sure

Has anyone noticed how much more comedy there is on tv as opposed to real serious issues.  How many more tv shows like David Letterman, or Cobert Report.  While I admit they are far more entertaining then the actual news, what kind of message does this send out to the public?  Is it fair just to make light of everything? Or do some things need to be heard and talked about seriously.  I wonder how many people read the paperor watch the news compared to how many people watch Jay Leno, or the Daily show.  I think the statistics would not be in favor of the ‘real’ news.

Anyways, just some thoughts!

While I felt this chapter to be full of information, I also found it to not explain how reliant everyone has become on the web.  Our prof’s use it in school, our assignments are to be typed, our readings on Webct, etc..  When we need to look a word up, we no longer turn to websters dictionary, we go to dictionary.com or google.  Research for papers can be done on the web, therefore, decreasing time spent looking for books.  Also talking to friends can be done quicker, and easier with things like e-mail and msn.  We no longer need to phone people individually, instead we can e-mail or go on msn.  When we need information about medication doctors no longer give us pamphlets they instead give us websites to look at.  We have become completely reliant on the internet, and I am unable to decide if this is a giant leap forward, or if this is going to create future problems in our society.

 A unique thing that I did  not realize about the web is that thre are no charges, or “toll fees”.  I found it absolutly amazing that Tim Berners - Lee refused to charge for the web.  I found it even more unique that he has not allowed for anyone to start charging people for using their site.  The internet would be such an easy way for companies to make a huge profit, yet no one charges for individual sites yet. 

I hope that day never comes, where sites charge a fee.  The internet is a way for many to voice opinions, without going through editors, or not being involved with the paper.  Many can voice their individual opinions, it is a way for people all around the world to communicate, and talk about an array of things.  It is truly, I think, so far, a very unique and good thing.

Today I was driving home and I was looking around on the road.  It never occured to me just how much advertisement is done, to get one to pay attention to radio stations, TV shows, etc..  I saw an ad for house, for timex watches, for greys, etc.. It’s crazy.  Not only was that odd, but the media is getting so good at knowing who and what to cater too.  For example, the Timex watch showed a picture of a golfer hitting a golf ball.  Timex clearly did its homework and found out that alot of its buyers are golfers, and therefore, to make the ad stand out to those people it only but makes sense to cater to them. 

The same is true for things such as Nike ads on TV.  There is not going to be a Nike ad for skiing in the middle of summer.  Why?  Because it won’t sell anything.

The media is all around us.  I truly dont feel we could escape it even if we wanted too.  I went hiking on the west coast trail this summer, and I was fully prepared to get cheap stuff to go.  My boyfriend however, assured me that, this was a dumb idea and it was essential to get the good stuff.  He picked out which was the good stuff, which was all designer gear.  Why, do we hold these ideas that the only “good” things are the designer stuff, the stuff we know, because it is constantly flashed all over the TV screen.

I am not trying to diss the companies out there who are making money of this consumerism.  In fact, I think they are doing everything right, according to their industry.  I mean realistically, obviously its working right?  I am more just disatisfied with societies lack of ability to figure out exactly what consumerism is doing to us and our society.  It’s just not healthy.

Today I began feeverishly reading the readings this week, and came across one article of particular interest. This article was “The Rebel Sell”. I found it absolutly true, and incredibly astonishing how being so anti consumerism is really creating consumerism, and in fact driving consumerism up. In today’s age there is a wide array of people and groups. There is the jocks, the nerds, the hippies, the goths, etc.. In some way or another all try to seperate themselves, to make themselves look distinctive, and against conformity. Therefore, that is why there is a need for this crazy industry. No one was to be exactly the same, and everyone looks for ways of self expression. This is shown in movies such as american beauty. Material things drive the economy. I feel it is a sad world, and quite depressing to know that our best efforts to not give in to the hype actually does put us into the hype.

Another problem going on in the media, is figuring out how to create legally. There are so many restrictions and groups set up to make sure that things in the media are not replicated, unless of course a certain negotiable amount of money is given to the originator. This is truly the sad world we live in.

