The Braindead Megaphone

Anfernee Raine,

Lora Strey,

Composition 101-12,

November 24^th 2014        

Speaker to the Voices in Your Head

 

            Have you ever noticed that there is something quite peculiar about the media. Its not them or the information that they are putting out there but it is how the people are responding to it. It seems like no matter what is said on the air or written in news articles, people do not find it appropriate to question any of the messages being sent. In the article “The Braindead Megaphone” the writers speaks about social situations that are dominated by people with a larger voice and how this affects the people listening. He uses the metaphor of a party to talk about a person who is forcing his ideas on other subconsciously through the use of a megaphone. (Saunders 1958) The megaphone is the metaphor for a larger voice like newspapers or blog posts. His representation shows how ideas can be spread in a much more aggressive manner. In this way people can push their suggestions and opinions on others. The scary part about this method is that the ideas are fed to them in such a way that the people affected believe that they are their own. This is the effect of the brain-dead megaphone.

            From the information in “The Brand-dead Megaphone” article we can see that it is fairly easy to plant ideas in to people’s minds and get them talking about what you want. This is fairly true in real life when you get down to it. Just think of how many commercials you’ve probably seen advertising some kind of product that no one for any reason would ever really need. These commercials are clever though! They make sure to show how much everyone in the commercial is excited about the product and it makes it click in your mind as “Wow, it must be great if they all like it so much!” This is how companies make their profit. Making it seem like they are already a hot commodity.

            Companies have been making lots of profits through the subliminal messages that have become so popular. Since the 80s people have always been looking to the media for the latest in dieting fads and crazes. Fitness has become a craze in America and it is growing larger as the media continues to press  it’s ideals of a perfect body weight and what foods should or should not be eaten. “With the obesity epidemic that is currently going on in the United States, fitness and weight loss has been growing in popularity, if not becoming an obsession, for Americans.”( Fitness 2014) Lately gluten has been the main thing to avoid in a “perfect” diet. “Gluten is to this decade what carbohydrates were to the last one and fat was to the ’80s and ’90s: the bête noir, the bad boy, the cause of all that ails you—and the elimination of which can heal you.” (Kluger 2014) Companies are using this fad as a way to market themselves towards health enthusiasts who get all their information about dieting and healthcare from celebrity magazines. They even market items that never contained gluten to begin with as “gluten-free.” Somehow this manages to make it more appealing to people because well, “it has to be good for me if its already that healthy.” This is a prime example of how the media controls how people think.

 

Works Cited

"Eat More Gluten: This Fad Must Die!" Time. Time. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. <http://time.com/2912311/eat-more-gluten-the-diet-fad-must-die/>.

"Fitness Industry Analysis 2014 - Cost & Trends." Fitness Industry Analysis 2014 - Cost & Trends. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. <https://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/fitness-industry-report/>.

Mass Media/Technology Influences on Fitness

Luke Rickleff

11/13/14

English Comp. 101-12

Lora Strey

Mass Media/Technology Influences on Fitness

With technology becoming such an important part of our everyday life with our phones, computers, and TV controlling most of it. But what role do these new technology and the mass media that comes with it play in fitness. All of the factors can add up to an unclear understanding on whether it truly helps with fitness. New fitness technologies and way to stay fit make it easy for people to stay fit and workout. With home workout videos like P90X and Zumba, they bring the gym right to the consumer. 

Yet television, computers, video games and social media take up more of peoples time that they use to be online and sitting around rather than being active.A study conducted by University of North Carolina Chapel Hill researchers and published in Obesity Reviews,"they observed that the  U.S., total physical activity trends went from 235 MET hours per week in 1965 to nearly 160 MET hours per week in 2009. Our sedentary lifestyle increased from 26.4 MET hours in 1965 to 37.7 MET hours in 2009." This is a substantial change and can be explained by the major increase in technology and its role that it plays into our every day lives. With this data from that study "forecasts physical activity to be around 142 MET hours per week by 2020, using linear trends based on 2003-2009. In 2030, it's even lower - 126 MET hours per week due to declining work-related, domestic and travel physical activity." To put that in perspective, sedentary time or time spent laying around will have increase by over 42 hours per week by 2030 more than the average work day for most people. With pleasure and sedentary time increasing quickly, this leaves less time for other activities including working out and fitness.

