Blurring Barriers

According to Johanna Blakely, the line between genders and various social demographics is dangerously close to being eliminated. She asserts that because social media websites are predominately used by females, more media companies will then hire women to correctly communicate with such audiences. In addition, Blakely discusses the decreasing significance of varied demographic groups, due to a shift towards “taste communities”. I do not think it is realistic to say that media in general is going to begin targeting these interest groups as a whole rather than a specific demographic, because often the two go hand in hand. Demographics are defined by personal characteristics, or sometimes socially constructed stereotypes. However, those individuals who comprise these so called interest groups are most likely from similar economic, political, and religious backgrounds. Therefore when marketing a target audience, companies inevitably take these stereotypes into consideration.

            To say that the line of gender is also diminishing is only slightly more plausible. While women are now occupying positions that were formerly unattainable to them in all areas of our culture, this does not mean that we can completely reconstruct ideas of gender. From the time someone is born they are taught what is acceptable and unacceptable as either a boy or girl, and these cultural norms are endlessly reiterated through adulthood. Johanna Blakely believes that in the near future traditionally “feminine” trends will no longer be popular due to the growing wave of feminism. She points out that social media websites are dominated by women, which is not surprising considering that women are known to seek a sense of individualism and community more than their male counterparts. Due to this fact, she then goes on to say that countless advertising companies are now hiring more women to appropriately target the new social media audience. While all of these arguments may be entirely valid, there is no plausible way for advertising or marketing companies to stop targeting specific demographic groups. Their goal is to sell a product, idea, or service to as many people as possible, and they will utilize any method necessary in doing so.

            Johanna Blakely is delivering this speech to an audience entirely comprised of women as well, which is fitting considering she is taking a fairly feminist approach. While some of her ideas are valid (such as women driving social media), she must consider that much advancement women have made in the past century was made due to the differences between males and females. Women utilized certain feminine traits in an instrumental way so as to highlight their differences, and use them to their advantage. Eliminating traditional gender stereotypes entirely is simply not realistic, and this is ultimately the tragic flaw in Blakely’s spirited argument.