Wanted: the media that we need

After reading over some of the blog posts of my peers, I found some interesting insights into whether we receive the media we want or want the media we receive.  With those insights I was able to construct an understanding of how unreliable the media is and how it exploits our habits as consumers.

In terms of receiving information that better informs me of the world, I think that we will get the gist of the matter and there has to be some semblance of truth, but I think it will be packaged in way that is appealing to us and thus not entirely truthful. I think Veronica Field shares the same idea when she says “I believe that it all boils down to consumerism and giving the consumer what they want”. Considering that idea, you can see that in order to receive reliable information, you have to do some looking. But sometimes the act itself of  looking for “truthful” information can be a contributor to the problem.

Sometimes when I’m on Youtube and there is a heated controversial issue in the world, the mosque by the world trade center for example, I’ll click on one video that has a particular leaning to one side of the issue. When I’m finished watching the video I’ll see that on the right hand side all the “related videos” share the same stance on the issue. And if you continue down that track, you’ll find yourself watching a video that so far on one side of the issue that it’s almost extreme. I believe this goes to show that it is not entirely the media’s fault in providing misinformation. We, ourselves, have immense influence on what information we receive. In this day and age you can choose what you know and what you don’t about the world. In Amy Lowe’s blog, she talks about the filter bubble, and how “It has become the norm to have to comb through the muck of media to find stories that are of your interest or that are valid pieces of journalism.” Because this has become the norm, I feel the media can anticipate this, so when you finally comb through the “muck” of media it gives you the illusion that what you have uncovered is the objective truth and not something that leans towards your beliefs or the media’s agenda.

Now I don’t believe mass media is completely unreliable, there are times when the media will give truthful and necessary information to benefit society, like Brooke Harnum’s example of a mass murder on the loose. Although, Sometimes this information is sensationalized and blown out of proportion. I think that is the media’s attempt to entice consumers to a particular idea at face value, and some go for it. Others, however, don’t but that doesn’t mean they have overcome the untruthfulness of the media. Ultimately, it’s my belief that the media, through examining us as consumers and understanding our place in the information age, can use our own habits to fool us.

Blog Entry #2

Do we get the media we want or do we want the media we get? I think both the audience and the distributors of media are both key determinants in media, but at the end of the day, I think the audience is key. The audience will determine the success of media, so distributors will have to accommodate and adapt to what we want.

I think that because of the advancements in media technology, specifically the internet, the determinants of mass media has changed drastically. Back before the internet, the line between distributor and recipient was a lot more defined. The limited amount of medium forms meant that media could be broader and the audience more or less had no choice but to accept what they were consuming. With the internet, the line between distributor and recipient is blurred. Now, because there is something for everybody, we can find what we want. With that in mind, not only can we influence media but we have the ability to create it for ourselves.

I still think distributors can influence what we accept as “popular common sense”, and that will be a natural factor in our response to media. As the book says “media representations or popular common sense; the two are permanently intertwined.” So, in that sense, we do want the media we get, but the way the distributors do this is subtle and is more difficult. I think it is now easier for an audience to influence media by either rejecting or accepting it.

It goes without saying, these perspectives can be vastly different depending on different societies and cultures. For example, in communist countries, the major use of media is for propaganda. The main goal is to instill values that align with the party that is currently in power. The media will not be as flexible to the audiences demand, not as much as democratic, capitalist countries like this one. This kind of media would fall into the Frankfurt School’s theory that media is used as a “kind of social control in keeping the masses ordered.” Media in predominantly western societies, however, will be tailored more to the audience, as success can not only influence their attitudes but it will also earn capital.

Ultimately, both perspectives work together and flow into each other. Both are key factors in characterizing the end product that is mass media. Although mass media is inherently given to the people, and people react to the media, the audience has a powerful influence in defining what the media will inevitably look like.

1f25 blog response 1: Media Impact on Others

For this assignment, I examined the blogs of Justin Young, Ronny Mondal, and Adam Tusim.  All three of these blogs insinuated that mass media is a significant part in their lives, however, the reasoning differs between all of the blogs including my own. They gave me an interesting insight into how much mass media influences my life in a variety of different ways.  

In my blog post, I mostly focused on how mass media can distort the representation of reality and inhibits us from getting an objective “truth”.  I didn’t really consider how it affects my perceptions of others, myself, and the world as a whole.  I knew it influenced my perceptions, but I didn’t really think that it did, at such a rudimentary level.  For example, I believe that all the clothes I wear is influenced by mass media one way or another.  This idea is effectively expressed in Justin young’s blog when he states, “…the fact remains the same; if the media emphasizes it, then it becomes the “proper” or “acceptable” way of life;  or at least, that’s what society believes. It isn't always obvious why we are who we are, but surely enough, the media has become a major contributor to the process”.  Because mass media defines the norm and society reinforces that norm, I will dress a certain way to pursue that norm or more simply “fit in” to what is deemed acceptable.

Justin’s blog focuses on the perception of “one’s self”, as Adam Tusim’s is concerned with how mass media influences perceptions of others. Adam writes, “The constant bombardment of negative imagery throughout the middle-east that mass media produces on a daily basis can sometimes give the public a negative perception when it comes to other certain individual backgrounds.”  I couldn't agree more with what Adam is saying.  It makes sense to me that our understanding of other groups, especially ones that we don’t encounter ourselves, will be significantly influenced by mass media’s representations of those groups.

Both these previous points have a negative approach to mass media, but Ronny Mondal’s blog explores mass media in a more positive light.  He says, “Without different forms of mass media telling me otherwise, I would have assumed that the entire world is, more or less, a safe place.” Despite his viewpoint being contrastingly more positive than mine, we are both saying that mass media gives us the information of the state of the world in which we live.  This can be a two edged sword, as mass media presents us with information, however, that information can be biased or subject to inaccuracies.

Although all these blogs describe an assortment of different opinions from different viewpoints, I think I've been able to find common ground amongst them. We all agree that mass media plays an important role in our lives, and that our perceptions, whether it be of ourselves, others, and the world are all gravely influenced by it.