reading response #6

        Recently, I read an article by Cynthia Selfe about the change in advertisements. It has come to her attention that advertisements reflect of peoples culture and reinforce it. To put this into perspective, a picture of a white family in front of a large house might stand for how “perfect” America is, but us as the viewers know that isn’t true. As a society , and the group of marketers who take the pictures for the ads are trying to expand the culture of people and have more interesting and not so stereotypical images. To have pictures being taken in such a positive way, Selfe describes technology as giving us hope for the future. If we are given the chance to see what to strive for, then it helps us see that were all going to be okay. The positive social aspects of the new technology and way to look at ads over compensates the negative affects. For example, even though it is obvious to see that there is world hunger by looking at a picture, by never having to experience hunger on a personal level, it doesn’t effect the person as much. All the person looking at the picture has to do is send in money to a company and he or she has a sense of person satisfaction by feeling like they made a difference. To have this power to many people never experience the problems some people have to live with today makes it difficult for anyone to relate to them. People tend to not even try to put there selves into the person on the other side of the lenses feels or lives there life. But by having the ability to see what else is going on in the world, it also is helping the increase of people culture because they are becoming more aware of what’s going on around them. Selfe expresses this idea by showing ads about different cultures by seeing how differently they live than Americans do. This idea has large importance because it gives people the ability to explore and make a difference without having to step out of there comfort zones.
        By focusing on how to see a picture makes people stay in there comfort zones, Selfe over looks the deeper problem of the few people that the picture makes them come out of there so called comfort zones. If a picture is so intense or means a lot to a person, it might effect someone more than another person. If someone sees a picture that some how relates to them, it makes them more eager to help the cause or it will mean more to them. Another way an ad can make people want to do more would be if it is disturbing them. If it was something repulsive or tear jerking, it might make the person find passion and want to make a change. Personally , an experience with me was when I was seeing pictures and hearing about the poverty in Haiti. My friend Katelyn’s family was in the process of adopting two girls at the time. When I could see pictures in magazines it made me feel helpless but when I knew that I had the power to help those kids, I did my best to do all I could. I gave money to her mother to help pay for bags of rice and my family donated to the program that helped advance there orphanages. The power of advertisements changed my perspective and helped me make a difference in someone’s life.