Thinking About the Media

 

              I believe that media is very important in my life. This is because different forms of media provide us with entertainment and an infinite amount of information, and is a huge part of daily life for many people, (myself included.) I feel that media has a tremendous effect on today’s society, and the benefits of media definitely outweighs the negative effects.

              A few types of media that I feel are most important includes TV, music, and Internet. TV is one of the first few forms of media, but never gets old. The television may help provide shows for all ages and for all interests, and is, in my opinion, a very beneficial way to educate visual learners such as myself. Music is an amazing form of media because it is something that has existed for almost as long as humans have. Music is important to me because it can help me by impacting my feelings and emotions a certain way. Different types of music have been proven to impact people's brains and attitudes, and even behaviors. Lastly, Internet is an important part of media because it includes so many other media forms ex. TV, film, music, games, comics, and the list goes on. Internet helps entertain me, educate me, and just overall has such an amazing impact. Internet provides us with more information than a single person could come close to comprehending, and I think that is pretty extraordinary.

              I do not have a strong opinion on our modern popular culture. It has pros and cons, just like every other part of media. I understand that commercial products are often aimed at the tastes of general masses of people, and I think that's fine. The only 'con' would be the negative bias that these commercials may come with. I like that some of the new technology is helping us communicate in better ways, but I still think that in-person communication often works most effectively because gestures, facial expression, and tone play a huge part in communication, and I feel that the media cannot emote these factors the same way. I mostly use media for entertainment and to communicate through social networks, but I also use it for information because it is very helpful when I am researching for assignments.

 

Mean Girls Movie Clip!

              I feel that teenagers are definitely not portrayed honestly in the media. They commonly show girls as either really smart, or really dumb, or “blonde” as some would say. Boys are often shown to be either a nerd or some kind of a rebel, theirs usually no in-between in the movies. What I notice the most is that in the movies and TV shows with a teen audience, or even a child audience like Lizzie McGuire, there are always people who are divided in specific social groups based on their personalities. This is true and false. In mean girls, for example, the friendships and social norms are unrealistic. Besides the fact that they only wear their hair in a ponytail once a week and on Wednesdays they wear pink, they are only aloud to talk to a limited amount of people within their group of peers. These are unrealistic “rules” that most people don’t follow in real life. Of course we all have some preferences of how we dress and what is trending in fashion, and there are certain people we talk to more than others. A similarity, though, is that teen drama in the movies is very sneaky, just like in reality. Some teens lie, cheat, etcetera, and some are usually pretty chill and do their own thing. (At least, that’s what it seems like). However, everyone has different interests. Then there’s those movies like The Breakfast Club that only ever ALWAYS has a happy ending. In real life, the girl doesn’t always just get the boy she wants, and vice versa. And no matter what, some people will always be alone. Some people will always have enemies. Of course, this isn’t always a bad thing, but its real life. And in real life, at the end of the day, not everyone is going to be your best friend, and you don’t always get what you want.