Extra Credit Blog Post

I had never used a blog before my RTF 305 class. All my assignments for classes in high school were papers, projects, and occasionally videos, and I have only been assigned papers for my other classes at UT. I haven’t even used a personal blog, though I think they are a great idea and can be pretty interesting.

I liked using a blog for RTF 305 because it was a nice change from all the papers and essays I am used to writing. I also thought the format was more conducive to describing a topic for a media class; I could include pictures and videos that were relevant to my blog post, something I could never do in an essay or paper.

The only difficulty I had in using the blog was when I first started, and I wasn’t totally sure how to format the post. It was probably just because I had never used a blog before. Other than that, the blog was very easy to use.

I liked the blog posts where we had to provide an example of what we were talking about that we were familiar with. For example, I enjoyed analyzing shots in one of my favorite movies for the blog prompt on film progression. It was hard to come up with an example to use for these posts, but once I had one it was fun to write about.

I would recommend using a blog for RTF 305 and other classes because it is extremely simple to use and a nice change from traditional paper essays. However, it would be nice to know how formal the blog posts were supposed to be. I felt like they should have been very formal because they were assigned for a college class, but the combination of the blog format and ability to use pictures and other media made it seem like the posts didn’t need to be written formally. I suggest that this issue be discussed in class before students start blogging.

Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.

Globalization and Cultural Imperialism

            According to Prof. Straubhaar’s lecture on Globalization and Media, globalization is the process of increasing interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people. Globalization is accelerated by technological developments, so it has grown considerably over the past few decades. Globalization is highly connected to the concept of cultural imperialism, or the “Westernization” of other cultures to the point where all cultures are essentially the same.  Without globalization, we cannot have cultural imperialism. Because of the large amount of power the U.S. has, the U.S. exports its culture much more than it imports other cultures. There is a stereotype that Americans know nothing about the outside world, and although that isn’t totally accurate, there is some truth to it; with the world becoming more and more Americanized, Americans have less of a reason to learn about other countries and cultures. And, with increased Americanization, comes increased consumerism in Americanized countries.

            McDonalds is pretty much the poster child for American globalization and cultural imperialism. It has moved from being only in the U.S. to having restaurants in many countries all over the world. The spread of McDonalds epitomizes many people’s fears that American culture is taking over other countries, causing them to lose their cultural identity. McDonalds does make an effort to relate to other cultures, with different menu items such as these:

However, changing menu items does not take away the effect of Americanization in these countries, nor the fears that go along with it.

Advertising Appeals - Old Spice Commercial

 

Old Spice Commercial

As is the case with many people, the popular commercial for Old Spice is one of my favorite ads. I think its immense popularity shows that it is a powerful advertisement. The commercial's creativity and humor caught people's attention and made people think more about the brand Old Spice. It features an attractive, well-built man talking to the viewer, insinuating that he is better than the viewer's man because he uses Old Spice. And although the viewer's man, unfortunately, isn't the Old Spice guy, he can smell like the Old Spice guy if he uses Old Spice body wash, implying that this will make the man a better boyfriend/husband.

The advertising appeal in Prof. Straubhaar's lecture that best applies to this commercial is the appeal of achievement or prominence. While this kind of appeal perhaps applies mainly to celebrity status or a well-known brand, I think it can also be used to make the viewer want to better themselves in some way, whether that be with a famous brand of shoe or trying to better please your woman by using Old Spice body wash. This appeal says that if you use a certain product, you'll gain lots of attention and possibly be more popular. The ability to make yourself better in some way just by buying a product is a highly effective appeal.

This advertisement is super effective at conveying the idea that if you use Old Spice body wash, you will be more attractive, better at pleasing your woman, and more able to care for her needs. Similarly, the ad tells women that if she were to convince her man to use Old Spice body wash, he would be a better boyfriend/husband, much like the man in the commercial. If a man uses Old Spice body wash, he will be at the top of his game; no other body wash could make him as attractive and appealing as Old Spice can. This commercial aims to make the Old Spice guy look like the most attractive, appealing man you could ever hope to be like, and says that it's totally possible to be like him if you use Old Spice body wash.