Essay Example: Commercialization of Leisure. Influence of the Media.

Answer #1

Commercialization of leisure is the phenomenon that is used to describe a process whereby market-oriented practices, entrepreneurial ventures, and institutions exploit the pursuit of leisure for profit. Commercialization of leisure has led to the invention of new forms of recreational activities in the 21st century. In todays world, there is a close relationship between commerce and leisure. Almost all forms of leisure nowadays require the use of money as compared to the early forms of leisure which did not involve spending money at all. Examples of leisure activities that I engage in include visiting game parks and animal orphanages, playing pool, bike riding and horse racing. These leisure activities have been deeply commercialized. For example, every time I visit the game parks, I have to pay an entrance fee. I also spend my money indirectly by buying snacks at the shops located in the game parks. I sometimes buy art and artifacts being sold in the game parks. I also have to wear special gear, for example, outdoor comfort shoes and costumes. I bought a camera so that I can take pictures of wild animals in the game parks I visit. This means that I have to spend cash either directly or indirectly to enjoy leisure.

Answer #2

The media is a powerful avenue for advertisements. The media includes s online news sites, online social networking sites such as Facebook, television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. The media wields a lot of power that influences us to buy products, goods or items or services. The media, for example, uses propaganda that is aimed at manipulating our perception of almost everything around us. Propaganda is any persuasion that can influence ones attitudes, believes or behaviors. Propaganda is so powerful that it manipulates us to subconsciously buy products and goods that we would not have chosen to buy if they were not advertised in the media. The media, therefore, disseminate propaganda that is aimed at making us buy things. Since everybody is susceptible to propaganda, the media utilizes it as a tool that is aimed at influencing people to buy goods and services. Media sources also can change public opinion regarding a particular product being advertised. Examples of media available to me in my day to day life include television, radio, and social media sites. I bought my first camera online after seeing it on a commercial aired on TV. I only came to realize later that I had been deceived into buying a camera I really did not need.

The media has been responsible for most of the political views and beliefs I hold. The media was used for example by the US government to influence public decision in 2003 concerning the Iraq war. The media has craftily engineered hidden persuaders and is a powerful tool that has been manipulated to control the masses politically and economically in the past. The medias role influencing the social perception of ideas and believes is therefore enormous and should not be underestimated.