writing

Instructions:

The objective of this assignment is to apply the media literacy skills addressed in Unit 2 to real world examples. An important aspect of media literacy is understanding how media messages are constructed, with what purposes, and for whom they are constructed (see Chapter 2, “Media Literacy: A Primer,” in particular).

In this assignment, you will be analyzing how an advertisement is constructed for different audiences. However, we are asking you to analyze an advertisement within the context of social networking platforms like Facebook or online video streaming services like Hulu or YouTube.

Due to the diversity of types of “advertisements,” we define an advertisement as a media message that is constructed to persuade people to buy a product or service or to adhere to a certain worldview. The advertisement you choose for this assignment must fit this definition.

To find an advertisement targeted specifically to you, go to any of your social media platforms or watch something on Hulu or YouTube that will show advertisements. You can also find an advertisement from your Facebook account, Instagram account, Twitter account, Weibo account, or any other social networking site or service you use that you have seen advertisements on. The advertisement can either be a video advertisement or a “print” advertisement that only has words/ pictures and no video.

Include a screenshot of the advertisement in your assignment as a separate page. (It will not count toward your word count.)

If you use an AdBlocker or use incognito browsing on your web browser, disable these temporarily to see advertisements that have been tailored specifically for you.

After you find an advertisement on your social media feed, respond concisely to the following (do not rewrite the questions):

1. Where did you find the ad (e.g., YouTube, Hulu, Facebook)?

2. For what company or organization was the ad or PSA produced? What product or service is being advertised, what issue is the PSA addressing, or which candidate is the political ad promoting?

3. Describe the advertisement. What techniques are being used to attract your attention? For example, are there any celebrities in the advertisement? (If there is, what is their fan base?) is there a lot of color? What is the music like (if there is music)? Are the people in the advertisement young or old, men or women? Are there cute animals? Are there any text messages in the advertisement? (If so, what do they mean?) And any other elements that have captured your attention.

4. What kind of lifestyle and values are being represented in the advertisement? Is it trying to appeal to a certain group of consumers? Why do you think this advertisement is being shown to you?

5. What does this advertisement reveal to you about your own internet presence? Why do you think this advertisement is being shown to you? What about your browsing history (e.g., recent searches) may have helped the advertisers to identify you as their target audience? Was the advertisement accurate in terms of your interests? Are you persuaded by the advertisement to purchase the product now or in the future?

Technical Requirements:

Your analysis should be 350 – 500 words of written content. One inch margins are required. Page numbers must be included in the bottom center of each page.

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