April 28, 2013 Post #2 A New Era of Stalking



Okay Nikon, in the words of my girl Fat Amy, lesbihonest. This commercial has literally made me laugh my @$$ off so many times you wouldn't believe it! Kudos to the director of this commercial; he or she had some major cojones to all this commercial to hit the nation. 

Maybe I'm being a little harsh, I mean, we all have those days when we whip out our cameras and take pictures of people across the restaurant, right? And I guess it's normal to see some random person across the room taking pictures of you, with their special zooming effects that only Nikon has. I only wonder what would happen if the person taking those pictures wasn't Ashton Kutcher, but instead someone more like this? 

I just have a feeling that the blond chick wouldn't blow a kiss at the camera, but run for help screaming in the other direction. But hey, I could be completely wrong! Maybe it means that if I have a Nikon coolpix S630, L100 or P90 with mega-times zoom, I will get the "Ashton Kutcher" reaction. Fingers crossed.

On a more serious note, this commerical was so utterly terrible I couldn't help laughing. It brought me much joy and happiness, but also made me feel sad because it means that somewhere, some stalker is getting his/her hopes up on being able to take pictures from far away and have the camera's focus smiling carefree. I honestly feel for the poor sap who falls for this commercial. And now that I think about it, this commercial kind of pisses me off. Do corporate advertisers really have such low standards they set their targeted audiences to? Do they really believe we are complete morons? (No offense to any owners of Nikon cameras, I'm sure you are all wonderful, harmless people...Please don't follow me home.)

While my area of expertise in the vast field of media is slimmer than most model's waist sizes, I claim to possess enough wits about me to distinguish this commercial as an utter failure. Sorry corporate America! I didn't fall for this one! Better luck next time...Please don't sue me.

I can honestly say that I'm not sure if any techniques were used to persuade potential buyers just based on the horrible quality of this thirty-second barrel of laughes. And if techniques were used, they were used so incorrectly that they backfired like a grandma climbing up stairs while the young, innocent grandchild climbs up behind her, trying to hold back tears and breathing.

And lastly, this commercial makes me very concerned about the work ethics of modern day stalkers. Sitting in an open restaurant with a zoom? BOOOOORING. Lets have some action, some adventure. A potted plant? I know, I know, been there, hid behind that. So what? Come up with something! Innovate! That's what makes stalking such a fruitful hobby! It keeps you on your toes and in shape. Take some risks, use the natural zoom that only comes from a few inches away while completely incognito.

Oh, and dear readers, remember, it is NOT the "zoom makes them fun" as Nikon wants us to believe. It's the chase that makes it fun.  

April 28, 2013 Post #1 Eleven Seconds

Undoubtedly, the Boston Marathon was an irreversible event inflicting much pain and panic to the nation. The devastation of the marathon hit the media instaneously, forging deep emotional toll with commercial gain. In a slew of media coverage of the Boston Marathon, ABC News uses videos, voice messages and images to convey the terror in Boston.

Personally, I can't even begin to eloquently put my feelings regarding the marathon into words other than "this is completely unreal". It is hard for me to imagine the depth of shock and suffering experienced by the attendees of the marathon and their families. My reaction of the coverage of the bombing somewhat is reminiscent of Ron Weasley throwing up slugs and Kim Kardashian feeling angry and sad that everyone is calling her fat. It makes me feel queasy, utterly sad and outraged.

In this video, there is a definite sense of pathos throughout. The entire content is saddening to begin with, and then images and screams are the straws that broke the camel's back. Resulting from burdening sorrow of the marathon, people all around Boston have gathered and donated blood to the Red Cross that the Red Cross has to "turn away donors because they are simply at capacity". If that doesn't scream pathos-invoked actions then I don't know what does.

I believe that ABC has only one ulterior motives behind posting this video, the prospect of being the popular news station that grabs in viewers and therefore grabbing advertisers as well, culminating in their overall prosperity. But, in ABC's defense, every other news station has the same motives, and have used the same tactics to remain or achieve the "number one" status. Other than that, I see no further personal gain from this video and that it is used to portray the utter devistation of the marathon.

However, I cannot be one hundred percent confident with that conclusion, because of my lack of knowledge of media. I believe as this blog progresses, I will be able to change my use of media. And in the mean time, I will hope for the best and believe that the intent of ABC and other news stations have the public's best interest at heart.

I can't help noticing how relatively peaceful and calm the report is, and then it hit me: it's because they did not mention anything about terrorism or terrorist attacks. It seems that once terrorism is mentioned in any kind of attacks, furthermore chaos erupts causing much more mudslinging media. That highlights how sensitive this country is about terrorism and how we automatically go into defense mode when it is mentioned, and while no one owns up to it, racial profiling bursts to life. That DOES NOT mean in anyway I am downplaying the severity of terrorism, I am merely casting a guiding light at how much of an impact fear has on media.

Despite the cliché, my heart does go out to Boston and everyone impacted by this attack. I offer my sincerest hope that a timely recovery follows and that justice, not emotional retaliation and violence, will ensue.