Adds: useful or annoying?

     I woke up this morning to hear covers of 70s songs being blasted on the TV. I walk in, curious and see my sister watching Glee. I used to watch Glee when I was ten, not getting much out of it as i would just sing along to each song. As I sat down and payed more attention, I realized how many different messages were being sent across by one TV show. Glee focuses on sending messages to people of all different ages. The importance of accepting everyone, the freedom of loving any gender, being confident, and being there for the people you care about are shown through every episode. Glee is not the only TV show bringing across messages to kids, teens, or adults. Every show aired seems to be teaching different values to people of all ages.

     TV is not only sending positive messages to viewers, though. As i sat and watched Glee, i noticed brands being mentioned. I decided to pay more attention, as i did they become more noticeable. It was like the skater at the anti-bullying rally, stating a fact about bullying and then midway through the fact yelling 360! A character would be talking and then all of the sudden mention a brand or put focus to a certain article of clothing. Others such as "The Amazing Race" advertise at any chance they can. It is a reality Tv show but has people in it saying, "Let me drive to the next pit stop in my amazing Ford vehicle." The popular show known as the Mindy Project advertises Windows Phones almost every episode (as the gif shows). TV has become a world full of constant advertisement, as people now have the devices to skip ahead of commercials.
     TV is not the only area of media with advertisements. Apps such as twitter, snapchat, and instagram are constantly distracting the viewer with a small add. For example, when you click on someone's profile and scroll a few tweets down, there is an add waiting for your arrival. It took me about five seconds to open twitter and see an add for "Lion Hoodies." Snapchat also has created filters to promote a movie or a food item. For example, a filter on snapchat today was for "Totinos Pizza Rolls." Every few days, instagram does the same as twitter. Clothing brands are mentioned with a picture of a baby or a family, trying to appeal to people and click on the account for that specific brand.
     When I started to pay attention to adds across media, I noticed how frequently i was seeing them. Every time I go on any app, I see at least three adds. A question many may ask is: how effective are these adds? Each time i see one, i slightly roll my eyes and move on with what i was doing. These companies spend thousands of dollars advertising, not knowing whether it will become effective or not. This was a question I could not answer before i entered this class. I didn't understand media in the way i am becoming able to now. I have began to notice the colors put on adds, the images they show, and realize that to some people these adds are probably effective. When I focus on these advertisements i realize how manipulative and persuasive media can be. Each add is able to target emotions of sadness, anger, or happiness. Media, today, has to ability to change a person's mood with just one picture. Although to some this may seem fascinating, it in a way is frightening.