Blog Entry 4 The "Hype"

            In "Hype," Lasn shows us how ads are surrounding people's lives whether they like it or not. Every day when you wake up, you can see and hear them whether you are at home or in the public. You can't escape from Ads because you have no where to hide. Ads are following you everywhere and get into you mind without you noticing. I agree with the author when she states that "advertisements are the most prevalent and toxic of the mental pollutants" and "no one is exempt and no one will be spared."
             Ads are one of the most popular roles played in our society. The reason that ads steadily increase and spread is because this is a business strategy that attract people. When people used to see and hear them everyday, more and more they will get into their minds without noticing. There are many kinds of brand name products in the market and people want to own them because of the ads attraction. When I first came to America in 90', ads were pretty new to me and there were not as many as today. Since ads go into my life and influencer me a lot, sometimes I can't get rid of them. I have many unnecessary products at home because of the pursuit of the ads. I can't believe I have so many things filled in my apartment compared to when I first arrived to America with two suitcases. Many of my friends also said that their apartments have become smaller and smaller because of the stuff. We used to buy things without thinking because we just want to update ourselves by the style of the ads. As a result, we can see how ads are so "prevalent" and can influence our mind just like "toxic of the mental pollutants" in our lives.
             Since ads today have become the tool of the companies' competition, we can't avoid seeing ads no matter where we stand. According to the article, it is "estimated 12 billion display ads, 3million radio commercials, and more than 200,000 TV commercials" are shown every day in North America. I believe that the number is much higher today because of the networking. Everywhere you go, even in the wheat fields or in you kids' classroom, the ads are always right in front of your eyes. We can always see how companies give away so many small free package with ads, even small pencils for kids that has ads too. This is a good reason to show us that "no one is exempt" from ads. At the end, the author says sarcastically that in the silent moments, she hears "that kid singing the Oscar Meyer wiener song" ad, instead of "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony."
             It is for sure there are too many ads for us. Since we can't get rid of ads, we should make decision on our own instead of what the ads want us to be.