But there is hope that technology and social media could spark a new movement to become more active. Technology can be used to promote physical activity and change exercise behavior. For years, pedometers, accelerometers, and heart rate monitors have been used as motivational tools. Newer technologies and approaches being used to promote physical activity include global positioning system, interactive video games, and persuasive technology. Also, experts suggest that Internet-based physical activity interventions should be used by clinicians to promote and change exercise behavior. Social media like Facebook and blogs like ours can be links to tools and technology that make it easy to keep track of your health and fitness.They help you connect yourself to others and to use them to keep track of your own progress. Another important factor is that social media is an endless stream of information. Participating in Twitter chats and joining niche groups on Facebook gives you access to like minded people. Updates from other runners can inspire you to push harder, and links to races can inform you of events you may never have known about. These people, their information and experiences, make you want to be to do your very best.

So as you can see technology and mass media is a double edged sword. It can both help and hinder your physical fitness. There are technology and social sites and groups that can motivate and give you new workout ideas or event dates and times. But on the other hand technology as a whole will continue to affect the level of activity for ordinary people. As the long run trend shows that sedentary time will continue to increase as physical activity while then suffer because of it. No matter how you look at it technology is here to stay, so we can either continue to let it hinder the our physical activity levels or we can adapt it to help promote fitness for the future.

Work Cited

"15 Top Fitness Gadgets." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 19 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Ciccolo, Marcus. "Using Technology to Promote Physical Activity." Human-kinetics. 27 July 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Qidwae, Aisha. "Technology Negatively Affecting Our Health, Study Shows." Technology Negatively Affecting Our Health, Study Shows. Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, 23 July 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Soba, Tara. "The Power of Social Media to Affect Our Health and Fitness." Greatist. 25 July 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Fast Food and Fitness

Anfernee Raine

Lora Strey

Composition 101-12

November 6th, 2014

Fast Food and Fitness

    “Over the last three decades, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American Society.” (Bedford 2013) Fast food is such a prevalent factor now that it goes pretty unnoticed by most people. It is a heavily integrated part of American society. The process of purchasing fast food itself has become so routine that it can be compared to stopping at a red light. (Bedford 2013). The fast food industry has come from just a few stands selling hot dogs in the streets to major chains and brands with international branches. Not only have fast food industries grown but they have prospered very much so.

    As ironic as it is, fast food has managed to dominate athletics. It is becoming more and more prevalent seeing fast food being endorsed and supported by professional athletes even if the athlete does not actually partake in the restaurants products. So why would athletes have any reason to endorse these companies? “ Athletes enhance their income while companies enhance their sales and brand, using athletes’ fame and achievements to promote their products.” (Godelnik 2013) This seems like a legitimate reason able to justify their support for these companies but what are the real impacts of their actions. How does their support of industries like Mc’Donalds and Burger King actually affect their fans or athletes who look up to them?

    Obesity is becoming one of the world’s most pressing health public health challenges. (Baytor 2012) Being overweight can be  a real issue for people. It can lead to complications in health like diabetes, high cholesterol and even heart attacks. One of the biggest contributors to obesity in today’s society is fast food. Fast food has gained so much power in the past few decades that there is hardly anyone able to question their methods. They have even grown to the point where they have dominated the olympic games. Majority of the advertisements in the Olympic games are by companies like Cadbury that sponsor the events to gain popularity. The representation of unhealthy foods by athletic events is unfavourable for several reasons. It gives athletes that watch events like the Olympics and look up to those athletes feel that fast foods are slightly nutritious and in some way good for them. Why else would professional athletes be affiliated with them right? “Further, pairing athletics with unhealthy food advertising conveys a misleading message to children that poor nutrition is acceptable if accompanied by an active lifestyle.” (Baytor 2012.) This is unacceptable because sporting events like the olympics are meant to inspire the next generation of athletes and show them that the boundaries are always being pushed. The fast food industry has taken advantage of the influential power the games hold and is using it to market itself.

Works Cited

"Swifter, Higher, Stronger…Fatter?: The Olympic Games and Junk Food Advertising to Children." ONeill Institute Blog Swifter Higher StrongerFatter The Olympic Games and Junk Food Advertising to Children Comments. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.

"What Will Get Athletes to Stop Endorsing Unhealthy Foods and Beverages?" Triple Pundit RSS. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.