Written Analysis 5

M&M’s is the popular culture topic that I focused on during these six weeks. I believe that it was a good topic as I was able to relate my popular culture topic with most of the theories learned in this class one way or another. The concepts of popular beliefs, myths, icons, rituals, stereotypes, heroes and formulas are all related to my popular culture topic. Still, I believe that the two concepts that describe this topic better than anything else is the concepts of icons and heroes.

I found a lot of interesting things that I didn’t even knew about my topic during my research. I had no idea that the green M&M is considered an aphrodisiac, but now I can see why the green M&M is depicted as sensual and provoking in the commercials. Also, I couldn’t believe the extent that some people go when it comes to the way they eat those delicious M&M’s. Some people are creative when it comes to this, and they found really inventive ways of eating the M&M's by grouping them, sorting them, etc. I like to watch the M&M commercials, and I found them to be amusing but I must say that there is a lot of stereotyping in those commercials. I know that the idea is to sell as many M&M's as they can but sometimes they cross the line between what it is acceptable and what is not. The creation of the M&M characters, and the way they are portrayed has helped the brand to get stronger and created the idea of the M&M’s being icons and/or heroes.

I have learned a lot of new things about M&M’s. It was a very interesting topic that worked well with all the concepts learned in this class. Not a lot of things have changed in the way I see the M&M’s, but I recognize more the role that they have played for the last 75 years in our society. Of course, now when I’m eating M&M’s I’m thinking about some of the things that I have learned, and I'm more aware of the M&M's role in todays society.

Written Analysis 4

The popular culture topic I have been focusing since the start of the class is M&M's. The commercials done by Mars are using the same formula to promote the product. At the same time, I was thinking that because the M&M’s are chocolate candies to produce the M&M’s Mars is following a formula (a process or recipe) so that the quality, shape and taste are maintained. 

The goal of the M&M commercials is to attract people towards the brand, to make people buy and consume more M&M’s. All of the commercials involving M&M’s are using kind of the same formula. First of all we have a location like the gym, an airplane or a place where a party is held. Once the stage is set, the next step is to introduce the characters. Depending on the commercial and the product that Mars is trying to promote we have different M&M characters playing in the commercials. The M&M characters have different characteristics and attributes, but their primary goal is to try to promote the product. In most of the commercials, the M&M characters are playing a "role" in which the main theme is that the M&M's are desired by everyone because they are delicious. All the commercials are ending the same way by showing one of the different bags of M&M’s and inviting people to try them. The way the M&M's are produced is by using a formula. There is a process involved in the mass production of the M&M's, and this process is always the same. The process involves gathering the required ingredients, making the chocolate, covering the chocolate with the shell and assembling the final product.

There is always a formula for everything. People like to follow the same formula when doing commercials because once something is working and is showing strong results that mean that the same formula can be applied over and over. The probability that the formula is going to work again is high. In the M&M commercials the formula used, it is a basic one. Some of the involved steps include choosing the location and characters, setting the mood (make the candies desirable) and it ends up by promoting the product and making people wish they had some M&M’s to enjoy. At least for me, the formula it is working because I always end up buying M&M's after seeing a new promotion or a new commercial. What's not to love about the M&M's?

Journal Article Analysis

Terror in Horror Genres: The Global Media and the Millennial Zombie

By Nicole Birch-Bayley

The article written by Nicole Birch-Bayley Terror in Horror Genres: The Global Media and the Millennial Zombie talks about how much the zombie movies have changed since the turn of the millennium. The terrorist attacks on 9/11 was a big turning point, and the popular culture has changed. People started becoming more aware of their surroundings; they began to believe more that something bad might happen. The idea that an epidemic or another terrorist attack might happen has spread quickly, and it made the people more confused than ever and fearful of the unknown. The author gives a few examples of movies that were released after the turn of the millennium and she tries to do a comparison with zombie movies from the past to show the audience the evolution and revolution of the zombies in movies. Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” is the movie that changed it all, is the movie that was an inspiration for the majority of the released movies after 9/11. The new zombies are stronger than ever, they don't rise from the undead like in the past; usually the disease is transmitted through blood or bites and it can be spread globally really quick even with the intervention of the governments from different countries. The new zombies have changed from being slow and predictable to being fast and more violent than ever. If in the past the zombie movies were just a form of entertainment for the masses the situation has changed, and the zombie movies represent real global issues. 

The article is addressed to the general audience as a way to show how the perception of the zombies in movies has changed after the turn of the millennium. The popular culture with the help of the global media has changed, and the author of the article presents a few interesting facts that are supposed "to help" people in recognizing those changes. The article starts by addressing the problem of 9/11 as a changing point for how people view the world. Four movies are used as a way to compare the new zombie movies with the older zombie movies, and it is suggested that the new zombies have evolved. The ideas are presented clearly, and the author makes use of citations from those movies to make the article stronger. The author is strongly suggesting that we are in a new era and that we need to adapt to the changing world. There is no more just the United States; there is the entire world out there, and we aren't safe anymore no matter where we are. Long gone are the times when zombies were used for entertainment, the new zombies are used to scare the audience, to make the audience face the real world. These zombies brings the audience closer to the idea of the end of the world (apocalypse). The article is very well organized (and it is divided into three easy to follow parts) and it includes a lot of interesting and well-documented facts. The author uses familiar terms so everyone can understand the article and at the end of the article the authors reminds us all of the most important facts that she wants people to remember.

I agree with the authors main points. We are living in a society that is changing and that after 9/11 started to recognize more the idea of a global society. The zombie films aren’t the same way like they were before, something has changed and the author does an excellent job by comparing past zombie movies with the new zombie movies released since the turn of the millennium. The new zombie movies include more violence and more contemporary issues that most of us recognize. The new zombies are used to provoke fear and to make people more aware of the surroundings and of the issues that we are facing or that we can face in the near future. Movies like the Walking Dead is attracting millions of viewers because people are fascinated with the new zombies and with what they represent. These new zombie movies can be considered an eye opener and a way to prepare us for the worse, for what might happen in the future.

This article is important because it describes a very popular topic nowadays, the evolution and revolution of zombies in movies. This would be a good read for people that love zombies or for people that want to learn more about zombies. The article can also help people that weren’t aware of the changes that took place after 9/11 to familiarize with the new idea of zombies being a popular culture artifact. There are so many movies, shows and games in which zombies play a significant role so this article can help people understand more the current zombies and the role they play in our society. The article promotes the idea that zombies are a necessary evil because it helps people recognize our society problems and at the same time it provides entertainment for the masses.

 

References

Birch-Bayley, N. (2012). Terror in Horror Genres: The Global Media and the Millennial Zombie. The Journal of Popular Culture, 45(6), 1137-1151. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12001