In this new age where the media constantly shoots out a deluge of knowledge, the society is becoming more specific in their choice of media though various methods of gatekeeping and agenda-setting. Gatekeeping and agenda-setting are theories of mass media that state the influence of the media on the society. In his article, “The New Global Media”, Robert McChesney states that rich media results in a poor democracy. I agree with McChesney because even in the saturated media age, we can no longer control the influences from media, in terms of the shows we watch, the music we listen to, and the news we follow.
Gatekeeping is a theory of mass media that states that the public has very little control as to which media items are released, and so the control ultimately rests in the hands of the media. Mass media is the main means of communication for the society. Some classifications of mass media are, televisions, radio, books and newspapers. Newspaper editors for example, have control over the stories they want to see published. This may cause a slight bias in the works published because the media will be interfering with people’s beliefs. This leads into the theory of agenda-setting, which states that the media doesn’t tell us what to think, but what to think about.
Trans-national corporations that dominate the American media such as Sony, News Corporation, and Disney are also spreading worldwide. For instance, countries like France and India, have adopted the American lifestyle. They broadcast American television shows on televisions manufactured by Sony, as well as promote American music, food, and fashion for teenagers, most of which is advertised through the Disney channel. Although the French and Indians watch American shows, they are limited to only a certain variety of shows. Perhaps their strong democratic governments are afraid of their inhabitants catching the “Hollywood juggernaut”? This is due to the gatekeeping nature of those countries. The government filters out any unsuitable content and discards it. Shows that promote sex, drugs, and violence are censored in these countries because they want to maintain their cultural values that otherwise could get deluded in this juggernaut. An example of this would be the News Corporation. For example, people in India are not allowed to listen to the news about Gay Marriage Rights and Abortion Laws happening in America because of the scandalous nature of those topics. However, news about Scientific Breakthroughs and Movie Premiers does reach the public. Due to their violent nature, television shows like “The Simpsons” and “Jerry Springer” are prohibited. Game shows such as “Deal or No Deal”, “Jeopardy”, and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, are allowed because they promote education and are family friendly. The popular television shows shown in India today are ones that are run by Disney. Shows like “That’s Ss Raven” and “Lizzie McGuire” showcase the typical American life in positive light, leaving the viewers to falsely believe that everyone in America lives the American Dream.
Another example of gatekeeping is the music we listen to. In a country that offers freedom to anyone and everyone who lives on its land, America has a wide variety of music to offer, some of which carries inappropriate language for its listeners. Parents, however, have the power to limit the types of music their children listen to. They can purchase the ‘clean’ versions of rap songs that are void of swearing. Parents can take the agenda-setting approach by influencing their children to divert to another style of music, such as classical because doesn’t feature swearing. They can use the fact that studies have proven that the “Mozart Effect”, which is listening to classical music, does make children smarter by boosting their intelligence.
In addition to influencing people thorough television and music, the news media can also influence people by altering their beliefs. When Hurricane Katrina hit, the news channels such as CNN and FOX, drew false parallels to the hurricane with global warming. There is no scientific fact that proves this point, but these assumptions are made by drawing conclusions. In recent events of the Presidential Elections, the media has voiced various viewpoints, favoring one candidate over the other. The public follows the media religiously and blindly accepts the views of the writer. This may cause the change in public’s opinion for the election outcome in Fall 2008.
Gatekeeping and agenda-setting both influence the public by altering their beliefs. Whether it is television, music or news, the government makes sure that people’s beliefs are manipulated. These examples illustrate McChesney’s statement because, with the vast media dominating today’s world, people can no longer express their thoughts freely or control what they view on television. Countries like France and India have a rich democracy because of their lack of choices of media. Instead, the media forces them to alter their thoughts, so the media can control the outcome of events. Until the media ceases their control over the public, people will continue to be persuaded.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
1. In what ways do weblogs represent “an unprecedented opportunity for individual expression on a worldwide scale”? BLOG#1
While the world is growing at an impressive rate, it is becoming smaller and smaller as new methods of communication are introduced. In her article, “Weblogs: A History and Perspective,” Rebecca Blood states that weblogs pave the path for future writers as they can openly express their thoughts and experiment with various types of writing styles. I agree with Blood because weblogs are like personal online journals where everyone is given the chance to express themselves freely, communicate online with people from different countries, and improve their writing skills.
