ad analysis
Drawing on the material and readings of classes 2, 3, 4 (Foundational Theories), write an essay in which you critically analyze and interpret the framing and portrayal of the advertised tech product. Pick 1 specific tech gadget or device(e.g. iPhone, PlayStation, Chromebook, etc.) or platform service(Uber, Airbnb, Spotify)and analyze how the advertisement (it could be either a video clip or a still image) portrays the relationship between technology, user, and society.
Some examples:
Airbnb https://www.youtube.com/watchv=6_LCriXt3RQ
PlayStation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvVNJSxkcmw
Draw from the weekly readings, particularly theories and concepts such as “bias of communication”, “technological determinism”, “social construction of technology”, “Californian Ideology” in your analysis. Through analyzing the specific wordings, images, and/or discourses used in the ad, this analysis should explicate how does it demonstrate (or misfit)the key theories and concepts we examined?
As for the structure of your essay: Start with a very brief introduction of the studied advertisement. The bulk of the essay should be your analysis using key concepts from lecture and reading. In your analysis, consider the following (elaborate on relevant questions and you don’t need to comment on all if they don’t apply):
-What kind of future, dream, or promises the advertisement sells to the individual user and to the broader society? What social issues or problems these products are designed to solve?
-How does the ad portray the role and agency of the individual/user? (relate to Week 3 and 4 lectures)
-Does the advertisement showcase the tech product’s ability to structure user experience of time and space? How does this reflect on the time or space bias of modern communication? (Week 2 Lecture on Innis)
-Your critical analysis: What aspects are they missing, or not showing in the advertisement?
•Try to blend your observations with class readings and concepts. An essay is graded as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ when you make explicit, direct connections between the concepts discussed in class and your observations. Not using any class material will result in a lower grade.
•Attach the link to the video ad or a still image of the ad analyzed in the appendix.
