In case you found my blog interesting, here are a few other interesting sites I found. Hopefully you'll find them just as thought-provoking as I did.
http://www.peerpapers.com/essays/Relationship-Between-Media-Society/148559.html?topic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_influence
http://www.helium.com/items/573945-the-effects-of-media-on-american-society
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/55283.php
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/violence_debates.cfm
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Power of the Spoken Word
In 1938, one of the biggest, scariest events ever happened to those listening to the radio. During that broadcast, it was believed by many that Martians were arriving on earth, killing everyone on sight. Mass panic ensued, and many thought that it would be their last few moments on earth. Chaos reigned over the area, everyone who had heard the terrifying words fleeing for their lives.
What they didn't realize was that the radio announcement was simply a reading from The War of the Worlds. Martians weren't really coming to earth: it was just a modified excerpt from a book.
I chose this article on the War of the Worlds broadcast panic because it shows how the spoken word can affect people. Those people genuinely believed that aliens had come to earth because of skillful manipulation. Through seemingly genuine reports and the reporter on the 'scene', the people broadcasting that announcement made it believable enough. Of course, the people in charge hadn't meant to cause such a scandal, but the fact is that it happened. The radio is still a powerful influence over people, and the same panic could happen again if those in control decided to do such a thing.
A Blow from Screen to Reality
I was walking to school on a typical Tuesday morning, walking along Marconi. Normally I wouldn't dare walk down that street alone, but it was quicker, and I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. I wasn't really thinking about much, but when I looked up, I saw a young boy. He didn't smile, but held up a gun and pulled the trigger.
It was a toy gun, but I'll never forget that split second where my heart stopped, and that moment where I thought I was going to die.
This is just one of the examples that child violence is growing. The fact that a boy thought it would be funny to pretend to shoot someone is frightening, especially to someone who witnessed it firsthand. No doubt that boy has seen something similar on a television show, and thought it would be funny to do in real life.
I chose this article because it gives evidence that media violence is affecting young children. The seemingly harmless acts shown in cartoons (the characters being shot or falling from enormous heights, then simply popping up again) aren't so harmless when someone actually gets hit by bullets. This needs to be nipped in the bud before it can escalate into more dramatic problems.
http://www.lionlamb.org/media_violence.htmTiny Print, Big Impact
The newspaper has been around for four hundred years. A typical newspaper today has the comics, the crossword, the sports/world/politics/today section. We read what's happening in the world around us, and we become immersed in the stories that are happening even as we speak. A newspaper can reveal the truth or cleverly make it so that a lie is shown as the truth.
The tiny print we look at every day tells us stories that are to the benefit of those in charge. If the person at the top of the paper wants a report to be written in a way that negatively affects a certain company, it will be done. The opposite can just as easily happen, but it all depends on those in charge.
I chose this blog because it gives some detail about how a newspaper affects society. It shows how much those stories in the paper can give the people reading it food for thought, but also how a newspaper can guide its readers into certain beliefs that may or may not be the actual truth. It may be a small blog, but it does show how much influence a few stories can make people want to act or protest loudly against whatever forces (government, for example) that really aren't at fault.
http://www.blurtit.com/q100713.html
The tiny print we look at every day tells us stories that are to the benefit of those in charge. If the person at the top of the paper wants a report to be written in a way that negatively affects a certain company, it will be done. The opposite can just as easily happen, but it all depends on those in charge.
I chose this blog because it gives some detail about how a newspaper affects society. It shows how much those stories in the paper can give the people reading it food for thought, but also how a newspaper can guide its readers into certain beliefs that may or may not be the actual truth. It may be a small blog, but it does show how much influence a few stories can make people want to act or protest loudly against whatever forces (government, for example) that really aren't at fault.
http://www.blurtit.com/q100713.html
Guns, Action, and Gameplay, Oh My!
With the demand for technology rising, it's no wonder that the desire for bigger, better games have risen. The younger generation wants graphics that seem as real as life itself, a plot that will amuse, and characters that are unique.
James Gee, author of What Video Games have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, has written an elaborate and interesting book on how the school system has failed and how video games are steadily becoming the main interest to younger people. He analyses the cognitive and behaviorist aspects of video games and how they are able to perform complex tasks in the games while, in real life, their basic reading, writing and problem solving are barely adequate.
I chose this article on Gee's book because it accurately portrays how the younger generations are rapidly becoming more 'plugged in', so to speak. Video games are their main interest, and the real world (schoolwork and going out with friends) is no longer a concern. This media-like world, where technology is beyond that of the real world and the imaginary places are more interesting, is rapidly becoming a reality. What with online games and online chats, it seems that humanity is slowly become addicted to machines, needing them instead of sunlight and companionship.
http://www.xplanazine.com/2004/10/what-video-games-have-to-tell-us-about-learning-and-literacy-a-brief-look
James Gee, author of What Video Games have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, has written an elaborate and interesting book on how the school system has failed and how video games are steadily becoming the main interest to younger people. He analyses the cognitive and behaviorist aspects of video games and how they are able to perform complex tasks in the games while, in real life, their basic reading, writing and problem solving are barely adequate.
