Media Chatter

Our world today is deep into the digitally based Information Age.  Though printed information through newspapers and magazines is certainly still utilized, there is no question that our world communicates primarily through the internet, text messaging, email and other forms of digital communication.  For the most part I believe that individuals, communities, and nations are and will continue to be affected postively through the techonology of information.

Let’s look at a specific example of how the digital Information Age has made a huge difference to individuals communities and even nations, that the printed word would not be able to do effectively.  Hurricane Gustav is barreling from Cuba up toward the Gulf Coast and is expected to hit early next week.  Because of our technology, we are able to track and warn individuals that might be in harm’s way of the devastating hurricane.  In years past you would only get one update a day through the newspaper, and you would not be able to know of any changes the storm’s path that may put you and your family in danger. 

For example , a new form of communication,Twitter, allows individuals to update friends and family on a regular basis on their whereabouts through text messaging the site. Family members can always know the circumstances of their loved one. The community leaders along the Gulf Coast can in constant contact with the storm trackers and weather stations in order to make plans to evacuate in time before the storm hits. The Mayors and Governors will constantly be checking the direction of the storm through sites such as, The Weather Channelthat make decisions that are best for their community.  As Gustav has made its way toward the United States, the countries in its path have used this same technology.

There are so many parts of life that digitally based technology enhances. Parents can communicate through email with students’ teachers, the workplace is more efficient by using email and computer programs that keeps everyone working toward the same goal, communities can inform its residence through websites of activities or agencies that a resident may need,  citizens can have up to the minute information on local and national government and political life, and our government can monitor and help prevent terriorism.    These are all positive effects of moving from print to digital information.  There are certainly harmful consequences that can come from this new instant technology.  Some of these are that children can be victims of internet predators, identities can be stolen, and addictions can become stronger.  These harmful effects need to be monitored and we must constantly look for ways to protect ourselves.  Yet all in all, I feel strongly that we will continue to benefit from the technology of the Information Age that we live in.

My first response to this question was “No.  Online and virtual communities are just that—virtual.  Not real-life.  Virtual communities are things that are created to give people an escape from their real lives and flee to an alternate one.”  Yet the more I ponder this question, the more I think that virtual and online communities are not as fake and useless as my instincts told me. 

When people hear the term “Online Community”, they likely think of Myspace and Facebook—the worlds leading online social networking communities.  With both parties easily boasting millions of users, they are quickly becoming the best way to make, communicate with, and keep tabs on friends and family. 

To discuss if these networks and communities are to be considered “real” or “genuine”, we must first establish what a community is.  My personal definition of a community would be something along the lines of: “A group of individuals with common ties, interests, goals, or beliefs.”  Supposing that this is an accurate definition, we can immediately classify virtual communities as true communities. 

Perhaps I am leaving out one important factor.  The human factor.  Yes, people are controlling these virtual communities, but is the personal human-to-human contact necessary?  Does a community really need the added touch of a personal conversation, a lunch date, a shared cup of coffee, or a hot date on a Friday night?  I would say that, yes, a true community does need this physical, human touch to be an effective, working community. 

However, I believe that these online and virtual communities can, if used properly, add to physical communities.  Not long ago, I was talking with a friend and remembered that I needed some information about an upcoming event on campus.  I looked around for a piece of paper and pen to quickly scribble my email address so she could send me the required information.  After seeing that I couldn’t find any paper, she quickly said, “I’ll just Facebook you the info!”  This is an example of how online communities can work alongside an already established community. 

If they are used correctly and not abused, virtual communities can be a great help and time saver to existing communities.  If not, we may become too dependent on them and our physical community may deteriorate and even become nonexistent.  

It seems that children and teens are under more pressure than ever before to be “cool.”  I remember trying to fit in at that age too, but I did not have the opportunity to check my peer’s Top 8 in order to make sure I still fit into that category.  The internet has made it far too easy for children to be conscious of things going on around them with out having the actual experience.

We are now capable of becoming “friends” with essentially anyone on the face of the planet using one of a couple of increasingly popular social networking sites.  You can tap into most parts of their lives–what they look like, where they live, who their friends are, what school they attend, their favorite hang-outs…you get the point.  It would be very redundant for me to express the risks of children encountering online predators, so I’ll just skip past that and say that, at best, it may still be leading to less life experiences and more time on the internet trying to stay up-to-date on the latest trends.

As if the social networking sites alone can not effect the life of a young person, other consequences are unavoidable.  It has encouraged an addiction (in some cases, I’d go as far as to call it an obsession) with the internet.  Children now look to the internet for homework shortcuts and cheating themselves out of an education.  They’re becoming familiar with the convenience and the freedom offered by the net, and they are gaining access to information (and pictures, and videos…) that children should not have access to. 

