My VALS type: Innovator Experiencer

Innovators

Innovators are successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem. Because they have such abundant resources, they exhibit all three primary motivations in varying degrees. They are change leaders and are the most receptive to new ideas and technologies. Innovators are very active consumers, and their purchases reflect cultivated tastes for upscale, niche products and services.

Image is important to Innovators, not as evidence of status or power but as an expression of their taste, independence, and personality. Innovators are among the established and emerging leaders in business and government, yet they continue to seek challenges. Their lives are characterized by variety. Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life.

Experiencers

Experiencers are motivated by self-expression. Young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers, Experiencers quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities.

 

Experiencers are avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis that they place on looking good and having "cool" stuff.

Blog 6: 3D

In The Myth of 3D Immersion, Alva Noe writes that 3-D technology isn't yet comparable to artificial perspective in paintings. On one hand I can see how the technology isn't as amazing as a complete immersion. Yet despite that in 3D the technology isn't quite virtual reality, it's still an art form that helps the viewer feel like they are in/part of the movie. The medium may be different, yet the idea is still the same. Create a new dimension and perspective for the viewer. I disagree with the writer because I feel that 3-D is fun and can improve over time. For instance, Avatar was an amazing movie.

Blog 5: Midterm

Many aspects of my intro to mass communications class that stand out have been analyzing underlying elements to creating graphics for commercials and book, and learning to both experience media and produce it. I like learning about the basics of how to break down communications because it helps me to grasp key concepts for successful work. This class has helped me learn to analyze imagery and realize that there is more to a message than subjective interpretation. It also depends on the culture.

The most important part of the class was understanding the amount of work that goes into commercials. It is important to be critical as a producer and consumer at the same time. I've gotten a greater understanding of how important media is to global culture, and was motivated by the Avon video to want to change consumerism. I also felt that you can do anything after hearing about past graduates who went on to be very successful in media.

Another part of the class I enjoyed would have been creating the power-point presentation because I actually enjoyed analyzing Ads and imagery to get to the deeper elements behind the creations. I learned to think of commercials in a new way and not to be caught up in how annoying they can be. After-all, businesses have to sell their products, and sometimes attention grabbing commercials work despite other times being outdated or repetitious. Over-all I feel I am improving bit by bit in figuring out what exactly I want to do and how to approach a career in the comm field.