Lucas Ichnoski: Athletes

Just like actors, bands, artists and all other celebrities, a lot of athletes are starring in commercials now, or even getting their own shows or starring on shows. Athletes aren't just making money from being on the field anymore. By being an advocate for products, they're expanding their fame and getting more and more endorsements. For example, you have Joe Flacco being an advocate for McDonalds, and in return McDonalds sponsors Flacco, Kaepernick, and the NFL in general. These endorsements and sponsors generally put the athlete in a positive light. To some people, though, this may make the athlete look bad, considering that with as much money as they make already, why do they need more.

However, you also have other athletes on, albeit irrelevant, reality shows. Lamar Odem is now on Keeping up with the Kardashians since hes the husband of Khloe, I think... Anyway, these reality shows can show them in a positive light, however mostly shed negative light on them. All over the tabloids you see that Khloe and Lamar are struggling with their marriage, going to counseling, etc. {NEWS ARTICLE LINK} So in short, anything that's not a short commercial or endorsement will probably shed negative light on the athlete since more attention is given to them.

Athletes are role models for everyone nowadays; so many young kids look up to athletes. Kids want to be just like athletes, they want to make a living playing a sport they love. They might even look up to them for donating a lot to charities. Charities, commercials, shows, etc all help someone determine whether or not they're a role model. They aren't just role models though, they're also normal people with normal problems. Everything they do though is just under a microscope and over analyzed more than normal people. All of these things can either hurt their image, or make their image better.

Lucas Ichnoski: How artists are making it today

Today, a lot of artists and bands are being discovered through media, mainly television. However, there are still some artists who are making it big, or bigger, from the radio. For example, every once in a while on HFS 97.5, Baltimore's Rock Alternative, they will play songs from local bands or artists from Baltimore. The more the station plays their songs, the more recognition they will get.

However nowadays, there are so many singing shows, such as American Idol, Americas Got Talent, The Voice, and The X Factor which showcase people that have a TON of talent. Where else would someone find a 13 year old that can sing as well as, if not better than, someone who has been in the industry forever? Certainly not on the street or on a subway. The best thing about those shows is that for the people watching, eventually they get to vote on who they want to win and get a record deal. A big band that started from the X Factor,whether you like them or not, is One Direction. Some of the people who are on these shows could have very well been found on YouTube doing covers of some songs, like Justin Bieber, but chances are they auditioned and made it through. They weren't just recognized, they had to perform in front of people already in the business.

Artists today, as some people would say, are "selling out." I don't think this is a bad thing because its giving the artist more attention so they can make more music, broaden their audience etc. Honestly, who cares if a band or artist is a spokesperson for a certain product. If it was you and they were paying you to do it I'm sure you wouldn't turn it down, at least I know I wouldn't; money is money. Plus, the bands or artist that's "selling out" is still making at least decent music.
With the increase of illegal downloading, artists have to make money somehow so why not advertise certain products. Not to mention the constant amount of leaks that are occurring. Leaking songs before the album is released just causes less revenue since people can listen to the album before having to buy it as soon as it comes out to listen to it. More opportunities means more money, and the music industry is all about making money, and having a number 1 song on the charts.

Lucas Ichnoski: Shouting the News

One of the news segments I watched was the Bill O'Reilly Factor on Fox. His demeanor in the segment was pretty negative, considering he was talking about Socialism and Obamacare. He mentions how people who can afford it  will basically be providing for those who cant afford it, which is a lot of Americans. Also, he talks about how the cost of Obamacare will not only be added on top of the nations debt of $17 trillion, but the colossal cost the affordable Health Care Act. There really isn't any rudeness, or shouting, however there is a lot of emphasis on certain points of what he is talking about. Most of these points, though, are negative.
One of the guests he has is Marco Rubio, a Florida Senator. Both of them, very calm when theyre speaking, are complaining about Obamacare and how much they dont like it. According to them, a lot should be changed and fixed about Obamacare and the government in general, like the shutdown and how their website wont even work to see all the healthcare plans. To me, some of this information seemed like a little bit of opinion, however facts were also presented on both sides of the conversation. After watching Bill O'Reilly, I actually did learn a little bit more about Obamacare after watching this. Granted, what I already knew wasn't a lot.

>> Click here to watch the segment <<


Another news segment I watched was On the Record, with Greta Van Susteran. Surprisingly enough, her guest during her segment was Larry King himself. During her segment on the news, she was very giddy, excited, upbeat, and just in a positive mood. She didnt seem to be upset, or angry about anything. Some people might tune in to her solely for this reason. If you dont seem like you enjoy your job, people wont want to tune in. So her demeanor made a good impression, especially for someone watching her for the first time. She didnt cut Larry King off at all when they were talking. They seemed to be talking in more of a friendly manner.

