Ways of Seeing - Part 1 and Chapter 7 - respond by Wednesday Feb. 6th
In the comments section, respond with your thoughts on the following questions which relate to Chapter 7 in Ways of Seeing:
1) In what ways does the author mean that publicity images refer to the past and the future, but never to the present?
2) What does the author mean by the "total [publicity] system"? What would your world look like with NO ads in it?
3) Do you agree or disagree that advertising is representative of a Free Market system, in that the consumer is able to see ads, make an informed decision about which products they want to buy, and go buy them? Does publicity offer free choice in its purest sense?
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ReplyDelete-Tiffany
1) I feel that it refers to the fact that the images have already been painted/photographed before being released and shown to the public, theoretically in the past. Future tense, however, can be referring to advertisements regarding products yet to be released. The present cannot be preserved as it becomes a part of the past once the moment has passed.
ReplyDelete2) The total publicity system refers to advertisements and public images. If my world contained absolutely no ads, I would imagine that it would be vastly different. The upside is that it would be free from the sexist advertisements that depict women only cleaning and cooking. However, the lack of advertisements might lead to businesses not getting enough publicity, possibly putting them out of business after a while; then after every business went under, I assume the economy would collapse and bring about lack of social order, looting, and a society run by the people seen on Doomsday Preppers.
...I may have put too much thought into this answer. Anyway:
3) Not at all. Yes, there are advertisers that use straightforward information about the product, no fuss or frills; yet far too many of them rely on ridiculous social standards that pressure people into buying whatever is advertised, no matter how trivial. For example, take fashion ads: it caters to the current standards of masculinity and femininity. That sounds innocent enough, but because of the Photoshopping of the models, men and women who see the models and look back at themselves to see every "flaw" on their bodies, their minds immediately turn from negative body image related thoughts, to envy, to determination to look exactly like them. I'm not saying that it's the advertiser's goal to give people these complexes; but if that is what sells their product, then that's what they'll do, consequences be damned.
-Melissa
1) When Berger speaks of publicity refering to the past and always the future, he is talking about how they manipulate us with nostaglia to have us behave a certain way. these ads trigger an emotion that we';ve experienced before so that way we are motivated to replicate that fond emotion by doing whatever the ad is trying to persuade us. For example, an ad depicting friends having a swell time all with beers reminds the consumer of that 'great feeling from that great time we HAD.' this nostalgia motivates us to want to create that feeling again and the ad presents the way to do that by...buying their beer.
ReplyDelete2) 2) What does the author mean by the "total [publicity] system"? What would your world look like with NO ads in it?
the 'total [publicity] system' as explained by Berger is the concept of publicity and everything it affects. this includes more than the consumer and reaches as far as the economy. he describes this as being beneficial but hopefully he just means that this adds to society because publicity is most time harmful in my opinion.
my world without adversiments would mean less expectations and standards to be held too. there would be less sterotypes and segreations. publicity organizes people too far and impliments schemas and therefore enforces enthnocentric points of view. People become categorized and therefore judged and held to a standard . There, hopefully, would be more tolerence and the need for progression would be much less mandatory.
3) Do you agree or disagree that advertising is representative of a Free Market system, in that the consumer is able to see ads, make an informed decision about which products they want to buy, and go buy them? Does publicity offer free choice in its purest sense?
bergers idea at this point that publicity offers free choice is not a very agreeable one. publicity creates the ILLUSION that there is free choice. Advertisment would not work nearly as effeectiviely if they came across as not providing a choice. This simple illusion is used to make the consumer feel empowered and informed when really it is publicity's top goal to PERSUADE and manipulate their audience. This is true because advertisments do not inform the reader, just creatively present want they want to make it appear desirable. It is in no way a free choice but imagitive persuasion.
-Allison L.
1 - ?, publicity images hold a history/past, but it is never fixed always moving. For example, images on this video, or text book, postcards, and internet. The images are always being distributed and reaching someones else's eyes and perspective not fixed to one room. (i tried)
ReplyDelete2 - this video brings up an interesting thought, i think the world would be more exciting, we have become jaded.
3 - No, its not and it doesn't. Ads are put up whether we like them or not, if we are ignorant enough we accept the choices A,B, & C given on the ads thinking those are our options.
-Michael O.
1)From my own view, I think the author is trying to talk about the paintings are always staying where they were, even though several years passed, they will still stay the same. The painting can refer to the future, I think some of the old painting might predict something that might happen in the future. (ps: this might be some believes things.)They never refer to the present because the present can be easily changed by the past or future.
ReplyDelete2)"Publicly system" means business try to attract people through the advertising and images. if there's going to be no ads in the world, everything will seem boring, on the other hand, people might think another way to sale their products.
3) NO, I think if customers can choose what they want, the ads will be useless, the purpose of ads is to attract people or the people might not like the product to buy the products.
-Jian Chen
1) In what ways does the author mean that publicity images refer to the past and the future, but never to the present? Publicity images affect you by reminding you of past memories and help you imagine what the future will be like in order to get you to want to buy the product. They do not refer to the present because that is the moment we are already in and do not need to buy their product to enjoy it.
ReplyDelete2) What does the author mean by the "total [publicity] system"? What would your world look like with NO ads in it? The "total publicity system" involves you as a consumer and not just the ads. The world would care more about content rather then the promises advertisement brings with it. Many things would be different. We wouldn't see pop ups when we go to check our e-mail. We would not see billboards telling us about the best new products or companies on long drives. We would not have commercials on television talking about the best soap to use. We would be more free to think how we want about products without subconciously being fooled to think something different.
3) Do you agree or disagree that advertising is representative of a Free Market system, in that the consumer is able to see ads, make an informed decision about which products they want to buy, and go buy them? Does publicity offer free choice in its purest sense?
I believe that advertising is a representative of a Free Market system because ultimately we can make informed decisions about what we want to buy before we buy them. However, I do not believe publicity offers free choice in its "purest sense" because we are being shown what we should buy, rather then deciding on our own without any knowledge of the products.
1.) What I think the author means by refering to the past presesnt and future is that advertising makes you feel emotions you might have used to have or have right now, about wanting to be something or someone different. They make you think that with their product you can become the person you want to be in the future and with out their product, you cant.
ReplyDelete2.) They mean that everything is created around advertising and you being the one to consume it. Everything goes back to us and what we want to be and what we need to become those things. My world with no ads in it would be very weird, I would never really notice new products. We would never get pop ups on the computer or see comercials on tv.
3.) I do and don't think its a free market system because the advertisers make it seem as if we almost "need" the product and make the consumer believe they can't go on without it, but it is ultimately the consumers fault for falling for that trick. Some people know the difference between a legitamate offer and a fake one, others don't. So no I dont think it offers free choice in it's purest sense.