Talking about our generation and how it is affected by the media and new technology was very interesting. Roger's comment that “the technology and aesthetic of speed”,in our culture is dictated by this notion that… faster is better, enforced the idea that we as a culture are always looking for the next best thing in technology. Media is constantly informing us of the fastest, easiest approach that will make our lives easier, so we “have” to have it. However it is nearly impossible to keep up with the latest technology at the rate our generation is moving. I could go to the store and buy the newest, latest, greatest phone and in a week see the next best version. I remember when I got my first phone it was, so "in;” it had a camera on it! Now… four years later they’re coming out with phones that can take pictures, videos, e-mails, etc… This just comes to show how fast technology is moving and all that you can do on a little device that was years ago was meant for one thing; sending and receiving phone calls. Who knows what they will have twenty years from now? Like Roger said, “I can guarantee you in twenty years they will have little mini cameras you can carry around with you in your pocket and people can see where you are and what you are doing at all times.”
This past week I decided that when I turned on the news I was going to keep track of all the terrible, dreadful, hazardous things that our society needed to be aware of in order to live a safe and healthy life. At the end of an hour I was shocked by the total count of eighteen. Eighteen different ways the media made our society fear health, robbery, death, security, finances etc.
Turning on the news has become a part of our daily live. But are these things what really need to be stressed? A bear seen in a women’s backyard? Or a women saved by her weave from a bullet shot? Is all of this stuff really necessary? Is the media saying that you have a higher chance of being shot and killed if you do not have a weave? Often the news makes things a lot more dramatic than it really needs to be. I find it hard to watch the news now and take everything seriously because of all the ridiculous things that are said only to alarm us.
Overall I think that class was very interesting and I have already learned so much. I look forward to the rest of this year and what is yet to come.
1 comment:
I'm glad that you have shown such enthusiasm in exploring these postmodern theorists. It's interesting to see that you found 18 scares on the news in one hour! That's a great way to connect what we are doing in the class to outside the class. Where do you think the balance lies between things that we should be somewhat cautious of and what the news uses to just plain scare their audience? Just something to think about.
Smiley Face :)
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