American Culture is often criticized for being too materialistic. The idea

that advertizing creates artificial desires rests on a profound ignorance

of human nature, as Stephen leacock quotes: "Advertizing is the science

of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it".

However, the concept of materialism is too complex, but most of

definitions focus on the extent to which the acquisition and possession

of material objects is important to individuals.



Nowadays, many people think that the control of culture has passed

into the hands of advertisers. In America as in the rest of the world,

advertising is all about "branding"which is the central activity of

creating differing values for such common place objects and services as

flour, cigarettes, jeans, Cola drink, air travel, telephone carriers etc...

Giving objects their identity, and thus a perceived value, is advertizing's

unique power. For instance, would people spend $100 for a pair sneakers

or spend a $30,000 for a car they have never heard of its brand? Of

course not! Thus, advertizing is simply one of the number of attempts

to load objects with meanings and one of the major methods to load this

meaning is through repetition:


The first time a man looks at an adverisement, he does not see it.

The second time he is conscious of its existence.

The third time he thinks he will ask someone he knows if he has tried it.

The fourth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

The fifth time he thinks he will buy it one day.

The sixth time he counts his money carefully and finally buys it.


This is how advertizing attempts to influence our thinking and

pushes us to buy things that we didn't use to pay attention to. In

this regard, we can say that American culture is materialistic as long

as we ae in a continuous contact with advertizing wherever we go.

Radio Formats and ME

Radio Formats and Me

Honestly, the only time when I listen to the radio is when I drive my car.

I don't have any favorite radio stations; but I usually listen to Commercial FM

Radio all the time, as it comprises several stations, specified in many genres of

music such as Hip Hop, R&B, country, Soul etc...My favorite stations are 95.3,

94.1,94.9 and 106.7. They are almost about everything. Sometimes I even

switchto other stations, if one or more are playing songs I don't like, and this

is anotherreason why Idon't have a specific favorite radio station.




I seldom or probably never listen to FM radio at home. Nowadays, most of the

people are listening to the radio while driving their vehicules, and I believe that

radio is addressed to these kinds of people as it find it hard to reach others,

especially with the competition of TV, Internet, I Pods, Cell phones etc...

Undoubtedly, most of radio listeners are drivers or passengers. What

enhances this thesis, is the fact that many radio hosts are adressing to

people on the road by saying : " If you are driving, drive safe etc.."



As I said, I prefer commercial radio stations for the reasons mentioned above.

These commercial stations support themselves by selling advertising. Thus,

advertising dollars are based on the stations' ratings, which depend solely on

how many people listen. In this regard, commercial radio stations don't care

what format they are, as long as it is profitable.



This pushes us to talk about the various radio formats. Indeed, there are many

of them, and each one is specialized in some kind of music or talk, For me,

I prefer Classic Hits, Hip Hop, Country, but the problem wth these radio

formats is that they keep on playing the same songs over and over several

times a day, which makes the listener think he/she is listening to a CD and

not a radio station!





All in all, commerical radio FM remains my favorite genre I listen to while

driving my car. To be frank, I don't think I can listen to the radio in any other

place rather than my car, for the simple reason that the new technology of the

Internet, I Pods, Cell Phones, has taken over this mean of mass media.

Said ACHOU

October 27, 2008 MMC 1000 Essay NO. 2


1. Have you enjoyed reading the Wall Street Journal? Explain why

you have enjoyed it, or why not?

To be honest, before September 2008, reading the WSJ was not one of my

habits. I used to read the newspapers but not on a daily basis. Now as

I’m taking the Mass Media Communication class and as our weekly quizzes

are about some of the WSJ’s articles, I’ve started to spend more time reading

this Journal which I honestly enjoy. Sometimes, I not only read the assigned

articles that will be in the quiz, but I also read about different topics ranging

from international to local news. I have also become acquainted with how

the financial sector and business community are doing, because I know that

sooner or later, we will be affected by what they do or think. By doing so,

I can proudly say that my vocabulary has expanded as I acquire news word

each day.

2. How has reading the newspapers helped you learn about the

MMC? Explain, and give some examples of what you’ve learned.

In reading the WSJ, I’ve learned a lot about MMC. In the Market Place

Section, in which most of our quizzes are about, there are many articles that

cover several topics about all forms of Mass Media including TV, radio,

internet,magazines etc…Thus, in reading those articles, I’ve constructed

a clear idea about all the recent technologies invented in these domains as

well as all the financial problems they face. I’ve learned how the economic

turmoil affects big companies like Yahoo Corp. or Google forcing them

to lay off a hundreds of employees. I also learned about the problems

some newspapers like The Star Ledger of Newark, NJ encounter which

threaten the journal to stop being published unless its editors reach

an agreement with the Truck Union.

3. Compared to traditional textbook-based study and learning

methods, is reading the newspaper a better or worse

educational experience? Expand your answers with details and

examples.