To ignore the problem by removing the internet from a child’s life would be foolish.  The internet is unavoidable.  Instead, parents should be taking the same precautions most schools already do.  Make sure inappropriate content is blocked, and, of course, keep the children educated on the dangers.  The internet is the best and worst thing to ever happen to this generation.  It can either help us obtain information more quickly or give us access to things we never should see.  We need to teach children to use it wisely.

Twelve students and a teacher were killed, twenty three others wounded at Columbine High School.

Three people killed, two of them police officers in Alabama.

Taxi cab driver killed in Thailand.

Four students killed and twenty-three wounded at Thurston High School in Oregon.

Four students and one teacher dead, nine students and one teacher wounded at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The list could go on, but I think the point has been made. In these statements are links to articles that mention video games along with the murders. Some may be connected and some may not, but did these games have some influence? All of these murders were committed by people ranging from age eleven to age nineteen. There is no mention of a forty-five year old man or a thirty-eight year old woman playing Grand Theft Auto and going on a murderous rampage. All of these people mentioned were still learning the ways of the world and how to interact with society. What is it about younger people that makes them more susceptible to the influence of music, movies and video games? Are these forms of media completely at fault or is there more to the problem? According to the American Psychological Association video games have a substantial affect on the way children behave. In fact several states such as California, Michigan and Louisiana have tried to pass laws banning the sale of violent video games to minors only to have the Entertainment Software Association sue and have the law blocked. So far only New York has had success with passing a video game law. The ESA wants to say the government is violating the First Amendment rights of children as an excuse to block these laws. I don’t see anyone standing in a courtroom battling it out for my thirteen year old son’s right to buy a Playboy, rent porn, or watch a rated “R” movie. Of course not, because there isn’t enough money to be made by allowing kids access to these items. Game sales on the other hand are on track to reach fifty-seven billion in revenue for 2009. Now why would a business want to lose its largest customer base because of a little violence or nudity?

I’ve probably logged more hours on video games than most people in my class combined. I’ve been around since before there were video games. I’ve bounced a little white dot back and fourth across the screen, played a little yellow circle with a mouth chumping dots through a maze while running from ghosts, grabbed my plumbing gear and fought a giant turtle to save the princess, and strapped a pulse rifle to my green armor to fight off a horde of aliens trying to destroy the human race. I’m a video gamer, have been for thirty years. I know video games and I know violent video games. I enjoy playing most of these games and don’t want to see them removed from circulation, but I would like it to be harder for children to have access to them. I believe violent video games should be banned from minors being able to purchase them without their parents. Maybe if children had to bring in their parents to buy these games, maybe some of those parents would start paying a little more attention to what their children are playing. I don’t believe that video games are the only reason children go on a crazy killing spree. I’m sure there are many reasons that children become that far gone. If we made it harder for just one child to get these games or helped one parent make an informed decision about these games, wouldn’t it be worth it? What if that was the child who was going to walk into your childs school one day and open fire?

You can voice your opinions or your concerns towards this matter to the Entertainment Software Association or to your elected officials.

Over the past few years a trend in media has arisen that is the next waive of control for the media. This movement is the baby and young child entertainment industry. Shows like Baby Einstein and Leapfrog go beyond just Saturday morning cartoons into programing that has become the babysitter for the infants of our nation. Children are being raised by the TV, practically hypnotized from birth with a love of the shinny screen. Baby Einstein has now grossed millions in revenues as our children have become addicted to the TV set. This has only further increased their dependence on TV as they grow older hence furthering the revenue of the media. 

Although various organization have tried to stop the production of programs aimed at very young children it is virtually impossible to restrict only this one audience. In recent years they have tried to dissipate the misconception that these movies make babies smarter but parents continue to use them thinking that they are making the right choice for their children. In the end only the consumer can stop the early corruption of our children.

The Internet has become a place for children to play games and interact with one another, and it is not good or safe for the children.  Children with Internet access flock to the computers during the day instead of playing outside, spending time with friends, playing with cowboys and Indians, or even playing with Barbies.  The internet keeps children from having to communicate and interact socially with other children. 

I think that the motive for giving children cites like www.buildabear.com and www.toondisney.com are good, but what the internet also exposes to children is not good.  When parents allow their children to go online to play games, and see pop – ups like everyone else sees, the Internet is all of a sudden not such a good place for children.

I don’t think that the internet should be put out of circulation by any means, because it has become such a dominant source for communication.  However, I think websites strictly for children should be removed, as it opens up many doors to children they should not enter.  It would be like letting a child go on a playground for the slide, but telling them not to get on the swings. 

I would go about taking the cites out of circulation by first publicizing to parents and showing them how easy it is for children to get caught up in the not so nice internet.  After I had an organization with people who had the same beliefs as me, I would campaign to take children targeted cites off the internet.  After enlarging the group of people who wanted to ban children cites, I would go to the owners of the cites and make my case with them.

