Entry 4: Due: September 15, 2010
Guiding Prompt: In reading Ch. 2, Ellis (2010) stated: Children today are connected to the world. A generation ago, pen pals wrote to each other using "snail mail." Today they correspond instantly through the various avenues of the Internet. News is instantaneous. I remember talking to an elderly woman who told me that when her great grandmother was a child living in Oregon, the family received the news of Abraham Lincoln's assassination several days after it happened. Today we know immediately about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other events taking place around the globe (p. 46-7). Respond to the following question based on this statement: How does the media affect our lives? decisions? beliefs? perceptions about the larger world?
Media plays a huge role in our lives. People are instantly informed of things occurring and happening around the world through a variety of medias: internet, televisions, radios, and cell phones. Without these resources, our society would be less informed and educated. Lack of media would also inhibit our quick ability to communicate, etc. If it weren’t for the media, I believe our society and generation wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today; not as many things would have been accomplished. Technology and media sources have made things easier, more accessible, and available. These advances have allowed people to become more involved and ‘in-tune’ which effects their beliefs; thus, producing better citizens in decision making processes. An educated society is vital to success and improvements. Media sources provide insight into local, national, and worldly issues; these allow people to consider events occurring in other areas of the world that they wouldn’t otherwise know about. Overall, it is clear that media plays a huge role and affects our lives.
Media is pretty powerful. What are your thoughts on the negative aspects of media? I agree that it has helped us accomplish a great deal, but I also wonder if it has deterred us or held us back in someways.
ReplyDeleteI believe media does have negative impacts as well. For instance, in psychology courses I have learned that children (and adults for that matter) tend to model what they see and observe. The Albert Bandura experiment on the Bobo Doll is a prime example of this. Children tend to learn how to react or act towards certain things and people from observing others' actions. This is focusing on the social learning aspect. Thus, media such as TV and the internet can be negative for young children who become exposed to things they shouldn't see/aren't yet ready for (such as violence). Media also has other negative aspects such as making us reliant on technology. We become so used to calculating things on calculators, searching anything on Google in 1 minute, and emailing anyone in a matter of seconds; thus, we become lazy and reliant on media. Overall though, I believe the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
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