Why study the media?
Media saturates our lives, holds ideological power, is controlled by a few dominant companies, influences democracy and elections, relies heavily on visual communication, shapes youth behaviour, and is key for sport careers.
What is media literacy?
Understanding how media influences our perception of the world. It includes recognising both its positive and negative impacts and becoming critical of its messages.
What is advertising?
From Latin ‘advertere’ meaning ‘to turn toward’. It’s seen as a science, a hidden persuader, a magic system, a fantasy factory, the official art of capitalism, and a major force of socialisation.
How much was spent on advertising globally in 2024?
$750 billion USD (approx. $1.2 trillion NZD).
Who controls most of the advertising market?
Google, Meta, Amazon, and YouTube – over 50% of the global share.
What is the relationship between media and advertising?
Media exists primarily to deliver audiences to advertisers. News and entertainment support this function.
What does Goldman say about the social significance of advertising?
Ads are ideological, filled with deep assumptions, and so routine that we rarely notice their cultural influence.
What is capitalism according to Jhally?
A system based on consumption, competition, and symbolic value, enabled by mass production and communication.
Why did the advertising industry emerge?
To stimulate demand in the face of mass production. It changed how we relate to objects (use → exchange → sign value).
What is the ‘insatiable age’?
An era where desire for commodities surpasses the desire for leisure. Identity is shaped by what we buy.
What is the Circuit of Cultural Commodification?
The process by which cultural meaning is created and circulated through commodities and advertising.
representation - consumption - regulation - production, and idendity in the middle.
How does advertising colonise space and culture?
By aggressively occupying cultural spaces and inserting sign values into everyday life, making no meaning system sacred.
Why is sport attractive to advertisers?
Large passionate audiences, global reach, loyalty, cheaper production, and emotional engagement.
How much was spent on sport advertising in 2024?
$61 billion USD.
Give an example of sports-related advertising costs.
Super Bowl 2025: $8 million USD per 30-second ad. NBC paid $7.65B for 6 Olympic Games.
What is ‘shock’ advertising?
Pushing cultural boundaries to find fresh, spectacular content that enhances product value.
What is cultural appropriation in advertising?
Using elements of another culture without understanding or respecting their original meaning.
What are some cultural domains advertising has colonised?
Emotions, time, history, memory, even the dead (e.g., Apple’s ‘Think Different’ ad with Muhammad Ali).
What is a ‘cultural field’?
A social space where society tells stories about values, identity, and morality—ads both reflect and shape these stories.
What did Henry Giroux say about youth and consumerism?
In a commercialised culture, the only role offered to youth is that of a consumer.
What is the contradiction between advertising and happiness?
Ads promote consumption as happiness, but real happiness comes from autonomy, esteem, love, family, and leisure.
What is planned obsolescence?
Designing products to wear out quickly, so consumers must buy replacements—driving consumption.
free
Sport & advertising & children, ‘Run-it-straight’ discourse, sport & sexuality, NZ Rugby & sportswashing, haka & contested media space.