Technological growth is at its highest rate ever. You can now use just about any form of technology to gather information about practically anything. The main source for gathering information is the cell phone. A whopping 82.4 percent of Americans are subscribers to some sort of cell phone plan according to http://www.switched.com. Ever since the internet has become available for use amongst cell phones it has been the main source of news, sports, media, and cultural activity. Than when apple introduced the iPhone the world as we know it turned upside down http://www.apple.com/iphone/. All of a sudden the internet, television, and music (the three things which our society seems to care about the most) all came in one combo package which sold at a base price of a miniscule 500 dollars or so. That’s not too much at all for our pricey way of living. No longer do we as Americans have to sit at the television and wait for the news to come on, it’s all at our fingertips.

This seems problematic if you think about it, because now we have all the latest information in the palm of our hands. Which makes me wonder why do we even need newspaper and television reporters to tell us what’s going on in the world today. We get information faster than reporters do in some instances. With this being said the status quos of old are dramatically changing faster than ever.

Chris Schofield

Most video games are about violence, whether it’s stealing cars, killing people, or even just racing people off of the road! These video games have a bad effect on the adolescent mind. It is teaching our children at young ages to be violent without them even realizing what they’re doing. I’m not saying they’ll all run off and try to steal cars, but it puts a sense of anger in them. One way I would try to condemn the use of video games with my children is to not let them play any violent games until they are older. Maybe about sixteen or seventeen years of age. I would have them play games that promote other things besides violence and stealing. I once saw a psychology experiment in a class about what effect these video games had on young kids. Kids that played violent, killing games turned out to be more angry and bitter than those who played happier games like “Spiro the Dragon”.

No, I do not think that violent video games should be taken out of our society completely, but there should be some rules. Children under the age of sixteen should not be allowed to purchase those kind of games without parental consent. People mature enough should be able to purchase them because it wont have a real effect on them once they know what is real and what isn’t. Our school systems should be the one warning our children about the effect those kind of games can have on someone’s mind, and then maybe one day it wont be happening so much.

Myspace and Facebook are definitely the most popular choice for virtual communities among todays society. Almost everyone has them. I myself have one of each. When faced with the question of whether or not they are “genuine”, I must say to a certain degree both yes and no. I believe that there are only two ways they can be this way.

The first way is the best way, and to a certain extent, the only way to know if people are being real and honest That is if one user personally knows another. If you are on the web talking to people you personally have never met, there is no way to truly know if they are being honest with you or not. That is why I am tempted to say this is the “only” way to know for sure. Otherwise you are just going on a hunch and a few sentences in an “About Me” section on a web page.

The only other way that these things can be personal and genuine all rests on who the user is. If the user is genuine, then it is genuine, but if the user is not, then it can’t be. For users, they are only able to get out of the communities what other people put into them. An example of how they truly can be genuine and work like they were created to do, is a friend of my families. His wife passed away from cancer a few years back. Later on he wanted to start dating again and he heard about eHarmony. He proceeded to create an account and not but a year later he had met his second love.

These things have all the potential in the world to work. It just depends on how much the user is willing to put in to it, that he or she will get out of it. And although it is possible for one to never meet and it still be genuine, I personally do not trust it for a second. The world we live in is sick and perverse with online predators everywhere we turn. We are coming up with new ways to protect ourselves everyday, coming out with new communities, but the truth is, as we gain the knowledge to make these online communities a little safer, predators are gaining the knowledge to break through the barriers. Never place complete trust on these things. Constantly be watching your back, always keep your guard up, and never let it down.

MTV is a popular TV station that informs people on daily life of music, celebrities, and popular culture. They keep viewers updated on the latest drama with celebrities and movies. Most of the shows present values and morals that MTV thinks are suitable for their viewers. Not only do they broadcast on TV they also have a website that allows twenty-four hour access to latest news MTV Online. MTV has a way of creating a desire to have the wrong morals. The show Real World has cast members that spend a few months together. The cast parties all the time have random hookups with each other and fellow cast members. The morals presented in this show harms a traditional culture because it shows young teens that the lifestyle is normal to participate in. It desensitizes the viewers to accept the things that they see in the show. Also this show can be aired during the day as reruns and allows for younger viewers to watch the show. The overall vibe that MTV portrays is that teens can do anything they want. This harms the traditional family because parents are trying to teach their children good values and morals. Therefore MTV can be a way of keeping up with popular culture but the truth behind the matter is that it is harming the morals of young teens.

MTV allows seven strangers with different backgrounds the chance of a life time to appear on the hit reality show, The Real World.  Producers often pick roommates with conflicting personalities to fuel the fire hoping to create catastrophic drama, which viewers crave.  Some seasons contain an international roommate, who arrives following strict cultural morals; but week after week seeing roomies living the continuous wild party lifestyle, like going to clubs, binge drinking, and possible substance abuse.  Peer pressure initially takes its toxic toll and a new harmful way of living is created.  