There is no doubt that reading the newspapers is much more better

than reading the textbook which offers just broad definitions and

history of the means of mass media. However, reading the WSJ entitles

us to be informed about all the current events either social, economical,

political etc….Frankly, I’ve learned many things since I’ve started to read

the WSJ every day. In fact, reading the textbook is important too, but

for me, I prefer this method of reading the WSJ because it is more

beneficial for us, the students, and directly introduce us to the field of

Journalism in which most of us want to make a career in.

4. Has the reading assignment changed your behavior, i.e., your

daily schedule, your study habits, your desire for news and information?

In fact, the reading assignment has changed my behavior, especially my

schedule. Before September 2008, I had no special plan early in the morning

except having my breakfast and revising some of my courses. But things have

changed two months ago as I’ve started to read the WSJ. At first, I felt

obliged to read it because it is a part of the syllabus, but I got accustomed to

it as time goes on. My schedule now has changed as I pick up the WSJ everyday

at 7:30 am and read some if its articles. I really enjoy reading it now and I don’t

feel I’m obliged to read it anymore as I read other articles which are not part

of the quiz. This habit has helped me a lot to improve my vocabulary and

expand my general information.

5. Are the weekly quizzes an effective way to measure what you’ve

learned by reading the WSJ? if yes, why? if no, why? Add

suggestionsfor other ways to measure learning.

Undoubtedly, the weekly quizzes are a good way to push us to read the

newspaper and actually they have been effective, at least for me. It was

a smart professional method to introduce us to the newspapers especially

if we know that reading in general has declined because most of people

nowadays prefer to look for information on TV, internet etc…Like I said

these quizzes have helped us to be informed of several topics about mass

media communication. As for me, I really enjoy reading these articles and

I think it would be a good idea if the quizzes are varied and deal with other

topics like politics or economics. I’m quite sure I will continue to read this

amazing paper regardless of whether it is in the quiz or not.

6. How likely are you to renew your subscription to the WSJ after

this semester? Give an expansive answer, with reasons.

I’m seriously thinking about renewing my subscription to the WSJ after this

semester, for the simple reason that I believe this experience has helped me

to read and learn about several topics I would not think or have the chance to

look or search for them on TV or on the net. The WSJ has also been an

effective way for me to improve my vocabulary and writing skills. I believe

reading the WSJ on a daily basis is the first step that should be made for

students who are willing to have a career in Journalism

My Reading Habbits

Despite the advantages of reading books that entitle us to be informed, entertained, and enable us to expand our horizons and escape from our daily routine, people including me, still don’t regularly read on a continuous basis, and even if I do, there are factors that push me to do so, such as the reputation of the author the book belongs to or the genre of books that I get attracted to.

If asked to classify my book reading habits, I can honestly say they are not entirely the best and not poor either. I believe I could challenge myself if I start reading more books and make plans to finish reading them in a limited time. Sometimes, I will purchase a book, read some of it, and put it back in the bookcase and never pick it up again. When I’m in the bookstore, books look so attractive on the shelves, but that’s not the case when they are in my room. The reasons why probably they look good to me in the bookstore and push me to purchase them is may be due to their covers which look good, or may be because I want to be polite to an author that I know by buying his/her books. I also try to compete with my friends sometimes when they buy several books, and so I find myself obliged to do the same just to show I’m interested too. To be honest, the only time when I frequently read is during school semesters for the simple reason that some novels, textbooks and plays are a MUST to read and also because I feel I’m in the reading mood by spending many hours in the library revising notes, reading short stories etc…

There are many authors that I like reading their works and find it hard to put the book down before finishing it. When I’m in the reading mood, I do read not only for authors who write in English, but also for Francophone and Arab authors. One of my favorite English authors is Charles Dickens who is undoubtedly the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era; I recommend reading his novels to anyone who is keen on literature. Victor Hugo, the master of “Les Misérables” novel, is my favorite Francophone author. He was not only a novelist, but also a poet, Human rights activist and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic Movement in France. As for Arab authors, my favorite one is certainly the Egyptian Najeeb Mahfouz, who was the first Arab author to win the Noble Prize in literature in 1988. His works were translated to several languages and edited all the over the world.

Talking about these authors may provide a glimpse into my favorite genres of books which are novels and short stories. I like to read novels and short stories, but I prefer novels mostly because in reading short stories, it takes more intense concentration than many novels. With a novel, once you have a sense of the characters, you can go along with them for the ride. On the other hand, with short stories, one has to figure out a new set of characters in every story; that can seem like more “work” to me, but still short stories along with novels remain my favorite genres. I also like Dictionaries especially bilingual ones : English/Arabic and English/French because they allow me to look up any word I have difficulties understanding it in one language and find its meaning in another, and this for sure will enhance my vocabulary skills and fluency in these languages.

All in all, books remain important as anything else on earth and technology will never take over them. As for me, I’ve decided to commit myself to read at least an hour on a daily basis. By doing so, I believe it would be beneficial and enough for me to acquire a new vocabulary, use imagination and consequently improve my writing skills.

Testing

Just testing!