Savvy, 4.12.09

In class we discussed the issues that journalists are facing in todays society. Every day our society is becoming more engulfed by technology. I do not think that most of us truly think about how much our lives revolve around technology. For example, a few weeks ago I could not find my cell phone for a few hours. I had no idea where I had left it. I felt as if a part of me was missing, I did not know what to do. It was not until I lost my cell phone that I began to realize how much my life revolves around it. My cell phone had become a staple in my life. It's like when you go to the supermarket and you grab the staples: bread, milk, eggs, etc. When I leave my house for class I grab my keys, wallet, cell phone, and computer. When I look around the classroom I can see the progression of technology. When I started attending Rollins three years ago it was more common to see someone with a notebook and pen taking notes. You had maybe two or three students with their labtops. Now, laptops have become dominant in the classroom. What I am trying to say is that technology runs our life. 

In order for journalists to be successful they must cover all of the bases. They have to be on television, have a webpage, facebook, twitter, and youtube. I think a perfect example of this was demonstrated by Dr.Casey in our Thursday class when he presented us with Anderson Cooper. When the result from the "google" search of Anderson Cooper appeared, he had all of these outlets. His face bombards our life and has become so recognizable that he doesn't even have to have his name on his webpage.  I think that it is hard f or journalist to try and keep up. What they are supposed to be doing is giving us news coverage, now it has become more self promotion. This ties into the examples in class of the journalist covering material such as "man uses cocaine to make a cast". Journalist are stemming away from the real news to have a shock value and try and interest and baffle the viewer. It is a hard cycle to break. We depend on technology and without it our society would not function properly, but yet at the same time we should not depend upon it too much .