Final Reflections April 28, 2008

I have learned so much in this class about the media today. I never really paid attention to all of the many aspects the media includes and the huge role it is playing on society today. True, there are many good things about the media but after taking this class, I feel like it is important to focus on the negative in order to make sure people realize it, try to avoid the negative, and help in the process of making the media a more positive influence on society. Avoiding gender roles in movies and media is one of the ways we are actively trying to better the media. We can also see influential people embracing their bodies emerging in media today for example, Oprah or Queen Latifah. I think that slowly, very slowly but surely the negative things about the media today will soon dissolve, and hopefully, for example, instead of seeing stick figure, unattainable images on the covers of magazines, we will begin to see healthy women. This course has helped me realize the huge effect the media has on us, physically, mentally, and socially and it is very important that the media start improving their ethics. Hopefully by people becoming more educated and learning the things such as we have in this course, media will become something that not only helps shape society but helps society have better morals, thoughts, and actions.

The Melting Pot April 28, 2008

When Berger was talking about how so many people of different cultures have become accustomed to the American culture when they came to the US, I could not help but think about how our society has such a big impact in the world. Through our advances in media, the entire world has been following in our footsteps. McDonald’s is virtually worldwide. Shows such as American Idol and America’s Next Top Model have now turned into Indian Idol or Australia’s Next Top Model. The messages we portray in our television shows and commercials have now become worldwide. Is the entire world going to become accustomed to American society, good along with the bad? I know that America’s Next Top Model and so much of our media gives the picture of the ideal woman: stick thin, flashy, and a face full of makeup. Eating disorders are a big problem in America, but through all these advances in our media, is it going to become a worldwide problem? The other extremity, obesity is also a problem here. Again, if cultures are changing to become more like the American culture, is obesity also going to be a big problem for the entire world? It scares me to see how much the media has a negative impact, and I know there are positive impacts through the media, but the negative ones seem to be overshadowing them.

Commercials April 27, 2008

Another thing Berger mentioned that I found interesting is how America’s society today includes increasing numbers of people becoming obese and commercials play a role in that. I think that television in general plays a role. Studies have shown that people eat a lot more when watching television than they would if they paid attention to what they were eating while not watching television. I can see how commercials effect not only our thoughts on what to buy but also physically. For instance, I know when I see a commercial for Coca Cola, I always get a craving to drink coke. This is true for a lot of food commercials. We really do pay a psychological price from all these commercials interrupting, on top of paying extra for a car or something to pay for advertising. It is sad to see how prescription drugs have become so expensive, mostly due to the media today advertising all these drugs. Since they are advertised so much, their popularity increases and people who don’t really need the drug as much as others are playing a role in increased prices. This kind of advertising definitely has a negative effect on the medical industry and our health. All in all, commercials play a part in our physiological, psychological, and social aspects.

Gossip April 27, 2008

One of the ways in which Reality tv is such a big hit is because of Gossip. Berger mentions how gossip shapes the media. I think this is true because half the shows I watch, I probably would not have given a second look at normally but only did so because my friends were talking about it. For example, when my friends used to talk about the tv show, The Hills, I had no idea what the conversation was about. I had seen previews for The Hills and never planned on watching it because it just seemed so fake and acted out instead of what it was trying to be, reality, similar to many other reality shows. However, I started to watch it so I could be included in the gossip going on about it. When television shows do not get talked about, people do not watch them causing the network to lose money and eventually are not put on the air. So in order for shows to be productive, they need to create something to be talked about which is the reason why shows such as The Hills and The Real World are probably very acted out so that there is more drama and such than there would normally be without producers interfering.

Ethics and Journalism April 26, 2008

I find it really sad that people such as Michael Savage and Don Imus have gotten and are getting so much publicity in a nation being ruled by the media. Like what, they think they are so much better than everyone else that it is okay for them to ignore the concept of being ethical? As a human being it should be their duty to live by good values and I know if any other average person made comments anywhere resembling Don Imus’ commenting on the Rutger’s women’s basketball team, they would be considered naive and ignorant, and probably be punched in the face. So what makes it okay for him to make comments like that? And what is even more appalling is how NBC had to wait until they started losing money to take him off of the air. It is very disturbing how ethics play such a teeny tiny role in the world of journalism and the media. In some ways the media has come so far, for example, in Gender Psych we studied the ways in which the media has started moving away from gender biases and stereotypes. So in some ways the media has gotten better, but in other ways, such as Savage and Imus, it just seems like we’re getting careless in what we make public. Again, people are definitely entitled to their own opinions but making extreme opinions, maybe whether based off of fact or ignorance or both, is rude and offensive to many people and should not be made public for the sake of ethics.

