Staying Connected

Looking at this advertisement, and the broad scope of questions included in the Media Artifact Interrogation and Analysis Framework, I chose 7 questions that stood out as relevant to me with this media message.

1. How is the subject of race addressed in this artifact? The advertisement does a good job of showing racial diversity. There are people of different races, genders, and ages represented in the advertisement. In addition to the different people being represented, multiple cultures were represented by showing pictures of different places from around the world and cultural traditions.

2. How are youth portrayed in this message? Age is displayed throughout this message. It shows people of all ages interacting in this frame. Whether it is from making the memories shared or receiving the frame. The only area that it shows younger people specifically is when it demonstrates sending the photos from a smart phone to the frame. This shows that it is a method for younger people to share moments of their lives with older relatives. Youth is shown in a positive manner as they are the ones initiating the action.

3. Is this message trying to sell a product, an idea, or value? Yes, this advertisement is trying to sell digital picture frames. These frames can hold over 10,000 photos and use an app to transfer photos to the frame. This also sells the idea of family, connection, and making memories.

4. Why does this advertisement/message work on a cultural level? Cultures value family togetherness in many ways. Some cultures have multi-generational households where families all live together. Some people live far away from family but wish to stay connected. This shows that families can still share moments even when far away. In the advertisement it shows a woman reacting to a new photo that was uploaded by giving it hearts. This shows interactivity with family over distance.

5. What is this advertisement or message telling us about what it means to be happy? The advertisement tells us that being happy means making memories and connecting with others. It says that it’s about taking the photos out of the phone and putting them into the frame. This allows for more enjoyment of the moments, both in reliving it and in sharing it.

6. What does this advertisement convey what people want? This shows that people want an easy way to connect with others. People take a lot of photos of everyday life as well as special occasions. This advertisement celebrates the fact that people want to share these moments with family, friends, and loved ones. It is a new way to stay connected and share life’s small and big moments.

I chose this advertisement because it relates to my current situation. I recently received some difficult news about a family member and thought about ways to increase communication and connection between us. After looking up several ideas, I found this one for this digital frame. It was exactly what I was looking for. In this case, the connection that the advertisement spoke of is what I was looking for.