February 2021 – CAS 272N Blog

In this YouTube video posted in October of 2020, YouTube creator and podcast host, Margot Lee, endorses and sponsors a brand called Casetify. Founded in 2011, Casetify started their company with a single yet simple idea: how to take your Instagram photos and into a custom phone case. Nearly ten years later, Casetify has made its rounds and is now the ultimate customized-case destination. Casetify prides itself on its ability to help its target base and consumers in self-expression. Casetify has a diverse range of phone-type capabilities, case material, colors, designs, and other customization potentials. I am not ashamed to say that, like many others, I, too, have purchased a Casetify case, and it’s safe to say that once you’re hooked to this product, it’s hard to turn back.

In the Science of Persuasion video, we discussed in class, one key shortcut to persuasion is liking. The liking shortcut includes three important factors: people who are similar to us, people who pay us compliments, and people who cooperate with us. Margot Lee is a recent graduate of Syracuse University, making her an interest among the college student demographic. On Margot Lee’s YouTube, she shares her life of working, traveling, and just “vlogging” (or the activity or practice of posting short videos to or maintaining a vlog). I can relate to Margot on that single fact, as she is someone that I look up to and someone that I share common interests with.

On a similar note, in the Science of Persuasion video, another one of the six shortcuts of persuasion is authority. The authority shortcut states that people will follow credible, knowledgeable experts. Now although Margot Lee herself is not a co-founder or works at Casetify by any means, Lee expresses time and time again that she sponsors only the companies and products she truly and genuinely would use herself. This kind of commitment makes it very easy for me, both a viewer and consumer, to trust her judgment and believe in what she is preaching.

In just less than a minute, Margot promotes the product discussing its military-grade protection, including a drop test, shares a glimpse of which phone models are available, and even shares a personal link for a discount code, creating an incentive for the base. This is an attractive advertisement that has grabbed the targeted audience’s attention, and it’s hard to look away.

If this was just your first look at an advertisement from Casetify, I am almost certain that this will not be your last.

Media Framing Is a Dangerous Game.

It’s called “media framing.” This is a term that I have never heard of nor had an idea such a thing could possibly exist. “Media framing” is defined as an angle or perspective from which a news story is told (Critical Media Review). The primary reason why I have never considered such a concept is because I, like many other consumers of content and media, have fallen victim to the dangers of this technique. “Media framing” can be found anywhere; in fact, it is everywhere.

News is not a demonstration of reality but rather a recreated story from different angles and perspectives. These “recreated” stories are tailored to suit the interests and opinions of the audience. As consumers, we have a sense of which media outputs tailor stories to a specific audience. For example, CNN (or Cable News Network) is a television channel known for its liberal-leaning perspectives. Conversely, FOX News is a cable news television channel known to have conservative-leaning perspectives. Hence, one may turn in to listen to CNN over FOX and vice-versa because the presented information is in-line with their personal views. This isn’t just the case for these two channels alone; newspapers like New York Times, Washington Post, and Huffington Post, all get the heat.

This is where the danger comes in. We are only consuming the information and stories we want to hear, and we are not getting the whole picture. “Media framing” changes the way we perceive information and engage with information. Hence, we consumers have a tainted sense of reality with only being told specific snippets of a story, only told by one side. To put this danger into perspective, take this example and it is quite astonishing.

A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the are in New Orleans, Louisiana. (AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)

Astonishing right? Ask yourself, what is the difference between the two photos? Merely the same image, however an entirely different story. And if you take a closer look, you will discover that the word “looting” was associated with a person of color and “finding” associated with whites. Even after such a catastrophic event like Hurricane Katrina, the media effectively tainted the story. This was nearly fifteen years ago. Imagine the state of this technique now.

What We Can Do.

As consumers of media, we can take a little bit of control of the situation. Although “media framing” can not and will not disappear, we can control how we perceive information. The most important piece of advice to offer would be to diversify your sources. Nowadays, you cannot be attached to a single source. It’s critical to read up on what you are consuming; if you can only find it in one place, you probably have yourself caught up in a snippet of a story. So, take the time to read and diversify your sources. For better or for worst. The state of our society depends on that fact.

Sources

What is Media Framing?

Introduction: The Cultural Visualization of Hurricane Katrina

Month: February 2021

Casetify: A Sponsorship Analysis.

Media Framing Is a Dangerous Game: Here’s What We Can Do.