Ads of the \past

The messages that these advertisements show would not be appropriate for publication in today's society as the messages they show are not healthy messages.

The first ad shows a man blowing smoke in a woman's face and states that the smell of that brand of cigarette, when blown in her face will make her follow you anywhere. The woman in the ad is very young, pretty and sexy while the man is not shown as much. This ad encourages smoking which was very common place in the 1950's and 1960's. The behaviour of the man in this ad is very inappropriate as it is a rude gesture he makes towards the woman. Today we know the dangers of smoking and this ad would not be appropriate. Also, in Canadian women are more respected now.

The second ad is for dieting and talks about tapeworms as a way to stay thin. The ad is geared to women and only shows a woman in it. Even then there was a need for women to be thin to be considered pretty. This is still a current theme in our ads however it is not appropriate as people are turning to many dangerous ways to be thin. The best way to be thin is to eat properly and exercise. The use of tapeworms would not be allowed today as we know the risks of this product.

The third ad shows a doctor smoking and states that most doctors prefer this brand of cigarette. This ad takes someone of authority smoking and presents itself as a healthy thing to do. The pictures show male doctors who back then were considered at the top of the list for health knowledge. Today we know the dangers of smoking and doctors are shown in ads promoting aids to help people quit smoking.

The last ad shows a happy and thin family dressed for the beach. It states that they are happy because they eat lard. This was a very commonly used product in that era but today we know it is not healthy and ads are for low fat items today.

Most of these ads would have been considered appropriate in the 1950's and 1960's as they show the current thoughts of that era. Today these ads are considered inappropriate as they promote unhealthy behaviours.

Google Streetview

I agree with Google developing this program for people to access because it will assist people in locating unfamiliar destinations. It allows someone to type in the address of where they are going and actually see what the house or apartment and the surrounding areas look like. This will help them find the right place. While some people will claim that a regular GPS device will do the same, it will only get you to the address, it will not help you find the actual place that one is looking for.

In a way I believe that privacy laws are being broken by this new program. One can see both people and in some cases cars parked in driveways. While Google has stated that the blurring out of license plates and people's faces has protected their privacy it is still possible to identify people who are caught in the pictures. Car license plates can be obtained by driving to that address and recognizing the car parked in the driveway. Today's privacy laws state that even parents cannot take pictures at their kids sporting events. Adults even complain if their photos are taken at events and they do not want those photos shared with others, especially in the times of online social networking.

I think that the best solution would be for Google to find better ways to protect privacy. One suggestion that I have would be for them to remove all people and vehicles from the photos. With technology available today this would not be hard. This would leave people with a valuable mapping tool and protect everyone's privacy.