Many cases of the media hurting traditional cultures have been recorded, and not just by MTV; take VH1’s show, Best Week Ever.  The show replays breaking news, which broke out in just one week, (celebrity gossip, scandals, and controversies) then comedians pop in to explain the situation, then starts to criticize and make fun.  Observers who watch this show find this entertaining, but the truth of circumstances is these comical reporters might not even understand the full story, bending and twisting to make the show eye catching. 

Tom Cruise, for example, has openly stated he believes in Scientology. “WHAT IS SCIENTOLOGY?.” Foreword. 2008. Church of Scientology International . 26 Aug 2008 <http://www.whatisscientology.org>. “Scientology is about the individual man or woman. Its goal is to bring an individual to a sufficient understanding of himself and his life and free him to improve conditions in the way that he sees fit.”  As Americans we are given the freedom to express ourselves however we choose; but often life in the media use others beliefs’ as a story for publicity.  Media knows it will draw attention to viewers across the globe.  Once stories hit worldwide, audiences start to judge based on mislead and misunderstood cultural practices.  This can lead to families disgraced and embarrassed for a lifetime.                 

         According to “Media and Culture”, it is explained that mass media are “the cultural industries-the channels of communication- that produce and distribute songs, novels, newspapers, movies, internet services, and other cultural products to large numbers of people.” Although media products can be quite a good thing, it is just as well a growing problems that is affecting children in a way of harming them both physically and mentally.

         An example that comes to mind of a media product that is “brainwashing” childrens minds are video games. Yes, some video games can be very educational, but there are those out there that are very toxic to minds of youth. Stated in the online article “Video Games and Children” there has been an increase in the violent acts by children in which the media and video games have been identified as the cause. Video games such as Grand Theft Autoexpose children to explicit dangerous material. “Children and Video Games: Playing with Violence”, another online article, says that “most of the popular games emphasize negative themes and promote things such as the killing of people or animals, the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, criminal behavior, disrespect for authority and the law, sexual exploitation and violence toward women, racial, sexual, and gender stereotypes, and foul language, obscenities, and obscene gestures.” These video games are making the adolescents think that this violence and explicit material is ok to pursue in the ‘real world.’ The video games are influecing the kids and some are actually acting on these ideas of the explicit material shown in these harmful games.

       To make concerns of these harmful video games, one might want to join a group to help promote kids not to be able to play these video games. The product should not be removed from circulation, but adults should do more to make sure that their kids are not being able to play these games.  The kids should be playing more educational games instead of focusing on the ones with explicit content that will influence harmful acts and mentally hurt them. My advice, get children involved in other actitivities that will help them physically and emotionally.

Have you ever got something new or maybe learned a new way of doing things?  Well a lot of times the new way or new thing is better, but there are certain things where there is no way, like the old way.  Over the last few decades the technology in communication has went places we could never have imagined.  Cell phones used to come in bags, now some barely weight a few ounces. They have the capabilities to text message, send pictures, and log onto the internet.  E-mail and the internet has basically changed the way many people live their lives, because of how easy it is to actually communicate with people, without having to go anywhere or meet anyone, and being able to do it at anytime.  Other recent things that have come along are being able to see and communicate with people from all over the world via satellite, blogs, and people networking, such as Facebook and MySpace. 

Some of the things that I mention, such as cell phones, although they have their positives, have changed lives for the bad in some ways.  I believe that some people have lost the significance of what it really feels like to actually look someone in the eyes while having just a simple conversation with them.  Those are the ways you really get to know someone, when you can see how they react to certain things in the conversation.  When you are texting back and forth, you really can’t get a feel for the person.  Networking is a great way for people to meet new people and to learn things about them.  You can really develop good relationships by networking with people, but it comes with certain dangers.  When you are putting information about yourself on the internet, then you taking a chance of who actually sees what you have put out there.    Technology is basically its own beast, because what makes it great also makes it a liability.

William Ferguson

Are you teaching your kids your traditional beliefs? The ones passed down from generation to generation? The media is eating your children and you probably are not aware of it. Is your native culture abrasive to Western influences? Well, you are probably not reading this. Otherwise, the media is the ever-growing force that is enveloping the youth of society and the solution is not evident.

Telling your kids not to listen to that rap music? They are. Prohibiting them from setting up Myspace accounts? They are probably doing that too. Why? They are because everyone else is. The force of peer pressure is almost insurmountable among the youth. Oh, but they get help in this area. The media reinforces this behavior with the popular television shows that are out there. One of note airs on ABC Family called the “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” This eye-opening new series shows Hollywood’s view of reality in the homes of American teenagers. Vices abound in this show that would shock and awe people of traditional and native nature. Another show that follows this model is on the CW in Gossip Girl. The lifestyles of the rich and famous promoted in this television program would cause even non-traditionalists to blush a bit. The media is a self-serving entity. It does not care if traditional beliefs are eaten up on the way to more cash being put in the pockets and the empire expanding. Everywhere an American teenager goes there is the strong media force to send them towards mainstream activity. If a person comes from a traditional or native background, they are ostracized by the sheer mass of media that preaches being independent from their upbringing to conform to the media’s beliefs. This is harmful not only to families, but to the American way. Being founded on the freedom of the individual, America should be a bastion of openness to people’s beliefs and not a country that points out those different from the norm.

