The Influence of the Media in a Virtual World- week 13

While reading this weeks assignment, I couldn't help but think of just how much the media affects the minds of our youth and the mass influence it has on them. We live in a world filled with so many different products, that it makes it difficult to select which one to purchase. Therefore these advertisers must market themselves in order to promote their products while competing with other companies. These marketing companies are very successful in reaching the tween/teens population through the Internet (as well as other means) while not only promoting their products but also enforcing expected heterosexuality characteristics within our society. It's difficult enough just trying to grow up in this world filled with the pressures of identity, peers, authority, and society as a whole, that many young people look to the Internet to find a safe place searching for security and acceptance. With this longing for a place to connect it creates a perfect environment for the advertising companies to benefit from this vulnerability. "It is crucial to understand how corporate and advertising outlets have interceded in this relationship in order to further their own interest and the strategies for selling to tweens and teens" (II 95). These marketing strategies use techniques on the web pages such as banners, spam, pop ups and automated bots (which are programed to answer questions) promoting certain products in addition to the idea that consumption can be pleasurable, empowering, and naturally feminine (II 97), basically instilling the expected values of our culture while defining the feminine values. When visiting the Alloy.com website and browsing through it, I observed all the channels of media advertising. The "Oh No She Didn't " frame, shows how someone is poorly dressed ( according to Alloy's standards) and encourages others to vote and comment (personally I think this behavior promotes bullying). It seems that this site does not embrace the ability to be different or express individual identity. This site encourages the values and standards that are expected in order to sell the products that sponsor them or that they profit off themselves. These ideas range from looking like famous female celebrities - "get this look" to discussing romantic male idols, having a crush and encouraging that it's hip to have a boyfriend. Personally, I feel that these young girls should not be encouraged to have boyfriends and wear make up, whats wrong with being involved in athletics's, remaining single when your young and striving to succeed academically as well? Though in the past, studies revealed that girls used the Internet to stay connected while boys mostly downloaded games and music. However it seems that now the differences in the two sexes are becoming more similar being that boys are now using the Internet for social connections as well. Whatever the reasons for Internet use, the fact remains that the population being target for these marketing companies are vulnerable and impressionable. Many of these websites can shape the attitudes of these girls enforcing the expectations of what girl's should not only look like but her sway her interests as well. Advertising companies market this population on certain websites for their own profit while posing to be a friendly safe place to stay connected on the World Wide Web.