The realm of social mass media that we live in is quite astounding. We as citizens of our society are subject to mass marketing and advertising at various points throughout our day, and often times we are completely unaware of it. We constantly engage in several different kinds of media and technological communications, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, or Google. The mediums of media that we engage in range from computers and televisions to iPhones and other handheld communication devices. Convenience is the key for modern-day technological innovations. Advertisements appear on television, websites, radio, cell phones, video games, and billboards to ensure widespread visibility.
Along with the advancements in technology, the ways in which advertisements reach consumers have also advanced. Advertisements used to mainly flow through television commercials, radio ads, and publication advertisements. However, with the recent growth in the influence of websites and online blogs, companies have been reaching out to bloggers as a channel for advertisements. It's genius really. Companies give products to bloggers, who are influential figures in the fashion blogosphere, and ask them to review them on their blog. Sometimes, the company even teams up with the blogger to do a giveaway for their readers, which benefits the company, the blogger, and the readers. The company gets advertised for a relatively low price (the cost of a couple products is cheap compared to the thousands of dollars that it costs to run widespread television advertisements), the blogger receives high traffic and a great product, and the readers get a chance to win the free products.
While not every fashion blogger receives these sorts of opportunities from individual companies, Google offers each blogger the opportunity to use AdSense to advertise on their blog and receive a portion of the profits based on the number of clicks they receive. Advertisements have permeated every level of communication that we engage in, maximizing the public into the ideal consumers.
I have always relished the convenience and efficiency of how our society utilizes technology, particularly since the birth of the computer was not too long ago. The importance of technology and instant communication in our daily lives has been brought to my heightened attention since I began taking courses in Introduction to Mass Media, Comparative World Literature- Reading the World, and Human Development in college. As a result, I have been prompted to delving deeper into my view of the world, reality, and the overall effects on media onto people.
As a blogger, I am very grateful to the use of technology to instantly link me to people who share my interests. My blog has allowed me to express my views and opinions in a community that shares my love for fashion and unique presentation of self. For me, fashion is more than combining clothing and accessories into an outfit, it's about the external presentation of the self that is a direct reflection of who you are inside and what you believe in and deem to be important.
I applaud the advertisement industry, particularly how adept and skillful they are at selling products to consumers, and the pace at which we gobble it all up.
I'm extremely keen on locating and reading the book pictured above: Uncovering Fashion- Fashion Communications Across the Media by Marian Frances Wolbers.
