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MEDIA
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Comment Media and Marketing are important factors in our every day lives. With the increase of internet and media access, even in remote places, people’s aspirations are raised. Dreams of ‘another life’ and a different reality can lead to an easy way in for traffickers. Promises of opening the door to that other reality which has been viewed then lead to exploitation. But aspirations are raised in other ways too, glossing over failings and emphasising the Unique Selling Point: What is a woman’s selling point? What is a man’s? Once we start to use that language we become commodities too. What is the ideal shape for a woman? How do we achieve that look … become more sexy and attractive? While magazines and fashion shows are now generally refusing to use ‘size zero’ (US size zero = UK size 4) models, has the damage already been done in terms of body image and self-esteem? And what of men? Expected to be studs? Only ‘real men’ if you can attract that sexy woman? Does sex become a commodity which you can ‘purchase’ if you have the muscles, use the right aftershave and razor, wear the right trainers? While we may say that adverts have no effect on us, is that true over time when it is the continuous flow of similar images that are available to view? And yet the media are so very important for exposing injustice, crime, and attitudes – without them we would know nothing of many of the issues raised on this site. Traffickers are utilising all the media they can – advertising jobs that don’t exist, online facilities that look like any other marriage or dating bureau, the ability to track people and their families. Those who wish to end this appalling crime need to be ‘in there’ too, making full use of media for education and information sharing. The term media covers all forms of mass communication, including newspapers, magazines, direct mail, billboards, bus signs, radio, television and internet. The term marketing refers to the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational goals.
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