mass media

University of Phoenix Material

Consumption and Mass Media Worksheet

1. Respond to all questions with academic paragraphs of at least 50 words. State your point of view and explain it thoroughly.

What is conspicuous consumption? How does conspicuous consumption influence purchasing decisions? Think about a high-priced item that you have bought or would like to buy. To what extent does conspicuous consumption affect your decision?
Conspicuous consumption Is the act or practice of spending money on expensive things that are not necessary in order to impress other people, this influences purchases by making people feel like wearing a certain brand, driving a particular car, and go to certain places to eat, shop, and hang out is the only way to be accepted in a “social circle”. There is a coach backpack purse that I would like to have that I plan on buying in the near future. I know that conspicuous consumption does not affect my decision because I choose to buy things because I like them not because I want to impress others.
What is conspicuous leisure? Examples of conspicuous leisure are abundant on television. In what ways are leisure activities informed by social and economic class? Provide an example of a popular leisure activity. What assumptions can you make about the participants of the activity?
Conspicuous leisure is visible leisure for the sake of displaying social status. Golf and basketball country clubs or exclusive neighborhoods are usually set aside for social classes, assumptions you can make about someone playing golf is that they are wealthy own a really big house and has at least one sports car.
Define the term globalization. What effect does globalization have on popular culture? Provide an example of how American popular culture has influenced other countries, or how the United States has imported popular culture from other countries.
Globalization is the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets. The effect globalization has on popular culture by having out of the country jobs through telemarketing and customer service jobs.

2. Choose an advertisement. Analyze the ad for its media message. Answer the following questions based on that ad.

Who created the media message? Why?
Yoplait yogurt is the creator of the media message. The purpose of the commercial is gogurt advertising.
Who is the intended audience? What do you know about the intended audience—age, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, hobbies, profession?
The intended audience is for children and parents on the go there is no specific race, ethnicity or gender seems to be targeted .
What type of lifestyle is presented? Is it realistic? Why or why not?
The lifestyle that is presented is a stay at home mom sending her children to school with lunch, the idea of a say at home mom doing that is realistic because that is what I do which made the commercial relatable to me.
What is the text, written or in another form, of the message? What do you see and hear: written or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, and so on?
On the way out of the door the Yoplait yogurt logo shows up while the kids are walking out and one of the kids eating the product.
What is the hidden text? What is unstated or implied in the message?
Although this is commercial for yogurt there was a statement that said natural colors natural flavors giving the impression that the Smokey look for women with makeup is not natural or just make up itself.
What values are expressed? family What groups of people are empowered in this message? What groups are disempowered? How so?
This message empowers mothers that have children on the go
What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the untold stories? The part of the story that is not told is that what does moms make up have to do with yogurt or why is there an apparent gap in relationship with mothers and children. I do not know how to retrieve more information on this story.
Can these messages affect how you think and feel? Why or why not? Provide examples Yes this message can affect how I think or feel because I am tricked into thinking that Im looking at a makeup commercial but its yogur.
Can these messages affect your behavior? Why or why not? Provide examples These messages can affect my behavior only if allow it to
Can the messages affect the cultural values in society in general? Why or why not? Provide examples.
Yes yogurt is made to look more appealing to children and parents are a big joke