Product Reviews

One reason I love media is because I can benefit from things other people say and post.  I was recently looking to buy some new makeup and wanted to try something different, so I relied on product reviews from others to form my own opinion on what to buy.  I knew nothing about these products but was able to learn what other people thought because they posted their opinion, what they liked, what problems they had with the products, etc.  It made me think about how others can influence our opinions without us even knowing!  It also made me grateful for services like customer reviews because of how helpful they are!

Luckily I loved the products I ended up purchasing, so it turned out great.  But other times we still rely on reviews like these and it doesn't turn out the way we anticipated, but we still seem to read these reviews!  It can be a bad thing or a wonderful thing, but I am always that person to take the risk!

"You Never Know"

I love how the Church has been using media to spread the gospel.  I came across this video the other day and just loved the simple message it taught.  The video is called "You Never Know" - I couldn't figure out how to imbed it, but here is the link to the video:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3792885561001

I think media (especially social media) is becoming such a huge part of our culture and this is such a great opportunity for our Church to teach many members and nonmembers around the globe.  This Mormon Message in particular is a little reminder that you never know what kind of difference you can make in the lives of others.  If you end the day thinking you haven't accomplished anything, that is the wrong attitude to have.  There are little things we do that can affect others in such a positive way.  I think this is something we all need to remember in our daily lives.

Just like the Church has used media to spread the gospel, I think it is so important that we as members of the Church try to use social media for good and spread the gospel in any way we can.  If it is by bearing our testimony online, sharing a link to a Mormon Message, or being proud members of the Church, we never know what kind of influence we can make.  Social media is such a powerful tool and we have the opportunity to use it for good to spread the knowledge of the gospel, and we shouldn't take it for granted.

Violent Video Games

I was talking to my husband about our media class and the things we've discussed so far.  I brought up the subject of video games, and how there have been studies showing that violent video games and media can have a negative effect on development.  My husband immediately disagreed with me and said that he thinks violent video games have no effect whatsoever (at least for him).  He is really interested in anything to do with history so he really likes the video games that recreate wars and battles of the past, and there's lots of violence that comes with it.  I am not totally against video games, but growing up in my house my brothers were not allowed to play "rated M" games.  So naturally, I don't feel very comfortable with my husband playing these violent games.  He seems convinced that he is not affected, but then it made me think a little deeper.  Do violent video games and other forms of violent media affect us as much when we are older, after our brains have fully developed?  I've heard mixed answers from people about this, but I still think that violence affects us no matter our age.

Taking it too far?

I was on Instagram this week and got a notification that I had a new follower.  I didn't recognize the user's name so I clicked on the page to see who it was.  It took me a minute to figure it out, but it ended up being my friend's new puppy.  She had created an Instagram account for her dog!!  I was kind of surprised that somebody would do this, and it seemed a little over the top to me.  I've heard of people making Instagram accounts or Facebook pages for their young children before, and they post on their behalf, but animals?!  That's taking it to a whole new level!!!  It got me thinking about how people spend way too much time on social media.  I get that it's important to post about your daily life so that your friends and family can know what's going on, but is making a separate Instagram account for your dog a little too much?  Is that taking it too far?  I am not on social media a ton, I check maybe a few times a day and post one or two times a week.  This was so surprising to me that someone found the need to create a separate profile for an animal, a dog who can't even post for themselves and doesn't even know what Instagram is!

Nobody is Immune

Advertising and media are like peanut butter and jelly.  They just go together.  In our world today, you can't be exposed to media without coming across some sort of advertisement.  But do these advertisements really affect the way we think about the products and services that are being mentioned?

This thought came across my mind when I was in the car listening to a radio infomercial the other day.  The commercial was advertising some kind of laser body contouring service.  I was not interested in what was being advertised, and the "customer testimonials" seemed outrageous.  I just could not believe that some people fall for these kinds of things, because they seem expensive and too good to be true.

But the story doesn't end there.  A few minutes later, I found myself listening to another commercial advertising a product called "Ovation Cell Therapy".  And I have to admit, I actually use this product!  It is on the more expensive end, and the advertisements make it seem like bottled up magic, but something must have influenced me to try it.

I would not say that I am the type of person who goes out of the way to order these "As Seen on TV" or "online only" products that are not sold in stores.  I am generally pretty skeptical about these things, and have always thought that they are just expensive products that don't work.  But since I realized that I actually use one of these products, it really made me think about the influence of advertisements.  One commercial changed my thinking about a product, enough for me to purchase it and continue to use it.  I must admit that this was a subconscious process, because I didn't realize that I wanted to buy it because I heard it on a commercial.  Advertising works, and sometimes it can be scary!  Nobody is immune to these influences, even when we think we feel a certain way about something.