1F25 Blog Response 1: Media Impact on Others

After reading through a number of my fellow classmate's blog entries on how the media has affected them, It is no surprise to me to tell you how little my opinion has changed on the media's influence. I still consider the majority of television programs to be a waste of my time and intelligence (as well as everyone else's) and current "popular" music is still mostly simplistic, superficial drivel (I can't stand one-finger synthesizers that songs like Martin Solveig's 'Hello' flourish because of). I am, however, delighted to say that reading everyone's blogs has brought a lot of interesting new information to my attention.

In Raven's blog she mentioned how "...it’s crazy to think how obsessed people can get over knowing the name or how a baby looks when you have no correlation with them or their parents." She, herself, admitted to having an interest in celebrity couples and the news that surrounds them (particularly the children they have together) but she also acknowledged that the very idea that such interests exist is an example of how the media is negatively affecting our society. I would have to agree. Although displaying interest in other human beings is perfectly normal behavior, when said interest reaches the point of obsession, it's a good time to step back and re-consider your values. You mustn't let the media do that for you.

Shannon brought up the very good point that "chances are, you’re only being told what they want to tell you"; The 'they' in that sentence, of course, being producers and broadcasters of various types of media. What she says is, most likely, very true. I cannot imagine anyone purposely sending a message to the public that, in any way, truly opposes their own stands on morality, virtue, or otherwise. Sometimes (in the eyes of the informant) the only safe way to tell the public about an event or circumstance is to hide information that could, otherwise, misguide their understanding or lead them to become suspicious. Yes, I am thinking about politicians at this point. I imagine you are as well.

I was reintroduced to what is, perhaps, my favourite thing about the media because of Adam's post. He is an avid soccer (or football, as you may call it) fan and is a regular viewer of the World Cup. after mentioning how nations often disagree and dispute with one-another on a regular basis, he reminded me of how "the tournament allows people from different nationalities to put aside whatever differences they may have and enjoy the beautiful game in a pro-multicultural environment." This wonderful phenomenon is, thankfully, not exclusive to soccer, or sports for that matter. Perhaps the single greatest aspect of the media is how it can shatter separatism and the poisonous prejudices that come along with it. We are all human beings that carry the potential to care for, reason with, and understand one-another and sometimes all it takes is a group of guys kicking around an air-filled ball to realize that.

In conclusion I suggest you to use the media to find what motivates, captivates, and inspires you (unless you are inspired by 'SAW' to kill people - don't do that.) and to avoid the parts of the media that simply do not bring out the best in humanity and, most importantly, yourself.

How significant do I think the impact of the mass media is on my worldview?

The media, primarily technology-based media, has never been as significant in everyday life as it is now; there is little reason to expect a decrease in usage anytime soon (unless a major progressive shift occurs out of nowhere). Considering how many ways people, in Western society alone, communicate with each other, it’s hard to suggest that the media isn’t, in some way, significant to everyone. I know I am no different than most. I, too, have, and frequently make use of, a computer, the online services it provides, a cellphone, a television, multiple video game consoles, a library of music, and a radio. But what have I gotten from using them? How significant are the media to me and how affected are my views on life and the world because of the media? That is the question being asked today.

For as long as I can remember there has been television in my life. It is probably the media form that has influenced me the most. This, of course, is due to that it was easily accessible for me as a youngling and was close to the only form of child-accessible media that existed (in its current, mass-produced form) at the time (being a child of the 90’s). I would like to say that as a child, for the most part, I used the television I watched to better my worldviews and give me a positive outlook on life. My habit of watching pro-social programming, I think, did a considerably good job at teaching me the fundamentals of friendship, loyalty, civility, and the use of hard work as a means of living a successful life. Unlike many, I’m sure, I didn’t have a particular interest in then-popular shows like Pokémon or Power Rangers because I felt that there was little to learn from them or relate to. Even certain scenarios on programs such as Arthur or Sesame Street would be uninteresting to me because of them being needlessly argumentative and supportive of using yelling and screaming to solve problems (which, to me, didn’t make much sense).

Needless to say I do think the media affected me negatively as a child at times, as well, when I began to get older. As more mature, not-necessarily-adult material began to enter my life, of course my curiosity of them increased. Ideas that dangerous stunts, bad language, alcohol, and drugs are normal parts of everyday life are hard to remove completely once firmly planted. The ideas, in the heads of many influential kids and teenagers, do sound appetizing and even harmless. In the end what I ended up picking up from them were questions like “why?” and “what do I get from doing this?” Of course, now, I am referring to other forms of media that I have used other than just television.

Concerning how I use the media today and how I let it affect me, I typically avoid television since most current shows seem to either reflect less-than-interesting lifestyles of the rich and brainless or showcase morbidly unhealthy morals and ethics, and the way I spend my time on the internet does not typically involve serious life topics. The time I spend on the internet mainly consists of researching for school, watching ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ (A show I WOULD watch if it was available), and the occasional game of Tetris. Basically I surround myself with (again I’ll say it) pro-social media to coincide with who, I feel, I am.