As I started off addressing parents, I will close with them. Your children are probably not following your direction in every media related prohibition, but it is important to start a dialogue. Not being a hostile one, but understanding that the pressure to conform is an unfortunate reality. Try to explain as best that you can why your beliefs contradict the aspects of media/culture that are offensive to you. This is a complex problem in our society that with enough attention can be reversed.

Brandon Rink

Over time the tool of Mass Media has taken a tremendous growth. To think that there was only a limited amount of resources for communicating important information. Now looking at all of the different ways in which people are able to obtain information is amazing! Without these resources I believe our society would struggle to function.

 In early culture the main way for information to reach an audience was primarily by word of mouth. ( Media and Culture )  Can you imagine news such as the results for a presidential election taking weeks to get around. That would be due to lack of media resources such as Fox News, Drudge Report, Rush Limbaugh, etc..  Thankfully the resources that are available to the public, help our society function in a more efficient matter.

 However with the modernization of mass media , come with some irritating flaws. Its one thing when someone expresses their opinions (politics and such ) by word of mouth, as it was done so in earlier societies. On the other hand when an important figure or institution such as today’s media tries to influence us with their ideas instead of facts, that is where start to run into biased media. With this type of media true facts and information can never really be given without a twist.

The mass media is a wonderful tool that helps modern society function. As for the flaws that are accompanied with this tool, that is where people wil have to learn to discern between right and wrong.

-Robert Stubblefield

   In my elementary years, I can remember popular groups such as The Backstreet Boys, Nsync, 98 Degrees, and performers such as Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson and so forth, being so popular and everyone wanting to be like them. These celebrities made huge impacts in young kids lives, including mine, by the way they dressed and  the music that young people would find themselves listening to. I can remember growing up and every young female singing the lyrics to Britney Spear’s hit song “Hit me baby one more time.” During the 90’s and early 2000’s girls found themselves even dressing like Britney Spears. I can remember how the school girl outfits where so popular that she wore in “Hit me baby one more time” video.

     These celebrities were popular and so was their music. During this time this bubble gum pop music is what you would’ve called being “hip” or “off the chain.” But as time passed the songs of Britney weren’t so popular anymore. It’s like she became a fad and as time progressed you didn’t hear her music as much anymore, it was like I became to old to listen to Britney records. As I got older and reached a higher level of education my music interest began to change. I started to become more interested in older R&B music such as Betty Wright and etc.

    I think that the reason why my taste in music began to change as I grew older was because I became more mature and artist like Britney Spears in my opinion are for the younger crowd. Growing up and getting older makes you appreicate life better, and sometimes that means changing the way you live your life or even sometime the music you listen to. When you become an adult Britney Spears and the rest of her Mickey Mouse Club friends ,just don’t fit into your life style. Being an adult you want to hear music that’s got a meaning to it.

  I don’t believe that the music interest I had back in elementary has impacted my life nor has it played a role in shaping my identity. I think what makes a person find their self is by being their self, and that’s what has shaped my identity, because I’m comfortable being the person I’m.

amcgrier

When I was younger and Britney Spears first came out I was actually a fan of her, which is kinda weird to say these days. I think I was a fan of her just because she was a new artist and no one really knew much about her. The songs that I really liked by here were her biggest hits “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and “Opps I Did It Again” the songs that were always on the radio. But over time as the media began to get very detailed into Britney’s life. Showing and telling everything about her I just stopped liking everything about her. It was mostly because I was getting older and I just didn’t really care about how she was screwing up her life. And I had other things I could be doing with my life than to listen to her music that didn’t even say anything in the song. The media, as ya’ll all know, was telling about her personal life; her kids, her family, and the boys in her life. But overall I definitely do not think that listening to or not listening to Britney Spears had an impact on my identity at all. Because I didn’t learn or gain anything from her music it was just popular at the time and I like it because it was the only thing that was pretty much on the radio.

Whether we were flipping through the stations on the radio on our way to work or we have the latest songs on our ipod playlists we have all heard some form of hip-hop. An expression of art that was based out of the Bronx in its start; It is a vital ingredient that has been the base for shaping today’s culture. But looking at the progression of hip hop we have to ask ourselves is it still a form of art or is it something that started as creativity and turned to crap?

Looking at certain topics that frequently inject themselves into the billboard charts we can ascertain a closer look at the world of hip-hop. Let’s start with women. It seems that every new rap song has a reference to women in it; whether it’s rappers wanting to “make love in this club” (Usher) or wanting to have a “sexual eruption” (Snoop Dogg) it always portrays women in a either demeaning or sexual manner. Another hot topic that frequently occurs is money. It would seem, judging by the lyrics, that all the “artists” really care about is money. “I got money in the bank shawty what you drank” (lil’ scrappy)….this just describes how much this “art” has changed.

