I found this prompt
incredibly hard because, unlike many of my peers, I had a lot of
difficulty finding advertisements to write about. Thanks to a
particularly effective ad-block, my computer is void of commercials,
and I didn't even want to consider wasting an hour of my time
watching 7-news on my TV (I only get the first ten channels). So I
tried to find some other source of advertising.
After a frustrating
half-hour trying to figure something out (it really did take me that
long), I absentmindedly unlocked my iPad to a screen of apps and
games, most of which I never play anymore. That is when the
figurative “light bulb” turned on. It is also when I mentally
kicked myself about a hundred times for not thinking of the solution
earlier. The answer had been right in front of me this whole time.
All I had to do was use my iPad (that does not enjoy the same
privilege as my computer) and I would enjoy a stream of much-wanted
advertisements!
The key was in the apps
and games. About a year ago, I went on a spree of free-game
downloading. The thing about free games is that they have to support
themselves somehow: advertisements. Excited, I clicked on every
random app on my iPad, from “Foodfight” to “Fishtropolis”,
until finally I found what I was looking for. I almost cried out in
joy when I saw the ad on “Appendix Surgery”(Yes, I do own an
appendix surgery game).
After putting myself
through three successive surgeries, I found that there had been
fourteen ads ranging from a promotion for the Bronx Zoo to a way to
stop heartburn. I'm sure that if I had continued playing the game,
there would've been more, but an appendix surgery can get a bit
repetitive after a while.
I found
that there were roughly 4.5 ads per game, but I must now ask myself: Did the makers of “Appendix Surgery” create the game
to attract advertisers, or did they make the game to entertain
people? In this case, I agree that “Appendix Surgery” was
probably made for the ads. It's the kind of game that people only
play once or twice before deleting, perfect for quick advertisements
that might lead people to buy other games. However, there were many
free games that I found that were both fun and ad-less. This combined
with the fact that it took me so long to even find advertising leads
me to believe that the media creates for the entertainment of people,
and not just to compete for commercials.
Thanks Oceane, this is another interesting and well-written post. I appreciate your conclusion that "the media creates for the entertainment of people, and not just to compete for commercials." Your writing style is definitely one that readers will enjoy. Your technical skill, your honesty, and your wit make for really good reading. We will do another free write in a couple weeks, and I am going to encourage kids to write in a different style than they are most comfortable with. You clearly rely on first person anecdotes - which definitely work. However, you might consider challenging yourself to try another style.
ReplyDeleteI just want to point out one thing about your post. Again, I appreciate your conclusion, but you seem to cleverly distract our attention away from your introductory comments. You have an ad-blocker on your computer. This kind of skews the evidence you use to draw your conclusion. Part of me wishes you would have spent a little more time exploring the nature of the ad-blocker. Is this free? Where do you get one? It is clearly not as self-evident as you think it is, because no one else seems to have this. Honestly, I have never even heard of an ad-blocker before, especially one that's free.
Your post is good, and I respect your conclusion. I am just left feeling like you left unaddressed some critical information.