Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Everyday Mass Communication
Facebook has become an extension of our bodies and minds. Whenever we feel an emotion, we post it. Whenever we're doing something (or nothing), we post it. Facebook has been integrated into our everyday functions, lives put on display like show pieces. Twitter has taken this one step further. Tweeting is an obsession. Following a friend or celebrity has taken our obsession with ourselves and made it an obsession with others as well. The trends and phrases that come out of Facebook and Twitter, infect our lives at home, with our friends and parents, loved ones and coworkers. If a celebrity tweets an idea or a photo of a new look, within hours, that look has been copied and molded into millions of lives. These internet epidemic sites have changed the way Mass Communication operates. Now we can communicate to the entire world our ideas, feelings, beliefs, and actions in mere moments. At any given time there are millions of people invading each others lives. With creations like Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter, communication never stops. It can't.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day Seven
Our first test is fast approaching. Today in class we discussed what types of questions will be on our first exam. The exam seems quite fair and geared towards helping us have a better grasp of mass communication. In my group, we've divided up the responsibilies that our professor has given us. One person came up with the group name, another will do tweets and youtube video posts, myself and another person will do the outlines for chapters 6-10. The class is progressing nicely, coming together to give me a clearer hold on what media has become over the years and the only complaint I have for our professor is that he talks really fast so sometimes it can be frustrating.
Day Five
Today in class we discussed how technology may not necessarily be the end of written word because there always needs to be a tangible back-up. For instance, if the internet one day mysteriously crashed, anyone who worked solely online with no back-up would be out of luck and probably out of a job. Schools that would use online textbooks would be unable to teach their classes from the book if there was no internet. And in the same measure online classes would be wiped out. Media would need to still have newspaper porduction because they need to reach the public in as many ways as they can. Technology has done nothing but aid the industry by allowing publications to be more accessible which is necessary in this electronically dependent day and age. Though it seeks to take the place of former large producers such as newspapers, radio and magaizines, it will never completely wipe them out.
Miscommunication
In class today we planned out a skit that expressed the concept of miscommunication that can be involved in interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. Intrapersonal communication is usually where idea and thoughts begin. Most people don't start out speaking to large groups. In Intrapersonal communication you are speaking either with yourself or a very small group of about two or three. Next comes Interpersonal communication which takes the idea and conversations had within a small group, and spreads it throughout a much larger population.
The skit consisted of a few member of the class playing something similar to the childhood game "Telephone" which shows how ideas morph and change depending on who is presenting them. It demonstrated how sometimes in media we perceive things that are not actually true. Sometimes, through the use of music or other forms of "bedazzlement", we are purposely led astray by the media in an attempt at sensationalism. The media miscommunicates its information to us for a number of reasons. The main reason is money; The more viewers a station can get, the more money they produce in the end.
The skit consisted of a few member of the class playing something similar to the childhood game "Telephone" which shows how ideas morph and change depending on who is presenting them. It demonstrated how sometimes in media we perceive things that are not actually true. Sometimes, through the use of music or other forms of "bedazzlement", we are purposely led astray by the media in an attempt at sensationalism. The media miscommunicates its information to us for a number of reasons. The main reason is money; The more viewers a station can get, the more money they produce in the end.
Day Two
I learned that in mass communications, there are three important things to remember:
1. the mass media are profit centered businesses-- in other words, do not expect the media to have your best interest at heart.
2. technological developments change the way mass media are delivered and consumed-- for instance, the internet was not created back in colonial times so their form of media was either word of mouth or small, town-focused newspapers.
3. mass media both reflect and affect politics, society, and culture-- nowadays, Facebook and Twitter are leaders in influencing trends and social awareness.
Also, I learned that many of the television stations we watch are controlled by a small number of large corporations. This leads us to question who is really controlling what we watch and how much control is too much control? At what point will the government say enough is enough and reevaluate our monopoly laws? Our professor did a wonderful job explaining the situations to us, even taking a bit of time out to go on a small rant about it. The class was enlightening and gave me food for thought. Overall, I think the class is headed in a positive direction.
1. the mass media are profit centered businesses-- in other words, do not expect the media to have your best interest at heart.
2. technological developments change the way mass media are delivered and consumed-- for instance, the internet was not created back in colonial times so their form of media was either word of mouth or small, town-focused newspapers.
3. mass media both reflect and affect politics, society, and culture-- nowadays, Facebook and Twitter are leaders in influencing trends and social awareness.
Also, I learned that many of the television stations we watch are controlled by a small number of large corporations. This leads us to question who is really controlling what we watch and how much control is too much control? At what point will the government say enough is enough and reevaluate our monopoly laws? Our professor did a wonderful job explaining the situations to us, even taking a bit of time out to go on a small rant about it. The class was enlightening and gave me food for thought. Overall, I think the class is headed in a positive direction.
A Lesson in Edutainment and Convergence
This is my first blog and my first Mass Communications class. Our very first class shattered any preconceived notions I had about what I would learn in Mass Communications. My initial expectations were to read from the textbook and probably answer the questions at the end of each chapter; in other words, a boring class that I'd end up taking only for the credit. But to my surprise, the class is nothing like that at all. We focus on the ins and outs of mainstream communication and its influence in our everyday lives, which is why our professor has us doing our homework on Facebook-- a huge portion of our age group's communication ability. Now, my expectations have changed. I'd like to learn who is controlling what I read, watch, and hear as well as who is monopolizing the communication market. I want to be able to make intelligent decisions regarding my communication choices and what I choose to believe. Our professor is one of a kind because he executes our learning in a way that we can understand easily and apply to our lives as soon as we leave the classroom, and at times even before we leave the classroom. The class so far has been an eye-opening experience that I look forward to continuing.
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