Generation Like | Youtube Stars

 In today’s society, social media is one of the most common online platforms for advertisers to reach out to their targeted audience in emerging markets. Gen Z’s social media ecosystem heavily relies on these platforms in a view to communicating with others. This extreme dependency was reinforced by a Pew survey (2014-2015), demonstrating that a staggering 94% of teens access their social media on a daily basis, of which 71% used more than one social media site. One of the most popular social media sites is YouTube, launched in 2005. YouTube not only allows teenagers to share their passion with the world but also allows teenagers to feels a sense of connection and value in their society. The world of technology has revolutionized to suit its customers best, however, what many teens may or may not notice is the complex implication and role that advertisers hold in this environment. This raises the questions whether YouTube stars are being exploited or empowered and the ripple effect it causes on its customers.

In the documentary ‘Generation Like’ (2014), Rushkoff observed several American teenagers in order to frame the intricate interrelationships between big-name brands and their young target audience. The film portrayed several normal teenagers stating that ‘social media makes them feel empowered.'

YouTube stars such as Tyler Oakley and Steven Fernandez, earn millions of likes for every video they publish on the YouTube platform. For many advertisers, this is a gold mine for views and viral popularity; giving advertising companies an opportunity that is exceptional to send out a message, and thus, encourage these stars to promote their products in return for their sponsorship. In this film, they have illuminated how they form partnerships with particular brands in order for companies to reach out to their customer. For example, in several videos, Oakley promotes and motivates the consumption of tacos from Taco Bell. Not only does this incite his viewers to purchase their own, but it also allows for a mass-media message to be sent out. Therefore, in many cases, advertisers take advantage of one’s popularity for their own benefit, which exploits their platform, and arguably empowers their consumers.

The personal connections that these YouTube stars make with their audience is what makes their business successful. Their subtle or non-subtle promotions and partnerships, allows companies to enlarge their audience, thus, their profits made.

Even though many YouTube stars may project themselves as being empowered by the opportunities they receive from sharing their passions with the world from the social media environment. However, big-name companies cause these stars to conform to an ideology or a non-existent interest of a certain product, causing our ‘synthetic’ generation to enlarge even more. While many believe, social media shows the reality and allows for a global connection, we must consider that the ‘behind the scenes’ of this massive industry is nothing more than exploitations stringed together with popularity in order to produce dollar bills.  

Stereotypes

In one way or another, most individuals interact with some medium of advert infotainment throughout their daily life. Specifically, advertisements are a form of mass media which plays a pivotal role in projecting certain aspects of humanity. The main purpose of an advertisement is to persuade the audience. However, some advert campaigns may drag along certain generalizations to certain communities to give meaning or be used as a means of persuasive technique or other humoristic effects. When an advertisement generalizes a particular group (gender, age, religion, ethnic group) to achieve this, certain people have been stereotyped. The extent to which stereotypical applies to different advertisement varies, and this raises the controversial question Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotypic people?

            In my estimation, I believe that advertisers have some moral obligation to avoid stereotyping people. When an advertisement is sent out to the public, it automatically has a vast influence on their ‘reason’ as it may change their perspective on individuals and different subjects. As a result, some individuals and subjects may be viewed more negatively and stricter than before; setting a social ‘norm’ or ‘standard’ in one’s society. The aftermath that an advertisement generates is immense as it evolves a society’s ‘new’ way of thinking. Therefore, I believe that advertisements must be carefully reviewed to minimize major influences in one’s beliefs, values, and society. I am not stating, however, that all advertisements must avoid stereotyping. To my way of thinking, some advertisements will always have some stereotypical elements embroidered within their purpose, which is inevitable. However, I do believe that greater attention must be gathered when reflecting on the impact of an advertisement. Once an advertisement is considered more carefully from various perspectives, the implications on one’s society may be less threatening and concerning; creating an evolution in the way we perceive reality. 