Michael Savage April 25, 2008

So I understand the concept of the freedom of speech. And Michael Savage definitely takes that to his advantage. But what of ethics? True, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but in saying that, I do not believe that it is alright for someone to be shelling out names such as “slut” when having a conversation with another person with valid points, but an opposing opinion. When it comes to Savage, its either his way or the highway which seems very closed minded to me. I cannot even fathom the reason to which this man gets so much attention and why people listen to radical, ridiculous points he has to make. Although some of his points may be considered valid, he does not accept the other side to the issue, and he takes his argument overboard, calling judges “Nazis,” etc. I do believe in the freedom of speech, however I think that even though it is our right, it is also our duty to live and speak by good ethics, and clearly Michael Savage has no understanding of that. He takes things to the extreme, saying that people with certain opinions have mental disorders or something of the sort which I find pretty ridiculous.

Video Games and Violence April 25, 2008

Before watching the video in class, I had already learned and read about video games’ effect on young teens and children in my psych classes. In the video it talks about how there are two sides of the controversy: people who believe that video game players are not more violent because of playing violent video games, but because it is their nature and they simply seek violent video games, and the other side believes that violent video games creates violent behavior in the players. Through psychology courses I have studied field research studies which have shown that playing violent video games can increase a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior in regard to aggression. They desensitize people when it comes to killing, blood and gore. I doubt that there will be anything done about violent video games by the industry since the two sides of the controversy are supported by an equal amount of people, but it is not completely their responsibility. Parents should definitely pay attention to what their kids are watching and what kind of video games they are allowed to play. I think it is true that today’s media has the power of desensitization which is a little scary to me because it makes it so that people care less and less about things that should have an effect on them.

Cult movies April 8, 2008

In his book, Jenkins talks about cult movies. These are movies such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix, etc create a different world for their followers who are eager to watch the film they, in a way, “worship.” These movies are made to be quoted and develop their following because they borrow from previous kinds of similar work. When I was reading Jenkins’ explanation of The Matrix, it made me realize that these cult films were a huge collection of different mediums put together. It is a collaboration of media; there is so much merchandise created for the movie: figurines, costumes, video games, comic books, etc. This is because the people who watch these movies want more than just the movie, they enjoy anything having to do with the movie and trans-media storytelling gives them that quench for their thirst. It gives them a chance to fulfill their own fantasies based around the movie and gives them a chance to participate. In summary, Jenkins shows how cult movies are becoming more popular in today’s society and how the media is being effected by it.

Jenkin’s presentation April 8, 2008

In class, we watched a video of Jenkin’s presentation for Google. It basically just gave him an chance to summarize his book, explaining some points more in depth and providing more examples. I agree with his point about new music videos, and how it is so true that no matter who you are or what type of music you listen to, you have heard the song or seen the video Soulja Boy. Even if you do not watch VH1 or MTV, the video is posted everywhere online, YouTube, Facebook, etc and it has even gone as far as people recreating their own, different versions of it and posting that as well. I think it is incredible how the Internet has boomed in the past years from how it was when I was younger, many people did not even have the Internet, and now not that many people I know don’t have the Internet.  It makes it so easy for anyone to express their opinions publicly, whether or not it goes against big companies or bigger powers. Jenkin’s talks about how sites such as YouTube has crossed copyright laws since people have taken original works, changed it in some way and added in their own own, and publicly posted it, but I agree with Jenkins in that it should not be seen as copyright infringement since the creator is not getting anything out of it; there is no profit being made.

Jenkins Ch. 3 April 4, 2008

After I read chapter 3, I never even realized that filmmakers actually plant clues in video games or computer games, and one must play the game in order to understand the movie. I found it interesting how during older Hollywood movies, an audience member could be distracted or leave the movie for a bathroom break or something and come back and still follow what is going on in the movie. But in films such as the Matrix, it is expected of viewers not only to sit through and pay close attention, but also do research before and after viewing it. And even watch it over and over to catch more clues and hidden messages such as codes on billboards to unlock levels in the game apparently. I thought I knew overall what The Matrix was about but I didn’t even realize that it incorporated so many things until I read this chapter. It made sense when Young was skeptical on the broadness of the audience of The Matrix because it challenged people and intentionally asked them to invest their time into making sense of it. However, this didn’t narrow the audience at all and in fact was bigger than expected. It attracted people who enjoyed suspense, people who enjoyed taking a message out of the movie as a whole, and people who enjoyed making connections within the movie.