think that  companies use psycho-economics to retail their products at very precise times in order to gain the greatest profits.

   It is strange to predict that "computers [might] grow to dominate us and use our precious bodies as batteries" because that is what manpower is. A man rowing a boat infuses his physical force (energy) on the boat to make it move through water. Although a battery has not been made, the transfer of energy from a human to an object is as old as dirt. The only difference between a man in a boat, and a battery is the containment of that transferred energy. As absurd as it might sound it would not surprise me if this has already been done. However, the demand for battery human has yet to exist. As technology continues to replace humans, for example cashiers in grocery stores, perhaps it will be in that moment, battery human becomes a necessity.

   I think a lot of technologies future has already been created, it is just a matter of time before it is released. When the Internet was first created, I am sure people were afraid of its capabilities and refused it as much as possible, but it gradually became another norm. In the same way as the internet once scared us, technology today has the same effect. We have phones, and computers that learn our interests, and make recommendations for us; we are skeptical, and slow to accept it.

 'Future' technology will not be marketed until we can accept the present, and become willing to pay.

 

   

Reading Rainbow

       LeVar is hoping to make ''Reading Rainbow'' episodes available online. Although "Burton says a shift in education philosophy during the Bush administration is to blame for the show’s ultimate demise," children would still be able to watch the show (Grabert).
   
     Shows are already available online for various television programs. It seems almost like common sense to revert to the Internet in cases such as LeVar's.
   
     The Internet has become an incredible instrument in education. Not only does the Internet host a plethora of scholarly resources, encyclopedias, and 'how to' videos, it is slowly becoming the new classroom.  Not only are college courses available online, but middle, and high school courses are also being offered.

     If LeVar's intention is to educate the Internet is certainly the way to go.  When people have a question, their first instinct is to "'Google' it". The advantages are endless. If episodes are available online not only will "Reading Rainbow" be watched, but the books it references will be available to viewers right then, and there. LeVar can get immediate viewer response; in turn, he will be able to cater his work to the specific needs of his viewers, ultimately, becoming a more effective educator. Additionally, children would be able to view what episodes they wanted when they wanted, and parents would be able to dictate the episodes their children view in accordance to what their children would be learning in school.  

     Fun, educational programs such as "Reading Rainbow" are beautiful resources. They need to be available to children, and if television will not approve them, the Internet will.

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Reading-Rainbow-Heads-Online-With-LeVar-Burton-Website-Kids-39406.html