The weblog is a communicative technology that has evolved mainly because of its tremendous socio-culturally driven base of followers. Extreme technological determinism has caused significant change by allowing the art and availability of weblogs to grow immensely over the decade. In 1998, there were only a few websites dedicated to weblogs, compared to the hundreds of sites available today. One reason for this immense growth in blog users was due to propagation. The first primary blog sites such as “Blogger” had the very basic layout of a weblog. It allowed the user to add links, and share opinions regarding someone else’s blog posts.
However, as more and more people became interested in weblogs, modifications on weblogs arose. This sudden spark in interest is an example of delayed adoption, which is the progress of a technological device from being a proof to a widespread concept. This concept follows the thirty-year rule developed by Paul Saffo. Normally, brand new technologies take thirty years to progress. The first ten years are filled with excitement and puzzlement of the new technology. The next ten years are a time of instability and diffusion, and the last ten years are a time of adjustment, in which a new technology transitions into a standard technology. The weblog, however, contradicts Saffo’s thirty-year rule because blogs have only been introduced for ten years, and yet people have adopted them with great ease. For example, in 1999, Pitas created the first free build-your-own-weblog, which expanded its network service to hundreds of people. In that same year, Pyra introduced the modern Blogger. Blogger allowed people to share their thoughts freely with others; it didn’t have any restrictions as to the form or the content being posted. It gave its users the freedom to add links to videos and pictures pertaining to their particular article of focus. It also gave many people privacy because they could disguise their identity while being involved in the virtual world of “blogging”.
Blogs have connected people from all over the world with common interests to each other. For example, a person in Belgium may share the same viewpoints on global warming as another person in Australia. They can share their opinions by posting comments on each other’s blogs. I, being a connoisseur of books was looking for an inexpensive copy of my favorite Harry Potter book written in French to add to my book collection. To get help in finding this book, I wrote a blog on the importance of having a book collection. To my amazement, people in France and Canada read my blog and responded with helpful websites and posted the addresses of the stores with the best-priced books. This feedback provided me with insight into the blog commentator’s interests. For example, my friend Zain, who lives in Canada, decided to do a project on the Ginkgo tree. He wrote a blog regarding his project and asked if someone could help him understand the medicinal properties of this ancient tree. I was a neophyte at blogging back then, but I explained him that the Ginkgo is prized for its antioxidants and aids in ageing, memory loss, and poor circulation. Ever since then, Zain and I have been great friends.
In addition to connecting people all over the world, posting blogs can likely result in the user’s improved writing skills. The user might be an international student attempting to learn English. Practicing writing and grammar skills overtime and receiving feedback will likely improve the user’s communication skills. Ultimately, the user might explore other types of writing styles such as poems, plays, and short stories. My Indian friend, Rahul told me that writing stories in English and posting them on his blog have significantly improved his grammar skills. He says that English teachers read his blog, offered him advice on using a variety of sentence structures, and suggested links to online practice exercises.
Weblogs are helpful for the emerging society because they are progressing through the technological age of free expression. Weblogs have improved many lives in terms of communication, gave the users more confidence in expressing their thoughts and introduced them to various cultures of the world. Who knows what the future of blogging holds? Perhaps people will be discovered as famous poets and authors from their blogs. Until then, it is a safe haven of free expression due to its free services and ease of accessibility that are available to everyone in the world.
The weblog is a communicative technology that has evolved mainly because of its tremendous socio-culturally driven base of followers. Extreme technological determinism has caused significant change by allowing the art and availability of weblogs to grow immensely over the decade. In 1998, there were only a few websites dedicated to weblogs, compared to the hundreds of sites available today. One reason for this immense growth in blog users was due to propagation. The first primary blog sites such as “Blogger” had the very basic layout of a weblog. It allowed the user to add links, and share opinions regarding someone else’s blog posts.
