Branded

Created on Thursday, 14 May 2015 18:34

In my opinion 'Branded' a.k.a 'The Mad Cow' and 'Moscow 2017' is a movie that should not be watched as entertainment but rather studied for its highly educational content.

It was written and directed by two marketing executives (Jamie Bradshaw and Aleksandr Dulerayn) and the movie's dystopian imagery comes straight from their extensive experience in the field. It was made by a Russian production company and after watching it you will understand why a movie like 'Branded' would never see the light of day in Tinseltown.

In a nutshell, one could say that this is a movie about introducing the principles of capitalism to a newly established democracy, by using the insidious methods of marketing. That, however, would not do the movie justice because it has so much more. In 'Branded' corporate brands are portrayed as other-dimensional entities that are creating people’s desire to consume, while simultaneously feeding off of them. Sound at all familiar? The fact that some of the other-dimensional entities are portrayed as reptilians will also have meaning to the esoterically and metaphysically well versed.

Next to being an excellent study of the inner workings of advertising, the movie gives a superb portrayal of how exceedingly easy it is for corporations and governments to manipulate and control the opinions and behavior of the masses (i.e. Social Engineering) by using all forms of mass media as their tools. The similarities between this film and what is occurring in today’s society cannot be overstated.

If nothing else, 'Branded' will most likely inspire you to examine your own behavior and particular style of consuming, and to ask yourself if your reasons to act or buy are mostly intrinsically motivated, or induced by external forces.

 

Alessandro Acquisti at TED: Why Privacy Matters

Last updated: July 15, 2020 at 17:28 pm

Created on Friday, 17 October 2014 16:40

Facebook's future privacy options:

Alessandro Acquisti is an Associate Professor of Information Systems and Public Policy at the Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and a member of Carnegie Mellon CyLab.

Acquisti's research focuses on the economics of privacy. His studies have spearheaded the application of behavioral economics to the analysis of privacy and information, security decision making, and the analysis of privacy risks and disclosure behavior in online social networks.

In this TED Talk, Alessandro Acquisti explains how and why the line between public and private, both online and in real life, has blurred in the past decade and might even be erased in the (near) future. With his thought-provoking, slightly chilling talk, he shares details of recent and ongoing research, including a project that shows how easy it is to match a photograph of a stranger with their sensitive personal information.

What motivates you to share your activities and personal information online? After watching this presentation ask yourself how and why you (still) use the plethora of social media. The preservation of your privacy may very well depend on it.

Source: TED.com

Related:

Facebook's Future Plans for Data Collection Beyond All Imagination