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Whether we realize it or not, media has a huge power over us. Power means having the ability to do something or act in a particular way. Within media, power is exerted from the images or actions they produce and takes a hold of those who view it. In other words media was able to produce pop culture or also known as popular culture. Popular culture can be defined as "cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people" as stated on dictionary.reference.com. Barbara Kruger once wrote that pop (culture) is considered as leisure in her article, Remote Control. Leisure can be defined as a need but not a necessity.

Media will show images that makes viewer yearn to be apart of that image. John Berger once stated that "The publicity image belongs to the moment" in Ways of Seeing. Each image portrays a moment and when viewers see that "moment", they want to become apart of it. As Berger also stated that publicity image "proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more". These publicity images creates a way of looking for viewers. It makes viewers have the gaze. The belief that with the product or services being provided, within the image, they will become happier or look better or younger depending on what the image is portraying.

Without consumers, publicity images would not be able to exist. Consumers are the ones who wants to experience the services or own the goods that are being portrayed. For consumers to be interested, there must be an object (definition: a material thing that can be seen and touched) that captures the viewer's attention.  For example,  the commercial for the Fiat 500 Abarth. This ad portrays the Fiat 500 Abarth as a car that is unforgettable because it was so stunning and captivating the first time you laid your eyes on it. The beautiful and very stunning woman in this commercial represents the car. Representation is defined as a portrayal of something or someone in a particular way. When men view this commercial, they see this beautiful woman that they all want to be seduced by and maybe even be slapped by. The woman spoke  in a different language to represent the idea of being exotic. This car is seen as exotic because it is imported and unlike any car we have seen. Consumption means using the goods or services. Consumption of these cars will allow the drivers to have a boost of confidence because they own such an exotic item.

Everywhere people look, there will always be images of some sort. Some may be spectacles (definition: a striking performance or display) and some may be nostalgic images. People take pictures everyday of things they deem worthy of a picture. Lucy R. Lippard once wrote in Doubletake that "we need to take images away from these encounters, to take Them with us". These are fleeting moments that viewers want to capture and remember forever. Lippard also stated that a "good photography can embody what has been seen". These images can help reproduce a similar or the same feelings that are being captured and implore these same feelings to those that view it. For example;

This picture makes the viewer want to visit such a beautiful place because it makes viewer feel relaxed.

Power can go hand in hand with hegemony. Hegemony is defined as "leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group". Power can be incorporated into hegemony because there must be someone to lead an entire crowd. The leader can use Pedagogy (definition: the method and practice of teaching) to lure the crowd into believing what they want the crowd to believe. Those that are producing ads can be seen as the leader because they are the ones projecting an idea onto the viewers which enables the viewers to follow the idea.

Sexism, which is a prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex, is a well known topic. "The memorable events of history are the visible effects of the invisible changes of human thought," as stated by Gustave Lebon in The Era of Crowds. Before women had rights, it was believed that men had all the power and all the say in what women can do. Then a change occurred and now women are (just about) equal to men. Lebon stated that there needs to be two factors for change to occur; 1. the destruction of those religious, political, and social beliefs in which all the elements of our civilization are rooted and 2. the creation of entirely new conditions of existence and thought as the result of modern scientific and industrial discoveries. Kruger once said that "words have power". Women raised their voices and change occurred. Publicity images of women doing men's jobs and being their equal started becoming visible in the media. These images helped changed the view of society of what was then all male dominance to equality for both genders.

The media has immense power over our society. Images helped shaped what we want and even how we portray things. We may not realize how much impact a picture can do to us  because we've become quite used to the idea of seeing images and change every where we go that we barely notice it anymore. But in some ways, these images are able to hit a spot deep down that captures us without having us to realize it.