However, as more and more people became interested in weblogs, modifications on weblogs arose. This sudden spark in interest is an example of delayed adoption, which is the progress of a technological device from being a proof to a widespread concept. This concept follows the thirty-year rule developed by Paul Saffo. Normally, brand new technologies take thirty years to progress. The first ten years are filled with excitement and puzzlement of the new technology. The next ten years are a time of instability and diffusion, and the last ten years are a time of adjustment, in which a new technology transitions into a standard technology. The weblog, however, contradicts Saffo’s thirty-year rule because blogs have only been introduced for ten years, and yet people have adopted them with great ease. For example, in 1999, Pitas created the first free build-your-own-weblog, which expanded its network service to hundreds of people. In that same year, Pyra introduced the modern Blogger. Blogger allowed people to share their thoughts freely with others; it didn’t have any restrictions as to the form or the content being posted. It gave its users the freedom to add links to videos and pictures pertaining to their particular article of focus. It also gave many people privacy because they could disguise their identity while being involved in the virtual world of “blogging”.
Blogs have connected people from all over the world with common interests to each other. For example, a person in Belgium may share the same viewpoints on global warming as another person in Australia. They can share their opinions by posting comments on each other’s blogs. I, being a connoisseur of books was looking for an inexpensive copy of my favorite Harry Potter book written in French to add to my book collection. To get help in finding this book, I wrote a blog on the importance of having a book collection. To my amazement, people in France and Canada read my blog and responded with helpful websites and posted the addresses of the stores with the best-priced books. This feedback provided me with insight into the blog commentator’s interests. For example, my friend Zain, who lives in Canada, decided to do a project on the Ginkgo tree. He wrote a blog regarding his project and asked if someone could help him understand the medicinal properties of this ancient tree. I was a neophyte at blogging back then, but I explained him that the Ginkgo is prized for its antioxidants and aids in ageing, memory loss, and poor circulation. Ever since then, Zain and I have been great friends.
In addition to connecting people all over the world, posting blogs can likely result in the user’s improved writing skills. The user might be an international student attempting to learn English. Practicing writing and grammar skills overtime and receiving feedback will likely improve the user’s communication skills. Ultimately, the user might explore other types of writing styles such as poems, plays, and short stories. My Indian friend, Rahul told me that writing stories in English and posting them on his blog have significantly improved his grammar skills. He says that English teachers read his blog, offered him advice on using a variety of sentence structures, and suggested links to online practice exercises.
Weblogs are helpful for the emerging society because they are progressing through the technological age of free expression. Weblogs have improved many lives in terms of communication, gave the users more confidence in expressing their thoughts and introduced them to various cultures of the world. Who knows what the future of blogging holds? Perhaps people will be discovered as famous poets and authors from their blogs. Until then, it is a safe haven of free expression due to its free services and ease of accessibility that are available to everyone in the world.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Deluge of Information
In the overflow of information in the world today, knowledge is the key to success. The capacity to gain knowledge is finite thus the ability to filter and process information will become more important to thrive in the competitive world. In Cairncross’s prediction, “A Deluge of Information”, she believes that companies will have to develop new information technology devices that will sift information into manageable quantities for human utilization. Today the Internet “sifts” the keywords typed in by the user to search for relevant information. Companies such as Yahoo, Google and various other search engines are based on the idea of processing particular information. This prediction is seen valid today because the deluge of information is more organized, is easier to access and is easier to understand than when Cairncross wrote the article.
The Death of Distance
While the world is quite large geographically, it is becoming smaller and small as we progress through the electronic age. In the upcoming years, distance will no longer dictate the costs of business or communication. In Cairncross’s prediction, “The Death of Distance”, she states that the world’s work force will be divided amongst the “three time zones”: The Americas, East Asia/Australia and Europe. She hopes that this fusion of countries and cultures will improve work efficiency and lower costs for business and communication. This however may not be the case in the future since the World is divided into twenty-four different time zones. However, if developing countries in Africa and the Middle East are included in this scheme, it my benefit the status of their developing economy and impact the world significantly. If this hypothesis proves true, it may essentially introduce a new “fourth time zone.”
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