I recall this question being asked in class and thought it would be best to adapt online. More time may allow for some more answers. I personally would say that most my film tastes are out of touch with what the advertising machine advocates. I rarely see new films, and only if it receives good reviews. Really most films that I see are classics. Films such as those by Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, (Mr. Lazarow's favorite) Akira Kurasawa, Truffaut, Chaplin, Tati, etc. Talking with other kids, I find that most know their Hitchcock and Coppola but haven't the slightest idea who the mentioned filmmakers are. Filmmakers that are just as important, and influential. I suppose a film like The Seventh Seal would be considered uncool and boring by a media. I suspect this is because the greatest profits wouldn't arise from challenging, meditative films. The fact that these films are even out on DVD is because a small group of enthusiasts buy them at expensive prices ($30-$40 for a Criterion disc).
So what tastes of yours, do you feel aren't predominantly influenced by the massive advertising machine?
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7 comments:
When this question was asked in class I didn't have an answer. I give in to media, as almost all teenagers do. How could we not? It surrounds us and specifically targets us. Its difficult to think of a taste of mine that isn't influenced by advertisements. I guess my hobbies could be considered uninfluenced by media. I like to knit and I don't really know too many people who do that, the ones who do are about 80 years old. But that isn't something the media would advertise as "cool." Most likely, advertisements that endorse products for teens feature teenagers who are out having fun with their friends, with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or at a party. The market uses tactics that give teens expectations that they feel required to meet.
Which brings me to another point. The movie showed clips from MTV's Spring Break and I have a feeling that I'm not alone when I say that the images they showed did not correctly represent teens. I know that I'm not like the girls they advertised and I don't know many people who cover themselves in whipped cream on live television. I feel like the movie really negatively stereotyped teenagers in an incorrect way. Not everyone does the things that the stereotypical teenager does. We may like to watch them on MTV but how many of us actually live like they do on shows like The Hills or Gossip Girl which give teenage girls an image to live up to that is generally unachievable. Its a problem that i wasn't aware of before we watched that movie in class.
Now i feel that adults recognize teenagers as irresponsible party-animals who only care about name brands. Which isn't correct for all teens and I feel misrepresented by these stereotypes. There is an amount of the teen population that is mature, responsible, and doesn't fit the part of the stereotypical teenager so why are we all represented in such a negative way?
-Melissa
I also suppose my music tastes haven't really been much affected by the advertising machine. Artists like the Velvet Underground, and especially Captain Beefheart, are probably unmarketable to the masses. Could you imagine this playing on your local radio station?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNStKhavmOs
After watching the movie I have to say I really am unaffected by it. I can see how girls would feel wronged by the movie since they basically ragged on teenage girls and made seem like sexual objects who only care about their apearance, but I believe to the avearage teenage male this movie doesnt apply. Speaking for myself and for most of the teenage male population most of us dont even go shopping for clothes (In fact its pretty much a form of torture to be forced to go buy clothes). We rely upon our parents to buy us clothes, and while we may give the occasional tip on what we would like it doesnt go much farther past that. In fact the mall really isnt even a "cool" place to hang out for most males unless you are skateboarding or seeing a movie.
Furthermore when judging how "cool" a person is I certainly dont care what kind of clothes someone is wearing. I like to believe that most of the people I associate myself with have some personality that makes them worth spending time with. I dont really care how up to date a person is with the latest cool things or how well they relate to the advertising of major corporations vying for their dollars. This movie was a way for me to further learn about what kind of marketing companies use, why some people like to where gas masks to feel cool, and how a few years ago some people liked to paint there faces and listen to the Insane Clown Posse, but other than that I dont really feel affected by it.
I think the movie over specify what cool is and what teens associate with being cool at the time. At least in my personal opinion I don't spend the time to see what brand of clothing my peers are wearing or what their favorite kinds of music are. Those are just their personal choices and it doesn't change what I think of them as a person. The movie just made it seem like teens are completely consumed with being popular and looking good at all times and I just don't see that being 100% true. For example clothes for me just represent a person's style, not what social clique they might belong to. In the end each person will have their own particular taste and different things that appeal to them.
Joe M.
-btw the comment on top of Joe's is Tyler H.
I think most of us would agree that the Merchants of Cool did not exactly get things right during their 'Cool Hunt,' for it had clearly shown an inaccurate portrayal of the teenage culture. But what was the purpose for these market researches? It’s so that people would be persuaded to purchase the company’s products.
If we think about it this way, maybe the marketers have achieved their goals. Of course, their success was not defined in the sense that they were able to correspond to our definition of 'cool' since they’d failed to offer a precise representation of their potential customers. But, regardless, they have influenced enough to stay in business and they are making a notable amount of money.
I think that it should be made clear that despite my film and music tastes being out of touch with so called marketing reality, I feel that marketing affects how I live profoundly. The difference is in more subtle ways. For instance, when choose what I'm going to wear to school, the clothes in my closet are not unique or in any way deviant from mainstream culture. I don't consciously think of what I'm going to wear, and therefore may be under the impression that I'm immune to marketing. However, subconsciously, I am extraordinarily influenced.
-Alexander A. writer of main post + music comment + this comment.
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