ABC’s Saturday Morning show was discussing medications and the consumer. How ads overstate the medications ability to act like they propose. Such as antidepressant medications and how the ads promote life is wonderful. The commentators stated that the consumer must pay close attention to the ads and ask lots of questions. I thought this appropriate for what we are doing now.
- I don’t trust any communication company. I think it’s because I have been burned and the trust just isn’t there.
- I do agree to a small degree with the Century Link deconstruction. They use what appear to be real people and a warm and fuzzy theme. The Slinky is a universal toy that most people are familiar with and relates to happy times. I did not interpret all the stairs as moving up, because the Slinky only works on stairs going down. I also thought the green Slinkys looked a little creepy coming down the steps en mass. I do agree that they pushed all the right buttons, such as symbols of the world, cultural diversity and ethnicity. The music was catchy, but I would still go to the fridge when this ad came on.
- I also agree with some of the AllTel commercial deconstruction. The family is definitely the stereotypical middle class America, in this case they are Caucasian instead of African American which tends to be the other choice, with husband, wife, son and daughter. I totally missed the fact that the 3 men were culturally different. I did pick up on the music and singing as happy, but did not consider it racist. I did not relate the chicken to the men, because usually a pet is also included in the mix. After the deconstruction, I now realize it was very poor taste.
Do you agree with the claims made in the deconstructions? Is the Century Link ad really a cover for a company that is making profits over customer satisfaction?
- All ads are used to make a profit. It works and that’s why we are constantly bombarded with ads. Communication company’s ads are no different than any other company out to make a buck. Do they care about customer satisfaction? No, that’s why they make you sign two year contracts. You don’t like their service? Tough they have you for two years. I don’t think Century Link is any different from any other business trying to make a profit. The fine print is in every commercial. Buyer beware.
- Does the Alltel ad really promote racism or stereotypes of immigrants? I don’t believe Alltel is racist. I think it was poor taste. No company can afford to be labeled racist, it would ruin them. These ads don’t get put out there without a strict process, especially in a company as large as Alltel. They are definitely guilty of stereotyping the American family.
How do these deconstructions disrupt taken-for-granted realities?
- These deconstructions emphasize the real reason behind the ads. They disrupt the consumers’ ideal world. The consumers want happy, funny, warm and fuzzy ads. They don’t want to be told that Century Link is a cover for profit, or that AllTel is racist. I think consumers may be a little smarter than that. They may already know these things, but I don’t think they let one commercial decide their spending habits.
What ideologies, cultures, economies, institutions or political systems are these deconstructions disrupting or interrogating?
- These deconstructions are disrupting the ideologies that life is perfect and they really do care about the consumer. Also that by using AllTel you will save money that you won’t need to rent a room. But read the fine print, it‘s probably the same or more.
How might conducting these kinds of deconstruction empower students whom have been historically and continue to be disenfranchised by "traditional schooling”?
- Students feel disfranchised when they are locked into the empty bank account system and no way to make a withdrawal. Critical literacy is asking questions which empower the student to “use technological tools to engage with, respond to, and create both text-based and multimodal forms of literacies.” (Avila & Pandya, 2013, pg.3)
How might deconstructing these kinds of media messages help students recognize connections between their individual problems and experiences and the social contexts in which they are embedded?
- Students need to be taught that they have the power to investigate for truth. They need to learn critical literacy thinking, because then they will learn that maybe they are not alone and other experiences will make them smarter.
How might conducting these kinds of deconstructions disrupt traditional banking systems of education?
- Instead of making deposits into an empty account, the students are empowered to take an active role in their education. This is one opportunity, of many, that allows the student to critique the world they live in.
Reference
Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
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