coolbeans, 4/12

In class on Thursday we discussed how certain media figures have become celebrities for hosting a show or sharing the news with people. In this phenomenon people such as Oprah and Anderson Cooper as well as the information that they share with the public have become commodified. When we visited Anderson Cooper’s blog there were articles written by people who work for the blog site rather than Anderson Cooper writing the blogs himself. It is as if the information in the blogs has been given a brand. AC360 is the name of the brand of information we receive when we visit the website. When we visit CNN.com we get CNN brand information. Even though the information is not written by Anderson Cooper himself, because it is on the AC360 blog site it is read by millions of people around the world. If the actual writer of the blog had written the exact same article and posted it on their own blog site it would not nearly get as many hits as it does on the AC360 site. The information has been branded with the AC360 logo that attracts people to read the information written by NOT Anderson Cooper. Similarly, isn’t it interesting how certain books become popular overnight, just because Oprah puts it on her booklist? As if because Oprah says it is a good book, it must be a good book. In Oprah’s world, branding occurs in living a good life. When we purchase O magazine, we are purchasing Oprah brand tips and trick to leading a better life. Much of the things that we read in these magazines we already know ourselves. “Eat healthy but never restrict yourself of treats now and then, exercise daily, read good books, allow yourself to relax, do some yoga, and you will feel better in your daily life, etc…” We still buy into the magazine that tells it to us because we believe that these media figures, somehow know better than us.