September 17th 2015: Video Response: "Story of Stuff" Reflection
September 20th 2015: Video Response: "Story of Stuff Critique" Reflection
October 2nd 2015 Did You Know 3.0 Video Response
Did You Know 3.0 Response
Jemma
October 2nd 2015
I think this video represents a lot of ideas and concepts of our era. It shows how much information humans intake and how much we learn. Our language is five times bigger than it was when Shakespeare was alive. There is so much information and innovation that it's hard to know when it's going to stop; or will it ever stop? It seems that humans are still innovating and creating more when there are problems in the world that still haven’t been solved.
Our population is growing and this does have positive and negative consequences for us. Do we really have the resources that we need to support this growth, let alone in sustainable manner. Human population is not the only population the video showed; we have an incredible online presence as well. The internet is used so often and by so many people, that it really is like another reality. The internet is great for sharing information and research, but as stated in the video a lot of people are relying on technology for debatably more than they need to. A lot of negative things have resulted from this and no one is really doing anything to stop that.
One of the main ideas I got from the video is that humans are changing and advancing so fast, faster than we ever have before. It seems that we can’t stop the attempt to get better, and faster all the time. As a people, we have changed so much and a large portion of the video focused on technology. We have created computers that might outsmart us someday. Computers have numbers and data, they lack feelings and memories which seemed to be more important to humans than it is now. Because of this, we have to be prepared for things that don’t exist yet. This means training people for jobs that we can only imagine, and creating some kind of a plan for the unknown future. We have advanced so much in the last few decades, and century that its hard to no whats next.
The video had statistics about birth rate, population, social media sites, and more that are probably all outdated numbers now because it was filmed in 2012. The influence of population and rate of creating and consumption is unbelievable.
Jemma
October 2nd 2015
I think this video represents a lot of ideas and concepts of our era. It shows how much information humans intake and how much we learn. Our language is five times bigger than it was when Shakespeare was alive. There is so much information and innovation that it's hard to know when it's going to stop; or will it ever stop? It seems that humans are still innovating and creating more when there are problems in the world that still haven’t been solved.
Our population is growing and this does have positive and negative consequences for us. Do we really have the resources that we need to support this growth, let alone in sustainable manner. Human population is not the only population the video showed; we have an incredible online presence as well. The internet is used so often and by so many people, that it really is like another reality. The internet is great for sharing information and research, but as stated in the video a lot of people are relying on technology for debatably more than they need to. A lot of negative things have resulted from this and no one is really doing anything to stop that.
One of the main ideas I got from the video is that humans are changing and advancing so fast, faster than we ever have before. It seems that we can’t stop the attempt to get better, and faster all the time. As a people, we have changed so much and a large portion of the video focused on technology. We have created computers that might outsmart us someday. Computers have numbers and data, they lack feelings and memories which seemed to be more important to humans than it is now. Because of this, we have to be prepared for things that don’t exist yet. This means training people for jobs that we can only imagine, and creating some kind of a plan for the unknown future. We have advanced so much in the last few decades, and century that its hard to no whats next.
The video had statistics about birth rate, population, social media sites, and more that are probably all outdated numbers now because it was filmed in 2012. The influence of population and rate of creating and consumption is unbelievable.
October 24th 2015: Consuming Kids Reflection
I think Consuming Kids was a powerful documentary that has a lot of valuable information to be aware of. It focuses on the relationship between product marketing and children and the countless affects it has on society and the next generation.
One of the major points discussed in the video is how the pressures of advertisement changes the way kids think, which in turn affects how they behave. Children are constantly being shown through social media and adverts about the newest products. They believe that they need these products to fit in and to be successful. The relationship between a parent and child is affected because of this, and so is the child's self worth. Suddenly, when a new iPhone comes out and a child doesn't have it, their self worth drops, if and when they buy the phone, they feel more confident and happy about themselves. Products and materials make kids feel happy and confident.
Adverts have taught girls that they need to be pretty and sexy which determines that value, and what they need to buy in order to feel this way. Marketers target boys by showing them the ideas and importance of masculinity, aggressiveness, power, and domination. These ideals all come through media and the advertisements of products. Boys are brought up feeling like they need to hide their emotions, and that they somehow are better than girls and need to be in power. Media takes over the concept of problem solving and boys in particular think that the solution to conflict is violence and fighting. Images of perfection surround girls all the time through the toys they play with, and the advertisements that support and sell them. Girls feel they need to look a certain way, and lose confidence and the ability to understand who they really are. Marketers are deciding children's fate for them, my generation is told what to have and how to feel instead of learning how to make these decisions ourselves.
Once the concern of advertisements and media had on education was made, educational toys and products were produced. These products were marketed to parents of school children who believed that these games would support their child's education. This is not the case, and research shows that these products may be hindering children's ability to learn and to grasp new ideas and concepts. As stated in the video, this is a billion dollar industry, that is a total scam. Marketers aren't looking out for children, they aren't thinking about whats best for the future generation. All they want is money. They wonder, how can we get children to keep consuming? Children are loosing the ability to be creative and imaginative which leaves them feeling empty and like they need more and more. Somehow, my generation (those who live privileged lives, with families who buy these products) are programmed to keep consuming, marketers are engrained the idea that the consumption of products solves everything.