It seems that over the years that the idea of hip-hop has evolved from art to what seems to be a status symbol. It’s not about connecting with the listeners anymore but about who can sell the most albums and get the hottest cars. We can only sit back and watch it evolve and hope for the best that someone will see the problem and actually produce some real art!

In today’s society, millions of people use the internet for research, news and now communication with others. The largest form of online communication comes in the form of MySpace. It has become a world-wide phenomenon for communication unlike any other form in history. Since its creation in 2002 by Chris DeWolfe, myspace has over 100 million accounts which are larger than any online group available.

Although with its unprecedented perks, there are major drawbacks; children have become accustom to this website and many lie about their age to start an account and use myspace as a bridge to communicate with people in which they don’t know their age or have not met personally. Although myspace has become a bridge for many members such as bands seeking fans and record labels, or others who truly use the site to meet people for pure friendships, it has also become a medium for unnecessary deaths outside of parents’ control that are uninformed about their child’s account.

Devastating cases have occurred such as Megan Meier who committed suicide on October 17, 2006 because a mother of a friend of Megan’s pretended to be a 16 year old boy who bullied her on myspace to the point of suicide. Other instances have occurred as well such as parties being posted on accounts and then later crashed by unexpected guests, young girls meeting guys that were to be of their age but weren’t, and finally the finding of registered sex offenders as members of myspace. Even though the head of myspace has done a lot to prevent these previous cases, it’s still undeniable that parents should not allow their children to create an account on myspace, despite their child’s persistent nagging or pleading, the parents of children today should do all they can to not allow their son or daughter to own a myspace account.

Music has always been a part of everyday life. Almost from birth, music surrounds us in some form, allowing us to find freedom in it, a way of expression. Music makes us feel good, especially the music that is popular at the present time. We enjoy listening to the rhythms and combination of rhymes and beats. As adults, we learn what many songs mean, and are not as easily as persuaded by hearing a lyric as a child. Yet companies like Razor and Tie Direct seem to push very questionably songs to children by way of Kidz Bop, a series of cd’s where children are recorded singing pop-culture songs. The public has not been impressed, with reporters, critics, and bloggers laughing at the track listings. One imparticular, from Stereogum.com, writes:

That first track sounds suspiciously like the Rubinoos. And curiously, they replace “motherf***ing princess” with “hey hey princess.” But no need to replace “Funny thing about that is / I was ready to give you my name” on “What Goes Around…” ’cause minimum age requirements for marriage is so last century, grandpa. Too bad there isnt’ more indie (remember Franz? MMouse?), but awesome to see the double love for stand-up Senegalese role-model Akon; sing along, children! But don’t try to sing along to Luda’s “take yo’ broke a** home” lyric in “Glamorous”; that whole verse went the way of the motherf***ing princess. Listen at kidzbop.com. Do it for the little ones. [reprinted from Stereogum.com, edited for content]

The latest of these cd’s, Kidz Bop 14, features songs such as:
-Bleeding Love, by Leona Lewis
-Sorry by Buckcherry
- Clumsy by Fergie
-4 Minutes by Madonna

These songs are much cleaner and socially acceptable than previous albums, which include “party” songs like Party Like A Rockstar by Shop Boyz, and references to sex, drugs, and death in Nelly’s, Dilemma. Other songs like, Float On by Modest Mouse, incorporate a general apathy toward responsibility.

Children who listen to this album will not be thinking about what the songs actually mean, nor will they know that some of the material not normal in modern culture, such as the scenario created in Hinder’s, Lips of An Angel, which is featured on Kidz Bop 11. As adults, we know that even though such behavior exists, it is neither appropriate to engage in it, nor healthy in many cases.

This product, however, should not be banned; however those in charge of picking the track list should be very careful what songs are chosen. There should be a “transition period” from Elmo to pop music, but a transition cannot be a transition if the only thing changed about the music is the people singing. Change the words to a positive message, it will make a difference in how the children view the world.

A time in my life I remember vividly was around the year 2000.  America was ringing in a new millennium and wiping their brows in relief that Y2K did not force computer systems crash or cause airplanes to fall from the sky. 

As with a new thousand years, the music scene prepared for the challenge of pleasing a new generation of listeners—myself, a 13 year old 7^th grader being one of them.  I recall intentionally listening to the local popular music radio station for the latest and greatest tunes that defined my generation.  I feared that if I failed to miss the days “Top Ten List” or “New Music Today” I would not be able to rave about it with my schoolyard friends the following day.  In a sense, the music dictated what I viewed as “cool” and newsworthy. 

Such music included the “talents” of pop bands (most of which I am too ashamed to admit).  Individual performers such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, EMINEM, and countless others flooded the radio waves and clogged our young ears with songs about life, love, and learning how to not let adults tell us what to do.  My innocent, unmolded mind had no choice but to believe and hang on every radio transmitted word. 