Her Future Begins On Two Wheels

This print ad, published by Child Fund International, reveals several pivotal notions about the cultural, social and historical context of its production. The overarching value of the ad is to inform affluent individuals regarding the situation of impoverished children, and to persuade them to donate to charity. The ad promotes and persuades more economically developed countries and its individuals to donate and sponsor their Dream Bike Program. Some economists argue that the gap between the wealthy and poor be a myth, and over the years has become a closer reality. However, this ad claims that more economically developed countries (MEDC) such as the United States and the United Kingdom have the responsibility to ‘nurture’ and ‘guide’ these less economically developed countries (LEDC) such as India, presented in the ad. Not only does this reinforce the enormous pressure that it being weighted on MEDC countries, but it also depicts society’s expectations towards the western input on restoring goods in other nations.

            Furthermore, the advert is generalizing the population and the economic state of India, as it only sheds light on the lack of transport and need for education. In other words, the advert, published in the United States, concludes that every child in India is in ‘need’ of more necessities. Even though the ad is published with the intentions to raise money for the poor, by doing so it creates a stereotype regarding all LEDC countries recalling that without their help they do not have a ‘future.' While the ad is promoting a more caring and supportive society and environment for others in need, it suggests greater and more pivotal values which lead to increased pressure and expectations upon MEDC countries to fulfill, rather than supporting their economic development and growth.

            In addition, woman are also empowered in this print ad. Noticeably, a young girl is displayed on her journey to chase her dreams to go to university. A common stereotype that has been instilled in our society is that women have little to no value in developing countries. They either stay at home to cook or clean the floors. In this ad, however, they depict a young Indian girl on her way to receive an education, and overcoming the daily struggles of reaching her school. Furthermore, the ad suggest that they allow the new generation of women in India to receive an education, expressed through the slogan “Her future … towards her dream.” 

Pitch Reflection

I have completed this pitch presentation with Shriya Baweja and Luiza Helena regarding the Casio Keytar product (The UK, 1980’s).

The aim of this task was to create an advertising campaign and pitch the product to persuade the company (Casio) was entirely fit for their purpose. Our agency Inspire Your Desire aimed to convince the company by employing several appeals during our speech.

While presenting our pitch, we primarily focused on the use of ethos, both in our speech and our pitch. As a group, we decided to showcase the reputation of our agency, to assure the company our ability to make the campaign successful and worthwhile at the beginning of our pitch. We have achieved this by introducing our agency with our goals, who we are as a team, our perception of advertisement and listing specific awards that our agency won over the years. We included this intentionally to develop a credible and reliable character towards the company. Another ethos rhetoric that we incorporated were the Beatles. Given the timeframe of the 1980’s and a musical instrument, we ought that including a favorite British rock band in the advertisement was an essential and pivotal element to persuade our intended audience and to show awareness of the cultural context.

Another persuasive technique that was incorporated in the pitch was repetition. As a group, we came up with a slogan that would reflect the enthusiastic and exclusive identity of the product “Now be a star with your very own Keytar.” We included this slogan to convince the company that the advertisement would centralize the central identity and reputation of the good. Other appeals that we mentioned during our endorsement was the need for autonomy, the need for something new and logos (neurological impacts).

Overall, we tried to incorporate persuasive language throughout our speech, to reinforce the purpose of the pitch and unite the script as one. We focused on using specific phrases that would automatically lead the company to believe that the campaign is refreshing and credible, such as “Think again… We know… Yes, that’s right! … We strive…”. We expressed this diction in an enthusiastic manner to transfer the same enthusiasm and excitement of the campaign to our audience. Moreover, I believe that this technique was effective as it exhibits a particular perspective on the product, allowing the company to engage with the topic.

Knowledge of the awareness of audience and context influenced our approach to this task. For instance, our context was the UK, during the 1980s. Therefore, we chose for a text type that was popular during this framework: TV commercials and podcasts. Also, we supposed that having a British rock band that was globally known would introduce greater authenticity to the product. Also, we also focused on persuading the company that a musical instrument would not narrow down their options for a broad target audience.

I believe that our group worked very efficiently to complete this task to our best extent, and I’m proud of what we were able to achieve in the time given. During class, we were able to manage our time to finish the task on time successfully. Overall, we collaborated efficiently and were able to distribute the workload equally. Personally, as we worked fluently and were able to collaboratively effectively, I do not think I’d change anything regarding preparing for the task. However, I believe I focused too much on the development of the script, compared to presenting. When presenting, I felt nervous which made me rely on my cue cards too much. Therefore, I was not able to engage with the audience as much as I wanted too. Thus, if I were to complete this presentation again, I would equally manage my time in both the preparation and rehearsing of the task. Then, I’d be able to present without relying on my cue cards and present with greater engagement and communication skills. 

