Author Archives: Chelsea Taylor

I saw this on AdWeek and thought it really related to today’s discussion of violence in media. It offers an infographic on how advertisers are now starting to shy away from programs that feature explicitly violent material because there have been some correlation between these and negative images of their brand. It’s a neat and quick little infographic that I thought I would share!

http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/infographic-how-sex-and-violence-tv-can-be-damaging-content-advertisers-170325

As I was looking for some support to put into my paper on our media fast I came across this article that states in it’s tagline, “Going 24 hours without internet makes teens jealous, hostile (study)”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/students-tech-use-stats_n_846568.html

After reading some of the article, there is evidence that being away from phones actually produced a similar response that depression or severe anxiety does on these teens. Over a cell phone, over the internet?  The article mentions there were a lot of failures which is to be expected. Students admitted that going without their cell phones was very difficult.

I know that we all did this and I’m curious to see if you guys had similar issues with your fast experiment. I know personally, I am too attached to my phone. I acknowledge it but I guess that doesn’t make it any better. I think it’s a real discussion that needs to be had for the younger generation because too much media I think IS a bad thing, and could potentially produce a negative impact on people if misused or even overused.

In that same line of thinking, I saw an ad for this tv show today and was wondering if anybody had heard about it? It really demonstrates to me the impact that the internet has on our daily life, even when we think it is a safe space or anonymous zone where we can post freely that which we would rather not say in person. It could potentially be interesting given our class discussions on the internet and it’s presence!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5W_LyzWEzE

What is pictured above is Kesha sobbing after hearing the verdict from the judge over the weekend. For the past year or so Kesha has been in an ongoing legal battle against her former producer and alleged abuser, Dr. Luke and the record label Sony. Kesha alleges that Dr. Luke sexually assaulted her and consistently committed emotional abuse to her to the point that she developed an eating disorder after she was told that she was too fat. Recently, she even checked into rehab for this disorder. After hearing the verdict, the industry was in shock. How could the judge side with this monster who took advantage of a young and hopeful rising star? Well, celebrities and fellow women in the industry have taken to social media to voice their support and Taylor Swift has even donated $250,000 to whatever Kesha may need during this time (as she is unable to work due to the fact that she would still have to work with her accused).

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-makes-bold-move-to-back-kesha/

The extremely messed up thing here is that this is not uncommon. It is not uncommon for women to feel like they need to lose weight at the advice of their producer or agent. It is not uncommon for assault and abuse to continue to happen. These women and yes, even men, are put in a position where they are at the mercy of those who have the power to make them somebody. It is indeed sad to see these events surrounding Kesha and I can only hope that moving forward she is able to find peace and get back to work with positive people surrounding her.

Supporters on Facebook constantly cite Chris Brown and his incident and how his career did not suffer, and other members of bands (men) who had similar situations but who were allowed to get out of contracts so that they were able to continue their art.

I think the real issue here is that Kesha is not able to continue making music in a safe and reasonable environment, regardless if the accusations are true or false, the court should have given her that opportunity. She has given enough time to this guy and after her real issues that have resulted from working with him (i.e. checking into rehab for eating disorder, this supposed assault) she should be allowed to move on.

What do you guys think about this? Do you think that men have it easier getting out of contract negotiations? Do you think that Kesha should just keep making music in her current contract? Do you think the industry needs to look at a better way of policing this sort of abuse? Also, what about Taylor Swift- when I saw it, I thought that is awesome but then I thought about it from a PR strategy? If you’re going to donate that kind of money to a person, wouldn’t you want to do it in private- or is that just me?

So this morning as I was scrolling through my daily news on BusinessInsider I saw a story that was labeled “San Francisco tech bro: “I don’t want to see homeless riff-raff” The story is linked below.

http://www.businessinsider.com/justin-keller-decries-san-francisco-homeless-2016-2

“I know people are frustrated about gentrification happening in the city, but the reality is, we live in a free market society. The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn’t have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day” – Justin Keller

Is this guy for real? I have so many emotions surrounding this issue but to actually see that someone actually wrote something as selfish and absolutely horrid as this, and defends it.. it  baffles me. While it is true that the entrepreneurs and intelligent tech people have earned their right to their salary and all the benefits, they have not earned a right to neglect everyone else. They surely have not earned the right to complain that some people are less fortunate them. This, Justin Keller, does not know these people that he sees laying about poor and hungry, he does not sit to ask them how they got where they are. I think this a really good indicator of where our generation might be going wrong. I think that selfishness and feeling like we deserve something and ignoring others who may struggle is something that plagues our society right now.

I also am just angry because the cost of living situation could make even the hardest working and great people into homelessness, and it seems there is no solution in sight. I’m curious, what do you guys think about Keller’s comments? Also I’m interested to know if anyone is from this area and maybe has some insight into what it really is like there? Also, why do you think everyone has such a stigma around homeless people- most of them are just like you and me but with much worse luck and fortune.

In addition- I found this article and it made me think of Banksy a few weeks back and the power of graffiti. Well it seems San Fran has another issue at hand no thanks to Justin Bieber and his newest attempt at marketing his album. If you read below, would also like to hear your thoughts on that.

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-san-francisco-demands-help-investigating-bieber-graffiti-2015-12

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/how-doritos-super-bowl-ad-kicked-twitter-conversation-about-birth-control-169493

Like so many of Americans I look forward to the Super Bowl for all the great commercials that come on throughout the program. However, I have to admit that this year I was watching for one reason, and that was to see Peyton Manning and the Broncos take home the win!

To be honest, this year I was a little disappointed with the commercials. There were only a few that I can remember, and even fewer that I can remember liking. But I do remember this one, and thought it was light hearted and funny. I know the history that Doritos has with their outrageous ads, so I usually look forward to their creative pieces.

But this morning I was looking around on Adweek and I saw this article. Here is the ad below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7GuDOv4BM

Like we have learned in class, people make what they want out of different media. I find the article a little crazy, to think that Doritos had such a hidden agenda with a commercial like this seems a little far stretched. Did you get that from this article? Are there times where you watch a commercial and take away something completely different than what everyone else does?

http://www.businessinsider.com/steph-curry-interview-on-basketball-life-championships-2016-2

Today I was reading Business Insider and came across a story that made me think of what we were talking about in class a while back. Steph Curry recently did a partnership with Degree to do a MotionSense lab that allowed Degree to track his performance using different biometrics. While this is pretty cool, that is not really what grabbed my attention. 

Steph Curry admitted to using “sensory deprivation” chambers to help refocus him. With such a busy and hectic schedule that accompanies a very famous and likeable athlete, he commented saying, “And also, the sensory-deprivation aspect of it. It’s one of the only places where you can really get unplugged from all the noise and distractions that goes on with daily life.” I find it rather crazy that nowadays in our society we find it so difficult to escape and use time for ourselves, that we have to pay to use these chambers to really get that experience. 

Have you used one of these before? Do you think that these will become even more popular as technology and our lives progress? I was told by my professor that for every 30 minutes a person is looking at a screen, a person needs to be in complete darkness in order for their brains to fully recover and function at maximum capacity. I don’t know if he was right, but it is definitely something to think about, especially for us students.