The video also talked about the impact this has on the future. According to the video, attention difficulty disorder statistics are rising, and so is the health concern of obesity. In my opinion this video had a flaw. The impact marketing has on obesity was discussed in detail, but not that of eating disorders. Boys and girls self image is directly affected by marketing and the media. This issue is just as life threatening and prevalent in our society as obesity and it's extremely sad how little education people are given upon it. There is huge stigma on this topic and I think marketers have an enormous influence on this serious topic.
Overall, this video raised a lot of important ideas about the world of consumption that we live in. It is something that we all need to think about, and I hope that this system can be broken down and changed for the better. We can see the affect it has on all aspects of life, and we need to change.
One of the major points discussed in the video is how the pressures of advertisement changes the way kids think, which in turn affects how they behave. Children are constantly being shown through social media and adverts about the newest products. They believe that they need these products to fit in and to be successful. The relationship between a parent and child is affected because of this, and so is the child's self worth. Suddenly, when a new iPhone comes out and a child doesn't have it, their self worth drops, if and when they buy the phone, they feel more confident and happy about themselves. Products and materials make kids feel happy and confident.
Adverts have taught girls that they need to be pretty and sexy which determines that value, and what they need to buy in order to feel this way. Marketers target boys by showing them the ideas and importance of masculinity, aggressiveness, power, and domination. These ideals all come through media and the advertisements of products. Boys are brought up feeling like they need to hide their emotions, and that they somehow are better than girls and need to be in power. Media takes over the concept of problem solving and boys in particular think that the solution to conflict is violence and fighting. Images of perfection surround girls all the time through the toys they play with, and the advertisements that support and sell them. Girls feel they need to look a certain way, and lose confidence and the ability to understand who they really are. Marketers are deciding children's fate for them, my generation is told what to have and how to feel instead of learning how to make these decisions ourselves.
Once the concern of advertisements and media had on education was made, educational toys and products were produced. These products were marketed to parents of school children who believed that these games would support their child's education. This is not the case, and research shows that these products may be hindering children's ability to learn and to grasp new ideas and concepts. As stated in the video, this is a billion dollar industry, that is a total scam. Marketers aren't looking out for children, they aren't thinking about whats best for the future generation. All they want is money. They wonder, how can we get children to keep consuming? Children are loosing the ability to be creative and imaginative which leaves them feeling empty and like they need more and more. Somehow, my generation (those who live privileged lives, with families who buy these products) are programmed to keep consuming, marketers are engrained the idea that the consumption of products solves everything.
The video also talked about the impact this has on the future. According to the video, attention difficulty disorder statistics are rising, and so is the health concern of obesity. In my opinion this video had a flaw. The impact marketing has on obesity was discussed in detail, but not that of eating disorders. Boys and girls self image is directly affected by marketing and the media. This issue is just as life threatening and prevalent in our society as obesity and it's extremely sad how little education people are given upon it. There is huge stigma on this topic and I think marketers have an enormous influence on this serious topic.
Overall, this video raised a lot of important ideas about the world of consumption that we live in. It is something that we all need to think about, and I hope that this system can be broken down and changed for the better. We can see the affect it has on all aspects of life, and we need to change.
October 26th 2015: TED Talk Chinese Migrant Workers Reflection
This was an interesting video that I think is important to watch, as a lot of people are ignorant to the story behind Chinese workers. North Americans often comment about "things" coming from China, however we don't actually know the story behind these products. This video brought up things like the workers living conditions, salary, and their reality and opinion on their work. The women who performed this TED talk, had spent time in China, and really got to know the Chinese workers, of which the majority of them were teenage girls. Many of the girls wanted to learn English, and are willing to put in hours (after their day jobs) of work to learn English. They want to learn English, because they know that the consumers of the products they create are English speaking. The Chinese workers want to learn new skills, which are important in creating a life and a future. Even though, they had difficulty explaining how they made the products, they knew how to do it. This talk also mentioned how most of the factory workers cannot afford the products they are making; these are things like iPhones, computers, TVs, fridges etc. This is the sad reality of mass producing companies, and also causes the workers to switch jobs quite often. Anyone would get bored working the same job, and many Chinese that work in factories want to acquire new skill sets and take on new jobs to do this. The workers have no control over their work environment, and want to have meaning and life ambition so their environment is cast aside as not being as important. The majority of these people live in poor neighbourhoods and some in harsh conditions, but they also don't want fancy things, and the video emphasized that not everyone was poor and desperate. Many people left their villages to work in cities which means that culture is being lost, and city population is rapidly growing. This fact is true for all around the world, and not just in China. One of the main reasons that Chinese workers do what they do ( which I think is easy to understand) is because they want an education. People want to learn, they want to pay for an education to be able to support a family of their own. This reminds me how privileged I am to be going to such an amazing school and that I am given opportunities everyday that these workers can only dream of. I think this TED talk is important to share because it uncovers the truth and reality behind the Chinese migrant worker situation.