Generation Wired
Most of this generation is completely wired, but this generation has been raised with the technology that surrounds us and there is no way that anyone can stop it from being in almost every part pf our lives. Being wired is a part of our lives, it is by no means "a way of life" unless we make it. Parents are a major part of how children develop their lives around technology, the use of tv, video games, computers for the most part can be controlled. "Children spend over 10 hours a week playing video games..", parents have control over the excessive use of a child's technology habits in their developing years. There are cases of severe technology use and dependencey, parents might be to blame, but so is everyone else who has facilitated the use of technology. Technology is a growing problem for some and for others its not. What  individuals choose to do with the use of technology and the time spent with it is completely beyond any statistics and completely on the individuals personality.

Neuromarketing

Ads are an influential part of our culture, even if we think that they really don't have an impact, they do. With the new technology of neuromarketing "the study of the brain's responses to ads, brands, and the rest of the messages.."(pg.1) advertisers are trying to find the most appealing way for the consumers to purchase their product. Throughout the responses in the article I kept hearing that brands and products are an extension of who we are, we have made them a part of our personality. We choose brands as an extension of our personalities and subconsciously to become part of a group of people that are just like us. Is this because ads are part of American culture now?   "Communities are forming around brands"(pg.3), this statement is true, a certain brand such as apple will bring together a community of apple users, and yes maybe its part of their personality. Ads affect us even if we don't want them too, they are all around us, they have become a part of our modern communications and can be taken seriously. To what extent can ads really be taken seriously though if all of the advertisers are finding new ways to get the product to trigger something in our brains, maybe it wont make us buy the product, but to choose it even if its not something that we truly prefer. In all honesty I don't know what to think of ads anymore. I would like to think that I choose a product, and not because of an ad, but with all that is out there and all that is still unknown I really don't know if truly made my own decision or if somewhere deep down without even knowing it I made that conclusion based on an ad I had seen. Marketers are trying to look into the human brain, the brain is really to delicate to mess with, so why are we pushing ads of all things in. Ads have already taken over our lives in someway, but studying the brain to find a "buy button", well that's a little too far.

With no doubt the media portrays all gender types in certain "ideal" ways. Males tall, athletic, beautiful and women tall, thin, perfectly pretty. The media does things like this to sell products, I don't feel that they take into account how they are effecting the emotional minds of young developing children and adults. Media developers have a mind set to sell products and most likely don't even think about the risks of putting together the "perfect and ideal" person. Having an above average person sell a product is a marketing technique, and a good one, what person doesn't want to be simply beautiful, most people put together a connection that a certain product will help them achieve this "beauty." "Celebrity bodies are desired, both subjectively and objectively."-Media and Gender Stereotyping, Maria McConnell What young child/adult has never once said "I want to grow up to be like...(name of a famous celebrity)" When we see images that convey people to be beautiful, successful, and famous. We all want to be an unrealistic version of a person that we are not, and without any help from the media. "fat=bad, ugly, unhappy and alone, thin=happy and with attractive partner."-Media and Gender Stereotyping, Maria McConnell. We have all been trained from a young age, even through the Disney Movies we all watched at some point in our younger years, to be an ideal popular person. The truth is the average person will NOT be in any way similar to the photo shopped pictures that are constantly thrown at us. The truth is that every person is beautiful, and should never ever have to live up to any standards except, for the ones that they set for themselves and everyone else should except them. The truth is we are all loosing sight of what makes us truly and naturally beautiful in our own ways as individuals. The media does effect the way everyone sees themselves and others, at this point that will never change. What can change is how we all educate ourselves on the realities of the media and to what extent we let it effect us.        

"Feeling lost in an ocean of despair, just look at everyone who cares. Feel the warmth of your smile tell them to stay a while. Carry out all of your emotions Sense all the devotion. Avoid what might be a lie In order for you to flutter your wings and fly. What's in you and around you is reality Carried to you by the people you left. When your ears, eyes, and mouth were out of sight The moment you hid from the light. Have a conversation with a friend Remember all the good times you spent When you were yourself. Don't let the sun set on you. You are beautiful... naturally."- Effects of Mass Media on Teens, youtube