Posts I Commented On
1 ) Inggrid's 'Is Taxing Pop Really a Solution': http://inggridluvsmedia.blogspot.com/2010/01/re-is-taxing-pop-really-solution.html?showComment=1272042164070#c469560099962436518
2 ) Marc's Google Street View: http://dropsneakersnotbombs.blogspot.com/2010/04/hey-guess-what-i-can-see-you.html?showComment=1272043226824_AIe9_BED15c4GBk7HuRYhcWDuSY82O4XcZwNW0o1TqRWf3xFPidw9ar9YdCQzhVYozP0nuriQEuLYVrTylxqKEvlNAT8dbYlDhJGyyUeNUcg40d4LVWZjNUafOVz0ndod8tWFAl3lIrp1WRvXRcPKhE3jqeQ-_d9OPJmQf_pg43RxJVAhiA6SJBdFHbnkvyY3pRmgUuf2Y6N1KR7ZsssfGXZppvgOpnhkIinfIodqYSKM1BjfI2HzwuaTrsy4PaICqsg6aCRNx-_#c9180260376661817780
3 ) Mary Chiu's 'Photo Manipulation': http://maarychiu.blogspot.com/2010/03/photo-manipulation-on-hiatus-in-media.html#comment-form
4 ) Bea's 'Video Games': http://beatwoshoes.blogspot.com/2010/02/cod-isnt-just-fish-anymore.html?showComment=1272044121653_AIe9_BEqfsTt_W5AGsVVRfYlGgziCHx3LHRM2MksAyWJq8Q4wGOpc4divMvOYEB2bC098qcFWhmxPLU722aH0oHXPBZFVt7tX1kzGZ_q8YJm2bKyw9uqnvSF3b0LgApqv90avT_nuNDWFqTy6AZ__2SElOvwzYbcjoKi8feRwYexZVrsBCZNsrL8WKj2eGLJLPeWj9DMgt_f-SuponcFZQl5lRg4pii2REBSUhdVoBp6X4GBZqmaTRQ#c6063898988114858675
5 ) Ray's 'Social Contradiction': http://raylikesyou.blogspot.com/2010/01/social-awareness-contradiction.html#comments
6 ) Liam's 'Ads of the Past': http://liamdsouza.blogspot.com/2009/12/bad-products-smart-ads.html?showComment=1272044985470_AIe9_BGler-4VpYesLyziv5bGbuSWH52gQ7nCvjWYZlALwVKqzKdfqd2m_fluWvB3w4WOzkbmxnipvvf1Wh45X_j1M5QlulEJphG3_kYK1asskRmIvwmZVwrUeU8KM1AexcydgXBvWPKI-Fy2igcigajP9X3Ei0aGAdmPhbpQqexGMKHKhs8SEeiHWG63J3ZnrZenXqd5erfynWBdPp-CMHwad_ObYaCtqqoPV1g4dcjnrsiihqhMjY#c3546476242771164444
Pop Tax
First of all, that video was really disgusting. But then again, this scare campaign would most likely work for about a few months, and then it's effect starts to wear off a person.
I think that obesity is a growing epidemic that people don't treat as importantly as other health issues. It can lead to many different health problems in the future, and can eventually kill you.
In my opinion, I think that if America starts taxing on unhealthy foods, I think that more countries would follow, since, of course, America's the most powerful country in the world. Personally, if this ever were to happen, I think that I would still spend money on things like pop and chips, but not as often as I do now. After all, pop and chips are okay to have in moderation.
Photo Manipulation on Hiatus in the Media
I think that photo manipulation has crossed the line. I mean, if you compare a photoshopped/manipulated image to an image which hasn't been altered, sometimes you can't even tell who the person is. But of course, this is another example of the media trying to instill their unrealistic portrayal of 'beautiful'.
But, I think that now that the media is trying to bring in new trends such as make-up free faces and photoshop free photos. It's great and I think that it makes everyday people feel more comfortable about themselves because they don't have to worry about having to 'fit the standard' of the media. I think that if enough magazines start including these sort of photos in them, it'll catch on and hopefully all magazines will have photos that are all all-natural. Seeing everyday people in magazines may take a little getting used to but then again, it'll help not only me but everyone else feel better about themselves and not have to worry so much about our appearance.