I believe that having a guest as part of news delivery is a good idea. A lot of people, me included, think that news is completely one sided, and try to make you think only one way; their way. However, when these people bring in guests, they get to relay their opinion on the topic at hand. To me, this makes it seem a little bit more authentic since someone not working with the news company is giving their own opinion. Sometimes their opinion is similar to those giving the news, but other times it contrasts. This is a good thing because it allows people to make their own decisions and opinions and decide which side to lean to rather than having the news force feed opinions  and beliefs on certain topics down your throat.

Lucas Ichnoski: Reality TV

Whether we like to admit it, we all at one point watched, or still do watch, reality TV. I for one, still watch it, however not as much as I used to. The behavior of the people on the shows can range from  serious people to people who just want to have fun and party. To me, this is what grabs peoples attention to watch. If there seems to be a lot of partying, a lot of romance, or a lot of drama that's going to make good TV, of course producers are going to show that over things that don't bring a lot of attention.
I dont think that the way some people are portrayed on the show is how they truly act in real life, away from the cameras. Can you just imagine having a camera following you around for a month? Id bet on it that for at least the first week you wouldn't act like yourself, or how you would act around close friends.

I don't believe these shows accurately reflect society; however, I think society is influenced by these shows. Not all people in a given area are party people, whereas not all people are raging hotheads that get angry over petty things. It just so happens that all the people cast on shows like "The Real World" or "Jersey Shore" are. When people watch these shows and see others partying 24/7 on every episode, they might assume that "being a party girl" or something like that could make them a shoe-in for one of the future seasons. This influences those people to constantly party on the weekends to fit that role just to have their airtime if they were to get cast for one of these shows, ultimately making it a lot less "real." As much as I would hate to say it, reality TV shows do seem to make everyday people famous nowadays.

Most issues presented in the show are usually pointless drunken drama, which again, brings in viewers. However, some other issues presented, although not as much, are things along the lines of sexual orientation, trying to find a persons biological parents, etc.
Below is a video of one of the top rated Real World seasons in the past couple of years. It just so happens there was a lot of (drunken) drama, relationships, and some real issues being presented.

Lucas Ichnoski: Remember the Newspaper?

There are many different newspapers out there, but only very few are actually lasting. The articles portrayed in the newspapers vary from each one depending on the geographical location. For example, Dundalk Eagle and Baltimore Sun only write about things happening in Maryland. Theres no reason for there to be articles about Hawaii published in our newspaper. Granted, it has articles about how athletes are doing on a day to day basis, but those athletes the articles talk about tend to be athletes on Baltimore's own sports teams, not other teams. Not only are there sports related articles but it also has comics, complex puzzles, obituaries, and more. Some of which could probably be removed to save money, because honestly, how many people actually do the crossword puzzles or care about the comics?

Personally, in about 10 years, I think most, if not all newspapers will be done with and only be used as paper to put on your tables when eating crabs. I dont believe that people in our generation, or after us, are going to be purchasing newspapers. They are only getting newspapers that their parents subscribed to back when they were the best things to read. Not only because most of the information can be read online, but because the price of them is increasing. Why pay for something when you can get it for free?

In my opinion, the only newspaper that will outlast all the others is going to be USA Today. I say this because USA today covers stories happening all over the world, not just in one specific location or region. People on the West Coast can benefit from reading USA Today just as much as people on the East Coast can. Because the audience from USA Today is much larger than others, it should outlast most if not all other newspapers still being printed today.

Lucas Ichnoski: Magazines in the checkout line

Going through a checkout line, almost all magazines are basically shoving Photoshopped, unrealistic images of celebrities or athletes in your face. Many people, men and women, question their own appearance looking at these magazines, wondering why they don't look more muscular and toned, or why they don't look skinnier, and ultimately lowering their self esteem. The headlines of the magazines are positive, saying things such as "You can lose weight fast!" or something along those lines, but the ultimate message makes the reader feel more and more insecure. I, for one, have never questioned my self image based on a magazine cover because I know they are all fake and 99% of the people featured on the cover dont even look like what the magazine shows.


Just look at this magazine cover of Katy Perry for starters. In the actual magazine cover picture, you can see that she was given a more tan skin color, so she didn't look so pale. The editors also gave her more curves, and made her boobs bigger. Not only that, but they even edited small details like getting rid of her sock, and even making sure that all 5 of her fingers were completely showing and not tucked in. This goes to show how fake magazine covers are, and I think its dumb of people to question their appearance based on what they see on them.

I'm not a fan of magazines because to me they are all gossip and celebrity news that I personally couldn't care less about. Who cares if someone is pregnant, or if a famous actor is having an affair. In no way does that affect me. The only magazines that I would find interesting are on music, movies, certain sports, etc. Nothing that deals with celebrity news, but more along the lines of an activity I enjoy doing, or something I actually care about.