I am close beginning my twenty-second year of life and I feel that my musical tastes have changed drastically.  Instead of tuning into MTV or turning the dial for my music fix, I now peruse independent radio stations and block MTV from my television channel list.  I prefer to listen to music that isn’t going to tell me that sex, money, and violence are important attributes of life.  My iPod and CD player are now filled with the styles of artists most of America has never heard of.  I think that poetic acoustic strains takes more talent than lip-syncing to a synthesized electronic beat.  If one were to browse my iTunes library, they would find such artists as Tom Conlon, Waterdeep, Derek Webb, Nickel Creek, Weezer, Radiohead, and The Beatles.  If the same were to push the radio presets in my car, they would hear NPR (I am perhaps the only 20 year old who finds Car Talk hilarious), WNCW, and other independent music stations playing. 

I believe that my tastes have changed because my changing influences since the year 2000.  The friends I have had, the knowledge I have gained, and the personalities I have adopted have all contributed to my rise in music tastes.   Since becoming a student at Anderson University, I have discovered more new music through friends than I ever have on my own.  I suppose that because of this fact, friends have had the most influence on my musical tastes.

The good news is that my friends and I all came from similar backgrounds.  We all faithfully watched the music countdowns and listened to the radio stations in the car and loyally discussed each new artist and song—and still do this.  Because of this, my musical identity is constantly shaped and reshaped as I experience more of my life and learn new truths and life-lessons.  My previous taste in music gives me building block, something of a jumping point, on which I build and expound upon.  

            Of all the popular media products for children, the Disney Channel is one of the most widely accepted.  Parents believe it is innocent and safe.  It’s not. 

Increasingly, the Disney Channel is infusing its shows with a wanton dose of teen romance.  Not only is the subject matter too mature for the average Disney viewer, kids are being presented with a flippant few of life and love.  From High School Musical to Hannah Montana, small children are being taught that all they have to look forward to in their teen years is endless dating, fights, breakups, and more dating. 

Children, the target audience of the Disney Channel, are bombarded with romantic images and themes.  A teenaged blogger at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080725122407AA0P7Xf states that the Disney Channel is “ruining kids” with shows that “should be rated PG, maybe PG-13.”  A 2005 study revealed that in three weeks of kid’s television there were “275 instances of sexual content for an average of 0.62 instances per hour” http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/childrensstudy/main.asp

In a culture already floundering in sexual perversity, is this something to which we should expose our children?

In addition to the content of the shows themselves, the conduct of their teen actors leaves much to be desired.  Vanessa Anne Hudgens, of High School Musical fame, posed nude in a photo last year.  Recently, racy pictures of Miley Cyrus – Hannah Montana – have also circulated the internet.  Zac Efron, also a High School Musical star, landed a somewhat provocative picture on the front of the RollingStone.  These are three of the most adored and imitated celebrities among kids and preteens.

They are not the role models our children need.  They are destructive idols.

Obviously, the Disney Channel cannot be banned from television.  It is not the government’s job to sensor everything that is available to children.  It is the parent’s job to know what their children are watching and what their children are mature enough to view.  They need to be aware that some of the entertainment that the Disney Channel presents is not suitable for their children.  It’s not innocent. 

Everyone use to like a famous band or singer that was popular with everyone when we were young. You would want to be like the “cool” people and listen to whatever was popular during the time. I remember back in about the sixth grade I use to listen to rap because rap was just coming into style and everyone thought they were cool to listen to it. 

One of my favorite rappers was Jay Z, a thuggish, african american rapper who everyone listened to. I didn’t really care for rap when i first started listening to it, i just listened to it because everyone else did. 

As i grew older i realized that most all rap influences is nothing but a lot of drugs, violence, and sex. I’ve grown to where i don’t really care to listen to rap as i would much rather just listen to rock where it doesn’t influence so much violence and negative behavior.

I believe my early interests in rap had an impact on shaping my identity for a little while. I use to want to dress like rappers and started cussing at an early age because the rappers where doing it. I soon then realized that i didn’t want to turn out like this later on in life. The image of a rapper where there is nothing but violence can be quite frightening.

Popular singers and music these days play a huge role in our lives and always will. Whatever the new hit or trend is, is going to affect our lifestyle by changing our looks and how we feel about everything and shape our identity.

In the past century, there have been huge strides in the technology fields.  The developed world has moved from the mechanical age to the digital age.  Most electronics now use binary code as opposed to mechanical devices.  With this movement to the digital, or postmodern according to Cambell (2009), era there has been an increasing reliance on new forms of communication such as the internet, television, and cell phones.  These new forms of communication have connected the world through e-mail, twenty-four hour news stations, text messaging, instant messaging, and even blogs and Facebook. 

