Advertisement Analysis Essay

The mass media is a perplexing tool that has been used for many years to create and breed racial, gender and social biases. Presently, the mass media is no longer used to inform citizens about the current events that occur, but to influence them to form an opinion about whatever is deliberately shown to ruffle feathers. The media are key institutions in our society. They affect our culture, our buying habits, and politics. They are affected in turn by changes in our beliefs, taste, interests and behavior.(Biagi 11)
The piece of media that I selected is an advertising ad published in August 2011 by the Company Nivea for it's men's face and body shaving cream. The ad shows a African American male, wearing a blue sweater over a crisp white shirt, grey dress pants and a low shaved haircut. He looks as if he just stepped out of a GQ magazine. In his right hand he's holding a decapitated head of a African American man wearing a large afro and scruffy facial hair. The body language of the well dressed man shows him attempting to toss the afro head in what appears to be a parking lot. The heading of the ad states "Re-civilize yourself", and in the top right hand corner of the ad it says "Look like you give damn". This ad is a representation of how society views men of color and what is believed to be the acceptable societal standards of what's considered "civilized". This ad is
Whether it be celebrity gossip, political news, statistics on deaths or a public announcement from the President of the United States, its popularity will remain high with the expansion of technology. Hidden messages has been placed in mass media for decades and probably will continue. If we as a society begin to access individuals personally we will see that many things that are placed in the media are not always what they seem to be. The expression" don't believe everything you read" will continue to be something I will always