Post by Jake Bruner on Aug 6, 2014 1:40:16 GMT
This class, though very challenging at some points, was very interesting and had some brought up some very good points that I did not realize happened in the world we live in today. With social media, or technology for that matter, every aspect of your life can be controlled and monitored. Throughout the course I came away with three very important points that stood out to me. The first point and biggest point that I took away from this class deals with how certain celebrities are treated over other human beings. Secondly, I will talk about the video we watched about students "Growing Up Online" and how their lives are so different than ours were when we were in grade school, and finally, I really learned a lot about how much a celebrity endorsing a product can change the whole situation of one corporation or company.
The first point I would like to talk about deals with the documentary we watched about Paris Hilton. Hilton is a very famous celebrity for doing absolutely nothing. Her family owns a very successful chain of hotels across America, hence that is where she gets all of her fortune. But the thing that surprised me the most and intrigued me the most was how she was treated by everyone. She was paid millions of dollars to show up at bars, parties, or any type of gathering. I found that so amazing and hard to believe because she really hasn't done much by herself in her life, yet she is making millions and millions of dollars on appearances alone. Our society has the tendency and ability to transform ordinary people into mega-celebrities just by showing their support for them.
Paris Hilton does not use her celebrity status to make only money, she uses it for other things as well. She was able to get out of jail with a fairly light sentence for a crime that would have rendered a "normal" person a lot more time. But what was even more interesting is the way she exited the jail when she was released. You would have thought it was a runway show in Paris! There were hundreds of paparazzi everywhere taking pictures and other fans asking for autographs. This alone shows that Paris Hilton is treated above royalty, but then she wears clothes from her very own clothing line. She used her exit from jail as a stunt to sell and market her clothing line! I just thought that was so over the top for people to think that was OK, but in the end, its "Paris Hilton" and she is a celebrity so she can do whatever she wants.
The second biggest point that I took away from this class has to do with the video we watched titled, "Growing Up Online". I was absolutely shocked with some of the information that they were discussion in this video. They brought up the fact that almost each and every classroom needs to have a smart board in order to keep the kid's attention long enough so they are able to learn. I found that so amazing, and almost disgusting, because back even when I was in grade school we were lucky enough to have a overhead projector screen, and now-a-days kids have their own iPads. This is the biggest change in society in recent years I feel like. Technology is taking over the world and we just need to be along for the ride otherwise we are going to be left in the dust. This type of behavior and drive of technology has gotten so much attention that even the teachers are saying thing such as "The teachers need to be entertainers". That statement right there says a lot I feel like. The students are so oblivious to how things used to be because this is the only way they know how to learn. It is the technology's fault in a sense because the kids are so overwhelmed with all the different gadgets and such.
Finally, I learned a lot from the time we spent talking about celebrity endorsements. This is such a huge and vital role in a company's success. What companies do is they market a celebrity as thought they are part of the companies team. For example, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter are both "NIKE" athletes, meaning that they support and endorse NIKE sponsored products, such as shoes, apparel, and equipment. So if a kid is wondering which shoes to buy, they will look at the advertising at the store and see Michael Jordan wearing a pair of NIKE shoes. The little kid realizes that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time (arguably), and then buys the shoes because he wants to "be like Mike". This tactics is very successful because the companies use the celebrity's status as a celeb to their advantage. They know that kids look up to certain people and if athletes support their product, then a kid's thought is the product must be worth it since Jordan or Jeter is wearing it. This type of business tactic has sprung NIKE as the premier athletic company in the whole world.
In conclusion, this course has taught me a lot and has left me with a lot to think about when it comes to social media and celebrities. We learned just about everything, from how celebrities act and are treated, to how technology is growing in our kid's lives, to even talking about celebrities endorsing products. This course has taught me that there is a whole other side to celebrities and how they are treated and taken care of. It will be interesting to see how much technology grows when we get older. I am also interest to find out how social media is going to grow. There does not seem to be much more growing it can do, but I am sure the big corporations will figure out something new and improved to give to the world.
The first point I would like to talk about deals with the documentary we watched about Paris Hilton. Hilton is a very famous celebrity for doing absolutely nothing. Her family owns a very successful chain of hotels across America, hence that is where she gets all of her fortune. But the thing that surprised me the most and intrigued me the most was how she was treated by everyone. She was paid millions of dollars to show up at bars, parties, or any type of gathering. I found that so amazing and hard to believe because she really hasn't done much by herself in her life, yet she is making millions and millions of dollars on appearances alone. Our society has the tendency and ability to transform ordinary people into mega-celebrities just by showing their support for them.
Paris Hilton does not use her celebrity status to make only money, she uses it for other things as well. She was able to get out of jail with a fairly light sentence for a crime that would have rendered a "normal" person a lot more time. But what was even more interesting is the way she exited the jail when she was released. You would have thought it was a runway show in Paris! There were hundreds of paparazzi everywhere taking pictures and other fans asking for autographs. This alone shows that Paris Hilton is treated above royalty, but then she wears clothes from her very own clothing line. She used her exit from jail as a stunt to sell and market her clothing line! I just thought that was so over the top for people to think that was OK, but in the end, its "Paris Hilton" and she is a celebrity so she can do whatever she wants.
The second biggest point that I took away from this class has to do with the video we watched titled, "Growing Up Online". I was absolutely shocked with some of the information that they were discussion in this video. They brought up the fact that almost each and every classroom needs to have a smart board in order to keep the kid's attention long enough so they are able to learn. I found that so amazing, and almost disgusting, because back even when I was in grade school we were lucky enough to have a overhead projector screen, and now-a-days kids have their own iPads. This is the biggest change in society in recent years I feel like. Technology is taking over the world and we just need to be along for the ride otherwise we are going to be left in the dust. This type of behavior and drive of technology has gotten so much attention that even the teachers are saying thing such as "The teachers need to be entertainers". That statement right there says a lot I feel like. The students are so oblivious to how things used to be because this is the only way they know how to learn. It is the technology's fault in a sense because the kids are so overwhelmed with all the different gadgets and such.
Finally, I learned a lot from the time we spent talking about celebrity endorsements. This is such a huge and vital role in a company's success. What companies do is they market a celebrity as thought they are part of the companies team. For example, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter are both "NIKE" athletes, meaning that they support and endorse NIKE sponsored products, such as shoes, apparel, and equipment. So if a kid is wondering which shoes to buy, they will look at the advertising at the store and see Michael Jordan wearing a pair of NIKE shoes. The little kid realizes that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time (arguably), and then buys the shoes because he wants to "be like Mike". This tactics is very successful because the companies use the celebrity's status as a celeb to their advantage. They know that kids look up to certain people and if athletes support their product, then a kid's thought is the product must be worth it since Jordan or Jeter is wearing it. This type of business tactic has sprung NIKE as the premier athletic company in the whole world.
In conclusion, this course has taught me a lot and has left me with a lot to think about when it comes to social media and celebrities. We learned just about everything, from how celebrities act and are treated, to how technology is growing in our kid's lives, to even talking about celebrities endorsing products. This course has taught me that there is a whole other side to celebrities and how they are treated and taken care of. It will be interesting to see how much technology grows when we get older. I am also interest to find out how social media is going to grow. There does not seem to be much more growing it can do, but I am sure the big corporations will figure out something new and improved to give to the world.
