I think one of the greatest changes in my life since I have started my internship is the way I look at ads. Before I was upset that ads invaded my life in ways that distracted my life and my routine.

For example, last September, while listening to an online radio station in the library and writing a paper, an ad popped up (three times louder than the music I was listening to), totally caught me off guard and made me lose my train of thought. I even posted on Facebook about how annoying it was. A week or so later for my birthday, my brother bought me an ad free subscription. Best birthday present ever, btw. (Thanks, Andrew!)

Since working in advertising this summer, I have created a new account.

Just to see the ads.

Now, you’re probably asking, why? Why would anyone choose to listen to the ads? Ever?! Well, this is why–why I have learned to like them, and why you should too.

1. I look at the ads to learn what we sell.
2. I look at the ads to see which companies buy advertising with us.
3. I look at the ads to understand how our ad products work and what they look like.
4. I look at the ads because part of my intern duties are to test the ads and make sure they are working before they go live.
5. I look at the ads because the products we advertise can enhance your experience on and off the website.
6. I look at the ads to see how other companies market themselves.
7. I look at the ads because it shows insight into the advertisers company, products, and what they find important.
8. I look at the ads to see how companies are separating themselves from their competition.
9. I look at the ads because, sometimes, the advertisers don’t realize they are selling you something in the most obscene and unproductive way possible.
10. I look at the ads because sometimes I don’t even understand what they’re trying to sell me.

See, as a true liberal arts student, I can see that ads are more than just companies trying to sell a product; they are trying to sell a lifestyle. Sometimes advertisers do this well, sometimes it’s totally over the top, and sometimes you just think to yourself, “there’s no way.” Advertising provides a window into a culture. This culture can either already exist, has existed in the past, will exist in the future, or is a product of the imagination. Advertising is story-telling. It connects you with the product (or attempts to) in a meaningful way. Advertising provides a unique understanding of America, Americans, and the world at large. So I look at the ads to learn about myself and about ourselves as a whole rather than to be sucked into to buying the product.

Although this may or may not be what the advertiser was hoping for when it sells ads, I can’t help it, I go to Scripps. I have learned how to critique and ask questions, instead of taking life at face value.