Photo credits: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty Images
Public Service Announcements (PSA) are a specific approach in mass media from certain organizations. Simply used as encouragement for readers, the purpose is to see world problems through a positive manner and how we, as a community, can help solve them. PSAs thoroughly deconstruct current social issues, with the overall objective to raise awareness towards a state of affairs. For some examples, PSAs can be about solving world hunger, but it can also switch gears into current topics like promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance globally. It gives people guidance for everyone to see a “brighter light” in the world, and also persuades people recognize situations and its level of importance throughout the community.
PSAs educates people to be more self-aware of a current situation through good credibility and easy access to information if readers feel inspired and want to learn more. Through the website, the Ad Council, is an easy to navigate website that can direct you to any topic you’re intrigued on learning more about.
A PSA that I was highly intrigued in, when searching up ‘mental health’, the first article pops up with a USC (Southern California) player, Caleb Williams, actively participating in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, insisting individuals to check up on their friends, especially if one is a student athlete struggling with mental health.
Photo credits: Victoria Hernandez from USA TODAY
From being a former competitive athlete, I take mental health very seriously after feeling lost and drained while I was playing and also when I quit. Learning through my website and my podcasts, people should observe their mental state and use PSAs as a way to show that no one is alone. Wanting to pursue a career in athletics, I need to know what life is like for athletes beyond their stats and social media following, so when reporting or elaborating gameplay, I’ve learned more to ask questions on how they’re truly feeling despite feeling the need to perform well at all times.