This is a race against time. My index finger stands poised
above my mouse. My eyes are glued to the fluorescent square. This is my
battlefield. I brace my reflexes. I am a warrior of free thought. I strive to
eliminate all evils from my blessed entertainment. The pop-up ads, the car
jingles, the British spokesmen, the dreaded green geckos- they are all my
enemies. I go through my battle strategy one more time- locate the hidden exits
and mute all the videos. If I wait too long, the advertisements begin and I am
subjected to their propaganda. If a foreign unexpected sound trickles through
my headphones, I’ll know I have lost. This time, I have gotten through
scot-free. I have scoured away the muck and have made it to the promise land of
free, unadulterated entertainment. Well, until today, I thought that was the
case.
Before
the days of Hulu, people had to risk a lot to attain free television. People
would use websites that were constantly being shut down due to copyright
issues, which put their computers in jeopardy. It would range from a
pornographic image popping up on your screen to your computer being infested
with a virus. If you were lucky, it was both. When Hulu was created, it became
quite popular amongst the dwellers of these websites. It was free television
without the risk of an awkward trip to the Apple help desk. At least we thought
it was free television. Instead of losing money, we lost the purity of our
mind. Advertisements penetrated our brains and replaced our opinions with
catchy slogans.
The
purpose behind all television productions is to load our mind up with as many
commercials as they can. Choosing the show “America’s Next Top Model”, I viewed
42 minutes of the show out of 51 minutes and 52 seconds of viewing time. This
leaves nine minutes and 52 seconds for ads. Hulu has created a nifty little
contraption that is called the “Hulu ad tailor”. Not only do they personalize
the ads you watch based on the show you pick, they also ask you if the ad they
are showing is relevant to you. This makes their ad space very desirable
because it pinpoints the specific audience for the company, and generates more
traffic for their product by showing it directly to their intended viewers.
This utility shows how they put a great deal of energy into supplying us with
ads. I realized while watching this show that when the commercials stop, it
doesn’t mean the endorsements end. Throughout the show, the models had to take
“selfies” and then create a hashtag that described them. Because of this, I
have come to realize that there is no safety zone from advertisements, they are
always secretly trying to promote or name-drop something for us to consume.
These
days, people are drawn to the word “free” and take it as it’s worth. They don’t
question what it really means. If you’re not paying money for a service, its
quite possible you’re giving up your ability to make your own decisions. You’re
letting a company decide what you think and want. Is having “free” media really
a price you want to pay? This is up to you.
Mairead, I respect that you try to write with some creative energy here. I enjoyed reading your introduction; it was fun and well written. Unfortunately, I'm confused by the logic of the introduction as well as the overall logic of the entire post. I'm confused about how the battlefield metaphor introduces your response. With the exception of the quick reference to the "safety zone" near the end, I see no connection between your creative intro and the rest of your post. Also, you need to be careful how you use pronouns. There are countless times in this post when you rely on the pronoun "it" without clearly defining what "it" is. In fact, if you look at the first few sentences of your second paragraph, you use "it" extensively and you use it to represent different nouns. This is confusing. It makes your writing seem vague and unclear. As a general rule, I would be take note every time you write "it." Be sure that the antecedent is clear. Similarly, your use of the pronoun "they" is also confusing. You use this to vaguely represent those people who "put a great deal of energy into supplying us with ads". Who are these people? Finally, you should try to write with a bit more narrative consistency. I'm not sure if you're writing about yourself, or about "you" and "your" experiences. Also, you refer to "us" on one occasion.
ReplyDeleteYou clearly have a flare for active, engaging writing. I know I will enjoy reading your stuff all year. However, in this post, you indicate to me that you still need to work on controlled, disciplined creativity.