Until recently, advertisers have been allowed to paint a false image of what their products might do for you. We see billboards and newspapers filled with smiling, healthy, attractive people who seem to be enjoying the product being sold. Finally, officials in New York have decided to take a stand against this false advertising by creating an ad that would make any soft drink user think twice about chugging down glass after glass of the sugary drinks. The ad campaign features gooey globs of fat spilling out over the brim of a cup, rather than bubbly fizz. Following the graphic picture comes the phrase “Don’t drink yourself fat”. You’re probably wondering, “What does this have to do with convergence and consolidation?” I really wanted to choose a piece that was not just dry and boring, but rather something that would make me have to think about the relation, and something that I could challenge myself with a bit.
This piece demonstrates convergence through explaining how New York health experts are planning on changing the public’s view of soft drinks. They are utilizing the media to change people’s minds, instead of flashing false images the commercial takes a different approach, in hopes to steer people away from making unhealthy choices. As a think back into history, the impact that television has had on our nation is huge, the messages that are displayed to us do influence our spending and living habits whether we like to believe it or not. We are so surrounded today by advertisements through television that even if we say we don’t watch television, we subliminally still hear and see the ad (even if we aren’t fully paying attention to it. I think that the push for healthy commercials is a great idea, honestly I think that a lot of people just don’t realize what they are eating is harming them due to little regulation on what the advertisers can show.
As for another problem in our country, the concentration of media is something that few people know about, but really should hear more about. All the major broadcast channels are owned by a few major conglomerates (National Amusements, Viacom, CBS Corporation, Time Warner, News Corp, Bertelsmann AG, Sony, General Electric, Vivendi SA, Hearst Corporation, Organizações Globo and Lagardère Group). Now, these companies also own a lot of other business’, some being fast food or soft drink companies, so clearly they would want to help endorse their brands by advertising for them on their networks. I think the only way for these companies to not get out of control with false advertising is if the government comes up with some sort of regulation for these conglomerates, it is not fair to the American people to have a select few groups brainwashing them through false messages on the television. I can only hope that more people around the country start acting the like the New York City health officials by giving the people the truth.
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