The Changing Face of VIdeo Games
I think there are many benefits to 'exergames'. For example, they help you get a bit of exercise while having fun, rather than sitting on your bum all day with a simple controller, and from experience, sometimes these games can give you a real workout.
I feel that sometimes, these 'games' may not even be games at all. To me, a game is an activity where you enjoy an activity that has some competition between two or more parties. Some 'games', like those where you do yoga, I wouldn't consider games because their more for a person's well-being rather than competing with others, while games like Wii Sports, I would consider games because though you are physically involved, you can have a friendly competition with others.
I think that it all depends on who's playing the game to classify whether it's a game or not. I mean, everyone is entertained in a different way, or in other words, whatever floats your boat!
Social Awareness Contradiction
I never actually knew that Axe and Dove were of the same 'parent' company until now, but now that I do know, it's so weird to think that Dove's campaign is to promote the natural beauty of women, while Axe is all about how guys can get any girl that they want if they just use Axe.
I think that the Dove campaign for real beauty is something we need in a society full of superficial ideas on how a person should look like. It helps boost confidence in girls who feel like they don't fit the standard of what the media portrays as 'beautiful'.
On the other hand, Axe promotes that superficial image of a 'beautiful' person that's portrayed in the media, which, of course, totally opposes Dove's campaign. The Axe Effect just makes me think, 'who is really dumb enough to fall for this and buy their product'? I mean, just because a man smells like chocolate, doesn't mean a bunch of girls will go 'gaga' over him.
Overall, I think that Unilever should stick to values/beliefs that are relatively the same. Personally, I think that they should stick with Dove because it portrays a positive message, rather than a negative one, especially in this society.
Ads of the Past
I think ads are great, especially when they're able to make you think, but these ads from the past just make you question, "What were they thinking?". For example, the ad about being able to eat and never getting fat through ingesting 'sanitized' tape worms. I'm pretty sure that it would be bad to ingest any tape worm, whether it's sanitized or not. And the ad about how doctors smoked 'Camels' more than any other cigarette, but then when you think about it, wouldn't doctors know htat smoking is bad for your health? I think that ads back then, though the product that they're selling wouldn't exactly be good for you, they promoted it in order, of course, to sell it. For example, no one would eat lard, yet since an ad says that they (those in the ad) became happier after eating lard, they think, "Hey, maybe it'll work for me too!". I think that these ads tell us that the American society at the time was more about enjoyment, and that they were more laid back. I think that when these ads came out, it was the start of how the American society is today. I think that these ads imply that back then, men were still the dominating gender.
Today, I think that ads are more thought out because nowadays, we don't have doctors promoting cigarettes or ads promoting ingesting tape worms, and even lard. Now, instead of promoting cigarettes, we have ads that go against cigarettes because we know that their bad for our health. I also think we have more ways to advertise products/services because we have the internet and better technology. We also make up catchy little jingles for commercials which get us singing along and help up remember the product.
Overall, I think that ads now are much better at promoting products/services, and make much more sense, then back then.
Google Street View
Personally, I think that the idea of having a street view of addresses is a smart idea. It gives you an actual view of what the area you searched up would be like, as if you were standing right there. I don't think that it violates your privacy, unless you have something really personal outside of your house, or you can see the inside of your house. The fact that they blurred faces and plate numbers makes it safer because, of course, you can't stalk the cars or people that are shown in it. You probably wouldn't really be able to tell who the people shown are, since of course, you can't exactly see their face clearly. You also aren't even allowed to view townhouse areas, giving those who live in them, even more privacy.
This was a pretty smart idea because many people sometimes might know the location of a place by what it looks like, or at least what the area around it looks like, but don't know the actual address. But thanks to this new Google Maps feature, when you're in need of an address, this would help you out quite well. You'd be able to recognize the area in which you are looking at, thus resulting in an approximate address. This feature would help those who recognize and memorize things visually, to locate where things and places are, without having to leave their home.
