Media Effects - In-Class Exercise

Media Effects

Team Yellow: Kaity Gulasy (10), Tahesin Asgar (4), Alex Goza (7), Nick Dennison (10), Connie Do (4)

Media:

Media encompasses many different things, from radio to social media. It can be a producer, like a TV channel, or a device, like Twitter. Media is using a platform or device to get across information, opinions, or ideas. TV, newspapers, commercials, books, magazines, and Facebook are all different examples of media.

Effects:

Media effects are different ways that media can attempt to influence or affect the consumer. These can be positive effects, like an environmental commercial influencing you to recycle more, negative effects, like a political news segment that tries to outrage the viewers, or they can leave you with a more neutral effect. These effects leave an impression with the consumer regardless. By viewing/reading/consuming a form of media you automatically have an opinion of it, even if it’s insignificant, and it affects you.

Kaity

Breaking News Challenge - Where some tragedy or happening gets so much airtime that people get it in their heads they can do it too to become famous, usually in death. “School shooting is broadcast for 2 weeks and everyone knows the shooters’ names? I can do that.”

Charity for Likes - “Oh hey, if I dump a bucket of ice water on my head, I get tons of views and likes and raise awareness for a cause.” This is usually accompanied by not actually donating to the cause.

There were other Hurricanes? - An effect where a big event or natural disaster happens and everyone contributes and donates to help for the first one, but then any subsequent, very similar events get over shadowed.

#HashtagWarriors - People that fight for a cause and comment on Facebook advocating for a cause, but never actually do anything for it.. But hey, #Kony2012 right?

First isn’t the Worst - Because clearly when news starts rolling in, the first report you read is 100% correct and what you should base your opinions on for the rest of your days.

“First” Effect - The need to interact with media, but not actually having anything good to say, so they just comment “First”.

Debatable Effect - When someone puts their opinion on Facebook, a public forum, and then gets upset when someone shares their opposing opinion in the comments. Bonus points if you unfriend them afterward.

My Life is Clearly More Put Together Than Yours Effect - When someone spends their entire time saving photos and videos of crafts, recipes, and planning their wedding while posting photos of their brunch and the dinner they made last night, giving the impression their life is way better than yours. Usually, they’re doing it all “for the gram” and their life is in shambles.

Friendship Tag - Where social media has given the impression that tagging your friends on memes and videos and replying with “same” qualifies as #friendshipgoals.

Not the Same Effect - When you do something that is clearly fine and meets expectations, but doesn’t quite look the same as someone else’s, so you change it to match theirs. Why be original when we can be sure we’re “right”?

Alexander

Fandomwagoning - Because a lot of people like it obviously that means I should like it too.

Rose tinted glasses - The oldies are always better than the current year.

The popular trope effect - The more popular an idea is, the more copies of it there will be.

The 60 FPS effect - In PC gaming if a game doesn’t run at least at 60 frames per second it isn’t worth anything.

The Flag filter - Tragedy happens so we must put a filter of that country’s flag on our profile.

The Repost effect - If one person ever has seen it, then its a repost and you should feel bad.

The Celebrity Death effect - People only start caring about celebrities after they’re dead.

Nick

Verified Effect – People are more likely to take content as truthful or trustworthy if the poster is verified on Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Headline Effect – The headline can be edited to fit the narrative, regardless if that’s the entire story.

Follower Count Effect – People who have lots of followers seem to be more trustworthy/important, regardless if they’re followers are fake or not.

Buzzword Effect – By placing buzzwords into media content people are more likely to at least pay attention to the content, regardless of it’s intelligence/importance. Ex. Putting “NFL Takes a Knee” into a headline or article is more likely to get it views because of the popularity of the subject.

Statistics Effect – Media that includes some sort of statistic seems more reliable, regardless of how that statistic is framed. Ex. “Studies Show that ¼ College Students Smokes Weed” that statistic could be true, but they could’ve only asked 20 students and 5 of them said yes.

Attractiveness Effect - People who are more attractive typically get more media time and are used to sell something (an idea, a product, etc.)

Corporate Social Awareness Effect - Companies who use social issues to brand themselves as more wholesome or caring. Ex. Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial, ATT commercial that focuses on military families.

Corporate Meme Effect - Companies hire social media teams to post content that fits current online trends/memes. Like the Whataburger twitter making jokes or the Wendy’s account appropriating a meme. Makes the company seem hip and friendlier, making you view the company in a better light.

Terrorist vs. Lone Wolf Effect - When terrorists acts occur in the US the media typically spins the culprit(s) as either a terrorist or as “misunderstood”. Like when they called the Boston Bomber a terrorist but referred to Dylann Roof and the Aurora shooter as “mentally ill” and misunderstood.”

Mugshot vs. Graduation Photos Effect: Tying into my previous example, when people are accused of a crime and the media starts talking about it they can paint the accused in different ways depending on the photo they use. By putting a mugshot as their photo it influences the consumer to think they are a criminal or a bad person. But when the news posts their graduation photo or a happy selfie, it makes the consumer believe they are a normal person who happened to commit a crime one day.

Connie

News Share Effect - People who see major current events happening on social platforms easily share the stories which spreads faster than watching television.

Popular Content Effect - Groups of people who are more interested on the topic they see are more likely to share/like and spread the word hoping others share their interests and values as well.

The Happy Effect - When people post pictures of them having a good time and that everything is perfect when in reality it is not always show their true emotions.

The Sympathy Effect - When huge companies such as PETA post images of sorrowful looking animals to gain empathy and more followers in their beliefs.

Tahesin

The “Most interesting man in the world” - an effect where watching Dos Equis commercials makes me feel like I live a boring life without drinking beer BUT that I can suddenly be transformed into a radical badass by drinking Dos Equis

“5 to 10” - an effect in which after watching makeup tutorials by Youtube beauty gurus, I wholeheartedly believe that I can magically transform myself from an average “5” to a solid “10”

“The Burger Bamboozle” - an effect where watching sexy female celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum eat Carl’s Jr.’s burgers and still look hot suddenly urges me to eat a double bacon cheeseburger while washing a car in a bikini

The “Stock Salad Scam” - an effect in which after viewing stock photos/advertisements of people eating salads and laughing suddenly drives the urge for you to go eat a salad and laugh