Rhetoric in Advertisements

The intended audience of this Nespresso advertisement are coffee consumers, particularly towards an affluent clientele of a higher income to affirm the brand’s image. In general, young adults tend to express their social status by their looks and physical appearance. However, adults aged 35-50 prioritize their social status by their possessions. As espresso has a focused brand image on luxury coffee and espresso machines, the possession of Nespresso is exclusive and valuable, thus, attracted by higher social class adults.

            The advertisement notably introduces ethos by appealing the presence and authority of the well-respected actor, filmmaker, and activist George Clooney to stimulate a believable character of persuasion. In the ad, George Clooney convinces the intended audience to purchase Nespresso, because his judgment on quality coffee is respected, thus, trustworthy and reliable. As the celebrity is a well-credited actor of a higher social class adult, thus, automatically influences the consumer purchase, position of the brand and attracts new users. 

            Additionally, the advertisement also provokes emotions through its use of setting and characters. Throughout the advert, George Clooney identifies the value of luxury coffee. The brand’s image is primarily visualized in the advert; set in a highly exclusive and wealthy scenery where gestures and movement throughout are elegant, graceful and sophisticated. The use of private setting and exclusive and wealthy characters evokes a luxurious and authorizing feeling. By doing so, the advertisement attracts their intended audience and their media message. Additionally, the slogan of the campaign is to "Experience the quality of Nespresso, and you'll let no one compromise your pleasure". As the women prefers to have another espresso rather than meeting George Clooney, it illuminates and highlights the intense sensation and valuability of Nespresso coffee. Eventhough this situation is highly unrealistic, the setting and character appeals to the intended audience which evokes a prioritized and exclusive emotion. 

Letter to the Editor- 'Twtr? Its Majorly Bad!'

15 October 2016

To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article “Twtr? It's Majorly Bad!’ to express my concern and opinion regarding your arguments. I personally believe that the article generates a one-sided and negative attitude towards technology, as stated that it is pivotal to “protect standards of English from the influence of text message and social media slang”.

Firstly, I’d like to remind you that textspeak is not the only major factor that may or may not affect a student’s grasp of spelling and grammar. The English language, and language in general, will always evolve. Therefore, solely blaming textspeak on mistakes and errors that students make is unnecessary, perhaps, invalid.

In the article, Caroline Jorden stated that “a generation of children are leaving school without a proper grasp of spelling and grammar because of the impact of so-called textspeak”. Not all students are as active on social media and technology as others, therefore, not all students leave without proper knowledge on spelling and grammar. I understand to some extend that textspeak may be introduced in a student’s academics, however, this is a subjective decision made by the students. Additionally, does this mean that our entire generation does this? In my opinion, the answer is no. As a student myself, I believe that we can distinguish when to use which type of language. In order for students to write abbreviations, they must first be able to spell the word and place it in a sentence, in order to apply and create shortcuts of the words. I also disagree that students grow up with “limited vocabularies because they spend so much free time on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.”. These sites are not full of textspeak, in fact, only 10% is. Not only do these sites expose students to a wide variety of text types and styles, it also allows them to read a variety of vocabulary. In fact, due to technology, students have a greater accessibility to literature compared to twenty years ago. Therefore, technology is not a literary monster that shreds and demolishes the history of spelling and grammar.

Furthermore, language is evolutionary, it is inevitable and absurd to attempt preventing this phenomenon from happening. Yes, technology is speeding up this process, however, it allows for a greater understanding and further communication amongst a community. Mrs. Jordan stated that “We should teach English in a traditional way. The correct use of grammar and spelling is important but there is going to be a whole generation which is not necessarily able to do that.”. Language has an evolutionary nature, therefore, “the traditional way” essentially has to adapt to the environment that its exposed to. Grammar and spelling is crucial in the English language, however, it must evolve parallel to language in order to prevent further complications.

The article itself provides a good understanding of the impact that technology has on language, however, I urge you to open up the arguments to a more open-minded nature. I recommend that you reconsider the validity of each argument, as expressed in this letter.