When we think that we are not going to buy in to what the media wants us to, we often times do. The media strongly dictates what we can and cannot do, and therefore, I feel we are all left to conform, even though we try so hard not to.

In this day and age it if fair to say that media affects our lives pretty significantly.  However, I was not prepared for the previous weeks news paper articles.  I don’t know if anyone has picked up the news paper since the hanging of Saddam Husein, but apparently a few of the spectators caught the hanging on their cell phone cameras (oh the joy of technology), and then proceeded in their corrupt little brains to put it on Utube for all to see.  Little did these people know how many people allow the media to dictate their lives, and a few children and adults, and by a few I of course mean a dozen and maybe more now, decided to also give up their lives the same way that Saddams was forced to.  Yes, that’s right they hung themselves, the exact same way that Saddam was hung, all because they were able to see this horrible display of punishment on even things such as national television.  I cannot believe the impact that the media played in these peoples lives, and the effects technology can have on ones life.  I am absolutly stunned.

     I personally found these two readings rather interesting.  I have never noticed that there are two forms of media.  One called entertainment, and one Information.  Now, obviously I realize that there are those types but I never realized that both have the same intention, and effects.  They indoctrinate the people of their beliefs, values, and morals.  I find it very true that people will attach themselves to shows that exemplify the same morals and beliefs as them.  For example, many people turn to things such as the Cobert report to get their source of news because they feel a strong hatred for Bush, or because they dont believe in the war on Iraq.  The Cobert report also tries to lighten the news up in order for audiences to not walk away with a sadned state of mind. 

     Although we see our nation of one who promotes freedom of speach, the government as well as producers, dictate what can and can’t be done or said on radio, Tv, and newspapers.  Therefore, our adoption of views are not coming from society as a whole, but from a few people of high authority.  This is very Karl Marx like, where he discusess the bourgeouise and the Proletariot.

      Discussed in chapter 12 as well, I found it very interesting t learn about the hidden message.  In almost all movies there is some underlying message, that people interpret and understand.  The trouble for corperations is to try and get everyones perception of this message to be the same.

     The fact is that many people use media as a means to get away from things like boredom in order to relax, stimulate the brain, etc..   People will retain only what they choose to retain , and will develop role models based on there perception of an “amazing” person might be.  Therefore, it is evident that media plays a HUGE role in our lives.  Media shapes our lives from a baby till our death.  It is all around us, and in this day and age I find it near impossible to escape it entirely.

     The first class in any seminar is particualrly dreadful to go to.  This is the class where the teachers inform you of reality.  After already being in class for a week, I felt perepared to enter another introduction class full of boredom, and the dreadful markings of the professors.  However, this was not the case.  I must admit at the beginning it was the typical review and ice breakers, but while going through the syllabus, I was intrigued.  This class does not seem like it is one in which the professor is concerned with memorization, theories, or any sort of the typical areas taught in university.  Instead, emphasis was placed greatly on your perceptions.  The learning process in this class appears to be focused on self realization rather than regurgitation of texts. 

     Personally,  I hope that this class will allow me to take something away from this experience other than the memorization of important definitions and terms.  I hope this will open my eyes to the way in which media helps portray certain images.  For example, today when I got home I was watching the hour and the lead singer of evenescence was on.  She was talking about her album an the host mentioned that the photography of her on the album showed a bit more skin than she normally shows.  She said she wanted to show a bit more skin but not a whole lot because ” the more skin you show the more people feel that you no longer write your own lyrics”.  The more I thought about this, the more I believed she was absolutly right.  In society, when we see scandelous women such as Paris Hilton, Brittney Spears, and Nichol Richie we see beautiful girls, but girls with no merit.  Who is not to say that they aren’t intellegent?  Who is to say that all this is not just an act, and that by acting like this they are generating immense revenue.  However, the media portrays them as “stupid and ditsy”.  But when we see someone such as Julia Roberts and Christina Agulara (now) are held in high regards and seen and portrayed as amazing smart people,who have made use of their talents.  Thererfore, I’ve began to notice how media plays an incredibly important role in our lives, and in our culture.