The above
picture was found on Google images. I chose to post this because I thought that
it would provide a strong foundation for discussion, and was also appropriate
for its rhetoric for the class. These images, called “memes” are popular now
because they take previous pictures and attach words to them to manipulate
them. Because of this, these photos and advertisements can convey several
different messages based off of the statements that are written on them. The
young man is clearly on a college campus and listening to his music. The fact
that he is listening to his music contributes to the strength of the statement
in the picture because of the fact that it mentions rap songs and how alcohol
is mentioned in these songs. Many of these images are meant to be comical and
humorous, but is a photo such as this really that funny? Does it hold a large
amount of truth? What is it really
trying to tell us? What is implied in this image? What is the significance of
this photo being in a college setting? Who does this photo appeal to? Why is this statement/stereotype assumed to
be true?
Hey all, this content is Mickey's. I'm just posting it on his behalf.
ReplyDeleteHe is clearly a student, as depicted by his backpack and the collegiate setting. He is in a good mood, as his smile conveys, and it could be assumed that his music has something to do with it. Walking to class, sitting at the library, or working out, I see headphones and I-pods everywhere I go. I think this ad chose a college kid because this age group "jams out" to their playlists more than any other. This transition period of teen to adult is also a time where humans gather interpretations of who they are and what they should be, and ultimately figure an identity. The media is a means in which teenagers learn about society and how they might fit into it. Popular music now-a-days is polluted with substance glorification and risque behavior, and having these ideas fed into our ears multiple times per day is a powerful and threatening thought. This picture is communicating that popular music today is slowly influencing the behavior of college students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the advertisement shows how messages in music influence college students. The choice of using a student on a college campus is significant to the effectiveness of the message that the image conveys. The advertisement portrays a student to highlight that young adults in college are especially impressionable as they are growing into adulthood and discovering who they are and how they fit into the world. Therefore a college student is a more effective choice in delivering the message of the meme than another person at a different point in life. Also, many college students listen to music all of the time and are more easily influenced by the messages within the music. Mentioning music and alcohol is another effective choice as it is very relative to the audience of college students. On the surface, the message of the image seems humorous but it is actually sarcastic in emphasizing how college students are greatly influenced by music and other messages appearing in the media.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely and the authors of this advertisement were very smart when considering audience and how their message will be received. The meme which are becoming more and more popular are now reflecting many common ideas and beliefs about those in the college age group. As you mentioned, music is everywhere and college students are often surrounded by music and the correlation of alcohol and college are addressed in the ad. The sarcasm is something that while humorous, can really be hurtful to those in college or those who have gone to college because the authors are "poking fun" at the generalization of those in college.
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