Matt Lombardi LEAP 2 Analyzing Harmful Propaganda
Matt Lombardi
Professor RobbGrieco
COM416
30 March 2023
Teenage Vaping in Today’s Society
My rationale for selecting this piece of propaganda is because I see teenage vaping, everywhere and every day. Not to be cliché, but this is also something propaganda does as well, finding its way into our daily lives whether we know it or its subconscious. It feels like as soon as I walk out of the doors of Ranger Hall, I’m immediately met with clouds of vapor from classmates who have formed an addiction to this horrible chemical. An addiction in which, more than likely started as a high school student, who was just experimenting with e-cigs. The days where people use e-cigs to try and quit actual cigarettes seem to be over, and if you don’t hit a vape, you’re not as cool as your peers.
I selected this harmful and troubling piece of propaganda with the class because I feel as though it is its direct target audience, young adults with stressors in their lives. What is most harmful in my opinion about e-cigs is the fact that these big companies are making this chemical sound so delicious. As you can see in the piece of propaganda I analyzed, bubblegum flavored vape juice seems to be a hit in today’s society, especially when talking about young adults. This does not even mention the other flavors that can sound so enticing, like cool mint, mango, fruit medley or even blue raspberry. By creating these flavors of vape juice it screams “kid friendly”, when in reality were talking about a seriously addictive chemical that can alter someone’s life.
My creative process started with really breaking down the piece I was going to analyze. I first started with how I can connect this piece with Hobbs’ ideas, specifically how the dark side of propaganda can affect people. From here, I wanted to add more in class topics of discussion, like how the Nazis had banned their war films, and how my piece ties into Auerbach and Castronovo’s 13 Propositions about Propaganda. By doing so, I feel as though I can connect with my target audience more, by creating a sense of relativity. Once I had analyzed my piece, I started my story board script where my ideas would come to fruition.
One of the things I found interesting about this project is how we got to use images and videos to accompany our voice overs. Traditionally, I would have just set the camera up and started speaking on the subject, but adding visual effects can make my target audience feel more influenced. However, I did struggle with the timing of the voice over and the images and videos I wanted to accompany them with. It took a little getting used to, but the practice run of the screen cast o-matic really helped me smoothen things out, creating for a good visual and a good listen. Lastly, I wanted to choose this topic because of how popular vaping has become in today’s society. I know for a fact, that if not someone in this class uses and e-cig, they know someone who does. If I could change just one person’s views on teenage vaping and maybe even influence a classmate to quit, I feel as though I have done an effective job.
Auerbach, J., & Castronovo, R. (n.d.). Thirteen Propositions about Propaganda. Academic.oup.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28010/chapter/211781367
Hobbs, R. (2020). Mind over media: Propaganda education for a Digital age. W. W. Norton et Company.
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