Hell no. I mean, well kinda.
Like the Chips Ahoy commercials

But seriously what do you think? Has it dumbed down our Society or is it revolutionizing the way we live or what we do?

to me, %50 good and %50 bad.

Advertising is pretty good but it can be a pain to deal with.

What do you think Maggers?(Maggers--People at the Mag)

The media wants hard dirt...and they only focus on sh*t that will draw more attention to the audience. Nuff said.

Are you kidding me? Of course it has a negative effect. Compare how many jubilant stories are displayed alongside disaster. News stations report travesties and coffee shops, not the joys in life 98% of the time.

There is both a positive and negative effect.

depends who you are.

some people it has a negative effect on because they see what the media wants them to see.

a lot of the people i know though talk about great ads, or stupid ads they've seen on tele but have no idea what the ads are for.

the progression of service/advertising:

raw materials that people need -> products that people need -> ease based -> experience based

these days it's all about the experience. ads have to entertain the audience.. quite seriously to a point where it is sometimes hard to tell what the ad is actually for!

i like that though. ^^ i think it's going in a good direction. i think it would be great for an ad to be for nothing. just advertising being alive and having fun or something.

I agree with Sumi. If you have the knowledge and are prepared against brainwashing media, it can even be a pleasant experience sometimes.

But since most of the society does not fit in the description above, I think the media has, overall, a negative impact. *sigh*

The trick is not to actually watch the tele cus then you don't get sick of it ^___^
and you can CHOOSE the ads you watch as well.
billboards on the side of the road are more subliminal, so they're easy to not see and not get sick of.

the benefit of the internet on media these days is that people choose their media. maybe not so good for the companies but great for consumers.

The cartoon character Mafalda, from the argentinian Quino, has an excellent strip about this.

She is sitting in front of the TV, but the TV is off. She is staring at the black screen.
Father: "Mafalda, what are you doing in front of an off TV?"
Mafalda: "I'm THINKING! I've always wanted to be able to THINK in front of the TV!"

Wise Quino.

EDIT: A few more, to anyone who knows spanish.

http://www.historieteca.com.ar/Mafalda/maftiras/television1.jpg
http://www.historieteca.com.ar/Mafalda/maftiras/television2.jpg
http://www.historieteca.com.ar/Mafalda/maftiras/television3.jpg

^ ha! that's cool. think in front of the tv. ^^

cute comic. too bad i don't know spanish ;_;

You're right! Damn those Chips Ahoy commercials!