I chose this article on Gee's book because it accurately portrays how the younger generations are rapidly becoming more 'plugged in', so to speak. Video games are their main interest, and the real world (schoolwork and going out with friends) is no longer a concern. This media-like world, where technology is beyond that of the real world and the imaginary places are more interesting, is rapidly becoming a reality. What with online games and online chats, it seems that humanity is slowly become addicted to machines, needing them instead of sunlight and companionship.
http://www.xplanazine.com/2004/10/what-video-games-have-to-tell-us-about-learning-and-literacy-a-brief-look
Real Beauty
Successful Minds, first started by Cynthia Heath, has been spreading its teachings of learning self-confidence and believing that you can do anything. Now comes a new message: I am not perfect...I am Real Beautiful.
Mrs. Heath says that this new campaign, with her selling heart-shaped rings, is to promote the idea that women who aren't airbrushed or worked on until their flaws are gone are the truly beautiful. First, though, you have to believe it. Real Beauty comes from within. We are all different and have unique talents. All of the things that make women special are 100 what makes them beautiful.
I chose this blog because it's the beginning of a time where women don't have to feel obligated to buy products they don't need just to feel pretty. Real Beautiful shows that the airbrushed images and the magazine pictures aren't real, and that you have to look at yourself, who you are as a person, and realize that you are beautiful, in more ways than just looks. The things you are good at, the things you love, are what makes you beautiful. The message is spreading, making a difference in many women's lives. No longer will we have to feel upset and fat because our waist's aren't as thin as a wasp's.
I am not perfect. I am Real Beautiful!
http://iamnotperfectiamrealbeautiful.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Heath says that this new campaign, with her selling heart-shaped rings, is to promote the idea that women who aren't airbrushed or worked on until their flaws are gone are the truly beautiful. First, though, you have to believe it. Real Beauty comes from within. We are all different and have unique talents. All of the things that make women special are 100 what makes them beautiful.
I chose this blog because it's the beginning of a time where women don't have to feel obligated to buy products they don't need just to feel pretty. Real Beautiful shows that the airbrushed images and the magazine pictures aren't real, and that you have to look at yourself, who you are as a person, and realize that you are beautiful, in more ways than just looks. The things you are good at, the things you love, are what makes you beautiful. The message is spreading, making a difference in many women's lives. No longer will we have to feel upset and fat because our waist's aren't as thin as a wasp's.
I am not perfect. I am Real Beautiful!
http://iamnotperfectiamrealbeautiful.blogspot.com/
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Lesson 1: Observe and Learn
The Social Learning Theory, according to Albert Bandura, is the idea that, through repetition and the environment surrounding them, people learn their behavioral patterns. Bandura claims that psychological factors and one's environment are mainly the influences for the way people act.
Basically, the way people act around you, you tend to pick it up and act the same way others do.
People are influenced by many different factors, whether it be family, friends, or, you guessed it, the media. Since television is viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, the likelihood of something affecting them in an emotional way is likely. When we watch a commercial that advertises a beauty product, girls want to get it for themselves. When boys see how muscular they can become through using a certain protein powder or some steroids, they clamor for it.
I chose this article because it reveals how the Social Learning Theory affects humans, and how the media is incorporating it to make sure that their influence, the constant repetition that 'this product will make you happy', makes people think that they need a certain thing, no matter how trivial it may be. This manipulation has been going on for quite some time, and will forever continue, because humans are made so that they observe and listen to whatever voices are telling them.
http://abea.asu.edu/v25/v25v22n2.pdf
Basically, the way people act around you, you tend to pick it up and act the same way others do.
People are influenced by many different factors, whether it be family, friends, or, you guessed it, the media. Since television is viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, the likelihood of something affecting them in an emotional way is likely. When we watch a commercial that advertises a beauty product, girls want to get it for themselves. When boys see how muscular they can become through using a certain protein powder or some steroids, they clamor for it.
I chose this article because it reveals how the Social Learning Theory affects humans, and how the media is incorporating it to make sure that their influence, the constant repetition that 'this product will make you happy', makes people think that they need a certain thing, no matter how trivial it may be. This manipulation has been going on for quite some time, and will forever continue, because humans are made so that they observe and listen to whatever voices are telling them.
http://abea.asu.edu/v25/v25v22n2.pdf
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