MODULE #3: Katie's Brains On Media

The different parts of the brain that have effects on our thoughts are the Reptilian, Limbic and Neocortex parts of the brain. The first and inner part of the brain, the Reptilian brain, causes those instinctual reactions that you have, such as frightening, laughter, and confusion. The Limbic part of the brain is found in the middle and it controls the emotional part of your brain, such as what makes you sad or happy. Finally, the Neocortex is the most sophisticated part of your brain because it's in charge of anything that makes you read, comprehend, or try to think about something. Overall, ads utilize the power of how our brains are easily influenced and subjective to media.

I found 2 commercials on youtube that are prime examples of all these parts of the brain working together:





In this commercial, it is a normal girl and her grandfather at a pizzeria, but the sweet little girl orders a Pepsi and the bartender gives her a coke instead. This commercial makes you go like “What?” and laugh using the Reptilian part of your brain when she starts talking with the godfather’s voice. After the girl goes from talking in the godfather’s voice, she goes back to her sweet voice when saying thank you when the man gives her the Pepsi, which is how this commercial affects the Limbic part of your brain. In addition, when the waiter “pops his gum” it startles you like in the movie “The Godfather” when the Godfather “pops his gun”, which then affects the Reptilian brain again. Finally, the commercial reads “The Joy of Cola” which makes you think about how the commercial is tied into the power of the Pepsi taste compared to Coca-Cola and causes you to use the Neocortex “thinking” brain.






In this commercial, it is a normal girl in a normal house, but then when you see the dog talking it makes everyone that watches the commercial go like “What?” or “That’s not right?”, therefore, getting the attention of the Reptilian brain. Additionally, the Limbic brain is then focused on the dog tilting its sad face and puppy dog eyes while talking about how the girl has changed because of weed and that he’ll be waiting for her when she becomes herself again. The girl also has a guilty face, which makes you feel sympathy for the dog. Furthermore, the commercial then reads “How would you tell a friend?” which makes you try to understand the point and gives you the incentive to think out it using your Neocortex brain. Therefore, this commercial like the one above, is powerful enough to influence all three parts of your brain.


~I hope you enjoyed my Module 3 post about my "brains" on media! Sharing my thoughts with you all and learning about your own opinions is a wonderful experience. Be sure to check out the rest of my posts here on my DOTCOM blog! :)