Sincerely,

Fleur Vande Kerckhove

Last Interview with Ann Christy

At the BRT show, we had a chance to interview Ann Christy, the Flemish music phenomena, before her last performance due to her battle with cervical cancer. We had an opportunity to discuss and evaluate her singing career, musical intentions and the impact of her music on the Belgian society.

Fleur Vande Kerckhove: Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve had to miss her for a while, but she’s back. Please welcome the one and only Ann Christy!

…

Vande Kerckhove: Good afternoon Ann, as we all know, the past few months have been extremely rough for you regarding your health—we won’t dig into any further details. However, how are you feeling, do you see a light at the end of the tunnel?

Ann Christy: There are days where I can see the light, and there are days that are pitch black. Psychologically, I believe that there is still a long road of challenges I will have to conquer, which is holding me back at times. Yet, for me, the best medicine is my audience, the applause, the love, the emotions. Making it here today has been a huge accomplishment for me, and I’m grateful … very grateful.

Vande Kerckhove: For each and one of us, young and old, your music has a solid and warm place in the heart of the Belgian community. I’d like to go back a few years, and discuss where it all began; your collaboration with ‘The Adams’. How did this start your music career?

Christy: Hah, my carrier was one of trial and error. I started singing with the orchestra of ‘The Adams’, where I found my first true love; Marc Hoyois, the drummer. As I collaborated with The Adams, I was able to experience what it meant to sing and perform in the heart of my country; Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The world of music opened wide-eyed with passion and ambition. Two years later, in 1968, I then won the Knokke-Cup “Caméra d’argent’ and I took part in the Festival of Inssbruck. After that, I then took part in the preselections of the Eurovision song festival with my single “Dag Vreemde Man” (Hi Strange Man).

Vande Kerckhove: And that’s when you developed hatred towards festivals?

Christy: I wouldn’t necessarily use the word ‘hatred’, more or less I believe that festivals don’t have the ability to capture you as an artist. In 1975 I finally made it on stage in Stockholm, with my single  “Gelukkig Zijn” (To Be Happy), yet I only came 15^th place. I don’t like to participate in festivals anymore. I find it challenging to present yourselves in three minutes. In three minutes you can also demolish your career.

Vande Kerckhove: After the Eurovision, you then stepped away from festivals for good. What struggles arose by doing so?

Christy: After 1975, I experienced the struggle of defining my music. Who was I writing to? What was my aim? My repertoire isn’t suitable for galas, and I also don’t quite belong to what one calls cabaret. I sit in-between the two, and that’s where I’ve settled.

Vande Kerckhove: In 1980, however, you published a cover of “The Rose” by Bette Midler. What was the intended impact of this song?

 Christy: This particular song, is about the confrontation of love and hate, as “Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed.” (De Roos). The relevance and simplicity of the song is what captures everyone’s attention. I wrote songs that everyone can relate to at a personal level at some point in their lives. The simplicity and purity of the song allows my audience to sing along with ease, yet connect and relate the songs to their personal history. The chorus is simple and repetitive as each section starts with “Men zegt dat liefde…”. This song, for many people, created a sensation of understanding and emotional awareness.

Vande Kerckhove: Why do you think your songs, in general, had such a big influence on the Belgian society?

Christy: The only way I know I have succeeded with a song, is when I see my audience singing along with passion in their voices. Before 1965, popular ‘Schlager’ songs were published, however, they were songs to make fame and money while they didn't connect with a community. I wanted to create timeless, iconic, classic songs, and by doing so I wrote songs that grasped people’s emotions, that touched their hearts. People were astonished that music had the ability to do so, and that, for me, is the art of music…

Vande Kerckhove: Speaking of which, do you still plan on creating music? … Regarding your current situation.

Christy: I will never stop striving to create better songs. Being able to write songs with lyrics that matter to my society, is the only purpose I have. I will never give up on my passion. My passion is what shapes me, and what traces my cultural love for the Belgian society.

Vande Kerckhove: Thank you Ann, your determination and strength to strive is very inspiring. We wish you all the best in what the future serves.

15^th April 1984.

(Ann Christy passed away three months later at the age of 38.)