Shawn Moore
Theology
12/5/06
Father Kavanaugh in his “Advertising,Consciouness and Culture: The Depersonalization of American life” believes that the media is what forms our way of thinking and it shapes our idea of what is reality. He says that we learn from the information presented to us through the media and it begins to forms us. The want for products is not based on the need for the product but because of the respect and prestige that comes along with the product.The advertisers wants us to believe that happiness can come from the product and that without it our lives would be meaningless. They even give the product names such as Merit cigarettes and love, carrying and hope as a perfume. They want us to believe that we can recieve real values from their products.
In the movie “Merchants of Cool” , they believe that teenagers control much of the economy and what goes on in the media is a result of what teens value as “cool”. Sprite is an example of this. Sprite in the 80s wasn't really popular. Then when they started to change their advertiding strategies to make it more appealing to teenagers. They took up a more hip-hop image whch helped Sprite become one of the most drinked beverages. Teens love to rebel against what is morally right and their morals are according to what they believe is fun. An example of this is the punk rock group ICP. Their lyrics talk about things that would seem wierd to the rest of the people in the world, but to their fans they like the fact that to the rest of the world doesn't like. They like it because it makes them feel original and like they are the only ones doing it. The message in the “Merchants of Cool” is different than Father Kavanaugh’s.
Father Kavanaugh says that we are influenced by the media. He says that the media is teached us and gives us information that forms our way of thinking. The message in the “Merchants of Cool” is that we control the media. They believed that the media is just showing us what we want to see. It is just a reflection of what our values are.
I believe that both of their cases our true. Father Kavanaugh is right how the media can form our thinking. Often times people buy clothes and other product based on the name brand. The media convinces us that if we have the certain product that we would become more popular among our peers. But also the media is shwoing what is said to be popular. Those who are trendsetters and are looked up to by others are what the media base their advertisements off of. It is just a reflection of what is popular and it influences those who want to be respect by their peers.