After spending my Tuesday night watching The Biggest Loser on NBC, I picked up my laptop and decided to investigate the show’s website mentioned on the television. In all of the episodes and seasons of The Biggest Loser I’ve watched, this is the first time I actually went to the website.I was impressed at what I found, and it was very easy to see correlations to what we’ve talked about in MCOM101.
Of the many different media uses, including: information, instruction, decision -making, values transmission, socialization, entertainment, interactivity, and self-understanding, it was evident to me that all of these uses were clearly on the website.
The actual layout of the website is very organized and eye-catching. There are many visuals, pictures, and video clips to choose from. Some of the videos are showing flashes of what is in the video before you even click on it, so it makes viewers want to watch more than just the little glimpses they are seeing.
The most obvious media use recognizable is, of course, entertainment. The Biggest Loser is a reality television show and a competition among contestants. It is something viewers want to continue watching because they want to see who will win. I also think the idea of the show- people losing that much weight so quickly and in a healthy way is amazing to watch in anyone’s eyes. On the website, there is a place to view every single episode, so fans never have to miss a single one. There is a little blurb about what will be on next week to keep the masses interested and hold their attention. There is also a section labeled Biggest Moments, which shows highlights where intense things happened on the show. One of the moments was when a trainer made a girl work extremely hard and was very tough on her.
The whole webpage is filled with both information and instruction. There are many links on the site to healthy diets and exercise plans. A page full of recipes is included. There are links where viewers can listen to the trainers talk about health issues such as smoking, and exercising while pregnant. There are even tips instructing how to eat healthily at restaurants and even fast food places. 
Decision-making is shown as just previously mentioned. The website has advice, and instructions for healthy decision-making. By making people feel better about themselves and their decisions, it makes them want to watch the show too. It’s nice watching people who are going through the same thing as them. They can relate.
I believe value transmission is evident here because the website is trying to get the viewers to change their life by adopting values to make themselves healthier. Whether it is not drinking fattening beer anymore, or passing up a trip to McDonald’s, the site is encouraging the start of a new and healthy lifestyle.
Socialization is present on the website. There are many groups and clubs to join to help motivate people to lose weight. Being in a group with others tends to help people’s success rates and therefore, they want to be a part of something. There are blogs on the site and also a place where you can sign into Facebook. This interactivity on an online community is a perfect example of socialization. You can also follow past cast members and see where they are today after losing their weight. Even though viewers are not actually interacting with them, it feels like it because you get to follow their lives even after the show. Again, it is very motivational.
I think that self-understanding plays a key role on the website as well. Because the show is about people losing weight and becoming healthy, it is easy to make the website appealing to those who are going through the same thing. The contestants are all different ages, races, genders, and sizes so many different people can relate to them. I think the site, and the show, make people feel like they aren’t alone and I think it helps motivate them. Instead of feeling bad about themselves, they develop a positive attitude and want to try to change their lives for the better. The site even has a spot where viewers who are trying to lose weight can upload videos and show their progress. The viewers can help encourage each other.
I believe that the site is very successful and a great idea. I think it is great there is a show with such a positive message. It shows such motivation and determination, and it makes me admire the people on the show. The show always makes me want to work out after I watch it. The fact that there is a site that does even more than that- trying to help people with ideas for recipes, exercises, diets, clubs, and motivation is great.
The site is about advertising for the show and for products off of the show that are beneficial to the owners, but something like this is beneficial to the viewers as well. They are actually helping people and making a positive difference in their lives and I think that is fantastic.
I honestly cannot think of anything else I would add to the site. It is very informative and interesting. It does its job of selling the show and keeping people interested all while actually being beneficial to viewers. There is a lot of information, and a lot of resources and links. I think the website is very complete and it would be hard to improve it anymore.
