Gender and Media

Going back to the digital world of video games, consumerism and advertisements have and still are major factors in this type of genre as it appeals to a rather large market of consumers. Now most if not a majority of individuals who game on whatever platform they choose or whatever game it may be is more than familiar with the word microtransactions . This particular feature allows the consumer to alter their experience through in game purchases cosmetically and sometimes gameplay wise which is often called "pay-to-win" or "pay-to-play." Now with the whole idea of new consumerism focusing on the social norms of perceived happiness, gaming in many ways is both an inlet and outlet for all individuals to to express those kinds of emotions they can't get anywhere in the real world or at the very least not enough. Often times these companies will collaborate with food companies to advertise their merchandise with the promise of say an in-game currency or exclusive ...

 The one section of social media that just about ninety percent of individuals ignore and accept is the terms and conditions that almost any app, site, or company uses as a legal agreement between the service and its user. Companies like Twitter and Instagram and Facebook are some of the popular sites for people to go about posting their mundane lives every minute and every second of the day in the form of 140 character tweets, stories, etc. or just to catch up on news or celebrity garbage. Doesn't matter the reason you may use these services for but I bet you didn't know that in the service agreements for Twitter they retain all the rights to everything even if the account is closed or deactivated, so your platform for "free-speech" is owned all by Twitter. Facebook has hidden a few controversial statements in their terms and conditions being about data collection to conduct psychological studies as well as retaining rights to any photo in any capacity they want even...

 There are plenty of media representations of the LGBT community in popular networks especially among the Disney Corporation as of late. And with the amount of coverage they get among their shows is not exactly appealing to all parties when it comes down to the sexuality of children that parents don't approve of. Now let me say I have no preference in this matter nor do I care too, it simply just a show and not my children. The parents on the other hand don't see it that way as they believe that the left-leaning "woke agenda" of media is shoving these ideals of sexuality and gender down their throats through the programs they produce. Now an example of a Disney show that has had some backlash among parents is "The Owl House" in which two girls, ages 13-14, have been officially announced as a lesbian couple in the series about a human girl stuck in a realm of magic and demons. Now I've seen the show because of a younger sibling and I can say that they def...

 Nowadays many gaming platforms have or had games starring a female character within them either as a main protagonist or a sideline character. It's difficult to argue that a majority of these characters aren't captivating a certain angle for that "sex appeal/nature." At the same time when regarding female characters in you'll often think of games with the idea of your typical damsel in distress trope with examples such as the popular Princess Peach within the Mario franchise and other lesser-known characters such as Meryl Silverburgh, Ashley Graham, and Elizabeth (Bioshock) all from different franchises. There are a few exceptions where the main protagonist was intended to be a woman from the start that gives them the all the powerful and supporting ideals behind what an independent character is all about except when it comes to their design. I also want to note that I do not necessarily count characters that allow you to choose a gender or swap a gender as they ...

 Some of the world's favorite films are Hollywood based productions, but as of recently while their popularity continues to grow with major hit film genres such as Marvel/action, Horror, Sci-fi it's worth noting the backlash of gender representation in your favorite films as more and more women find themselves in reboots of popular movies that were once dominated by almost entirely of male actors. Some of these films include Ghostbusters, American Psycho, and The Next Karate Kid.  Now most films are mostly associated with common everyday tv violence, absurd humor, and acting that is questionable depending on the watcher. These movies and genres have become so popular among the general public that we've been accustomed to change just as frequently as these films do. It's become a culture to consume so much of the media, where we don't even notice it taking place. Lots of people love these movies and wish they could be a part of them, but lately with gender-swapping o...