PROPAGANDA!
(1/8 credit in Communications)
Right off the bat: three words to define
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DEFINE PROPAGANDA (check the dictionary) |
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DEFINE ADVERTISING (check the dictionary) |
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DEFINE MEDIA (check the dictionary) |
You don't need to turn in your definitions, but that's what this module is about: propaganda and advertising in media.
Now, some information for you!
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Did you know that teenagers spend about $100 billion annually on such items as health and beauty products, music, and clothing? Whoa! Don't even try to claim ads are never aimed at teenagers. Businesses want your bucks! |
There's a lot more to understanding propaganda in media than we will do here. There are full scale college courses and professors who spend all their time working with media literacy.
When we use the term "media literacy" in schools, we're trying to help young people develop skills to analyze information presented, understand its intent, and evaluate all forms of media.
We're going to start with some common advertising techniques. Remember, advertisers want you to buy their product!
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BANDWAGON! Ads that use the bandwagon technique persuade people to buy something by letting them know others are doing it. |
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TESTIMONIAL! These ads use the words of a famous person to persuade you. |
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TRANSFER ~ These ads use the names or pictures of famous people to persuade you, but they don't use their direct words. |
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REPETITION ~ In some ads, the product name is repeated at least four times |
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EMOTIONAL WORDS ~ These ads use words that will make you feel strongly about someone or something |
You can look at these techniques from another angle, too. Think about how the ad is trying to get you to purchase it. Consider these questions:
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Does NOT having this product make you unlovable? Will you NOT be liked if you don't have it? |
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Does NOT having this product make you feel left out? Does the advertiser make it appear that everyone else is buying it, so you'll be left out if you don't buy it too? |
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Does NOT having this product make you feel inadequate? If you don't buy this product, will you be unable to do things as well as other people? |
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Does NOT having this product make you feel less masculine/feminine? If you don't buy this product, will members of the opposite sex find you unattractive? |
ASSIGNMENT #1
Choose TEN magazine ads for this unit. If you can, cut these advertisements out of the magazines; otherwise, you may photocopy them. Your advertisement collection must show EACH of the five basic advertising techniques. For each ad, attach a note which names the advertising technique AND write a "NOT" question like the examples above.
Magazine advertising strongly influences how we feel about our own bodies and what we find attractive in others. For this examination, you will need a woman's magazine, like Seventeen or Good Housekeeping or McCall's. This isn't because males don't have the same problems as females, but males look at females, too (surprised?), and their magazines are easier to find.
In the magazine, you will look at every image of a woman in an ad. Below are a lot of possibilities for HOW women are portrayed. Each item has two opposite images. Some of the ads might show women in more than one of the groups below. For each image, make tally marks by the items below. If you have any questions about the meaning, please ask!
ANOREXIC (painfully skinny) vs. HEALTHY
REALISTIC IMAGE vs. COMPUTER ENHANCED OR AIRBRUSHED
WHOLE PEOPLE vs. BODY PARTS (segmentation)
WOMEN USED TO SELL OBJECTS OR PORTRAYED AS OBJECTS (objectification)
vs. WOMEN NOT USED IN SUCH A WAY
WOMAN IN ACTIVE ROLE vs. WOMAN IN PASSIVE ROLE
OBVIOUS AND NOT SO OBVIOUS IMAGES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST FEMALES
vs. WOMEN WITH NO EVIDENCE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THEM
FEMALES SHOWN IN TRADITIONAL ROLES (wives, mothers, secretaries, etc.)
vs. WOMEN SHOWN IN NON-TRADITIONAL ROLES (running heavy equipment, women in power, etc.)
