Radio Government Regulation

The “improve-as-you-go” radio cultivation between the manufacturers and the consumers in the 1920s would become the major influence in America for shaping the radio industry. During the 1920s the invention of the radio cultivated a new American lifestyle. The radio would become the new median for information across the world, and the United State Government would want a heavy hand in the booming industry. The United States government, following World War I and on the brink of World War II, jumped at the opportunity of being able to communicate over the air waves.

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Beginning in 1911, the United States Government hired three inspectors to make sure vessels acquired radios on their ship. This would also, sadly enough, be the reason for one of the first broadcasts ever from the ship of the Titanic, proclaiming that the “unsinkable ship” had in fact, sunk. The use of the radio on vessels would increase safety because ships could give their coordinates and broadcast distress signals. All of these factors would contribute to the changes endorsed with the creation of the radio, the way we commercialize and the way we protect ourselves.

Priming

When it comes to modern forms of media, tracing the roots of priming helps me understand the impacts of what we see today in the media and why it is we see such messages promoting the violence of men as well as the subjectivity of women in the 21^st century.

One part of the media’s diffusion of innovation is the use of priming in the media. People of the media use priming to provide a feeling of acceptance for the reader. This involves a strong appeal to the targeted audience in order to promote the purchase or even the viewing of a product. The advertisement indirectly provides a sense of self-satisfaction for the viewer by making their feelings relative to the advertisement. The media uses this tactic because it makes the viewer feel at home, because the advertisement giving them something to relate to.

This example shows Britney Spears promoting her perfume “Believe”. To begin, the photo shows a beautiful pop-culture icon devoid of any real clothing. Despite what the icon has currently done with her life, viewers are “primed” because a popular sex-icon/artist has created it, giving viewers the belief that they will look that way if they buy the product or that it will give them a sense of self-satisfaction because someone famous uses it. If a “regular Joe” promoted the product, lacking what the media holds as “true beauty” and a famous stature, almost no one would even be interested in the product. This shows how the media can manipulate and exploit their products according to traditional beauty standards by the use of catharsis, or the use of media to allow users to indirectly satisfy their desires.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2007-08/10/content_6022147.htm

Hegemony

        I think the concept of hegemony is apparent in advertisements by Coca-Cola because in their ads, Coke focuses on building a brand and capturing multiple target audiences,  as opposed to comparing itself to competitive brands.
        To me, hegemony in advertising is doing anything to gain power over the competition.  In this case, Coke focuses on building a child friendly brand.  This gives Coca-Cola an edge because now they control the younger target audience over their competitors.  In this particular example, the polar bear jumps in the icy water and swims to his mother, whom gives the baby bear a refreshing Coke.  This spot demonstrates hegemony by capturing the youth market of soft drinks, which, in turn, grants Coca-Cola power in the market over their competitors.