All of these technologies are great for connecting the world and keeping everyone informed.  However, they do harm the traditional cultures.  First of all, the use of e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, blogs, Facebook, etc. take the face to face contact out a conversation or debate.  This is a problem because expressions can sometimes be misinterpreted when a reader puts his or her own convictions on the text without meaning to.  Also, talking on any phone takes the nonverbal communication out of conversations which makes up a majority of the communication in a conversation.  Finally, any news program harms traditional cultures because in a traditional culture, one would rely on news to come via face to face contact with another person and they would be able to immediately discuss the news.  However, in a technological age, news programs do not offer for the viewer to present immediate feedback.

“What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish,” quotes W.H. Auden (The Dyers Hand). Entertainment is a part of everyday life. I can not imagine going a day without pressing the play on my iPod or running around acting like monkeys with my friends. I think we can all testify that positive entertainment is a good thing, yet when it comes down to meaningless, and ignorant broadcasts such as Comedy Central’s South Park, we may need to put a limit on what some consider “entertainment”.

South Park is a town located in Colorado where the show takes place. There is no real point in the show. According to a plot summary I found, South Park is, “the adventures of four foul-mouthed fourth-graders”. For a more detailed summary, feel free to connect to this link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121955/plotsummary. Not only are we tolerating and condoning rudeness, racism and obnoxiousness, but we are also laughing at it! We are considering it so hilarious that it is considered an “award winning show”. This show is degrading in more ways than one. Here is an example of racism: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153620/ On this particular clip, South Park is making fun of the Chinese Culture and the Great Wall of China. This is the United States of America also known as “the Melting Pot” and “the home of the free and the land of the brave”. Are we the home of the free that thinks we are better than everybody else or are we the land of the brave enough to make fun of the ones that are not like us? Who are we to make and encourage shows of nine year olds who have no respect for authority, let alone no respect for themselves. Who are we to support the disrespect of others when we as Americans have no room to talk, since our history includes tragic events such as The Trail of Tears or Slavery in itself.

Maybe it is things like this that have certain cultures shouting, “Death to America! Death to the Great Satan!”

As I was growing up in the early 90’s the one of the biggest things that contributed to a young African Americans identity was Gangster Rap. During this time you find rappers like Tupac and Biggie Smalls at the peak of their short careers, but never the less if you were on the east coast you find people who wanted to be more like Biggie Smalls, living the luxurious life with all the money, cars, clothes, and the women. But if you took a trip to the west coast you would find more people who wanted to live the “Thug Life” which the rapper Tupac ushered in.

Needless to say everyone I knew including me was a Biggie fan. We copy his style with Kango hats, bought all his music and poster to show our love towards Biggie. There wasn’t a day in school where you could go without hearing about Biggie or Tupac or even hear someone reciting their lyrics. These two rap icons had it all; they had a huge fan base, money, talent, cars, and clothes and who didn’t want that. But all things must come to an end, and unfortunately that’s what happened when both rappers were shot and killed.  So now all that was left was memories and over time they disappear as well.

As I began to get older and with no Biggie or Tupac to listen to it was kind of easy to rid of the posters, the Kango hats, and sell all the CDs because that style of rap didn’t appeal to me anymore. So like everyone else I began to move on to more up to date styles of rap, and now that style of rap that which was consider golden was now looked as being old and out of style

 But just like in the 90’s now in the 2008 we have rappers like Soulja Boy who has created a new style of rap called the age of “Crank Dat”, with his hit single “Crank Dat Superman” he has gave this generation an identity just like Tupac and Biggie did when I was younger. But sooner or later his reign will come to an end and the door will be open for next performer to form an identity for the next up and coming generation.

As a young girl growing up in the 90’s, I inevitably listened to and followed the British singing group the Spice Girls. Like most girls my age, I knew all of their song lyrics, and in most of my pictures I’d be holding up a peace sign, a staple of the pop group. From their style (or lack thereof) to their motto of “Girl Power,” they were the symbol of “cool” to me.

As I grew older, however, my tastes changed, due largely impart to the changing and evolving views and opinions of the society in which I lived. No longer was it cool to wear platform shoes and recite and sing the lyrics of every Spice Girls song. I was getting older, and I wanted to listen to songs which had meaning and depth. The Spice Girls’ music appealed to the younger audience, especially to pre-teen girls, and I had moved beyond that point in my life. I wanted music whose subject matter dealt with things that I was experiencing in my life, and I could no longer relate with the message that the Spice Girls tried to convey.

Furthermore, as with most teenagers, it was important to follow the trends and listen to the popular music, and my generation had moved past the age of the pop group. As the trends began to change and evolve, the occurrence of stories and press for the Spice Girls became less and less frequent, until coverage became basically obsolete. With little to no press, it was easy and inevitable to forget about an artist or celebrity and move on to another more popular band or trend.

As time progresses and views and “popular culture” change and evolve, the popularity of bands, like the Spice Girls, and other trends are sure to change as well. However, their impact can still be seen throughout our generation. Being exposed to any culture or trend at a young age is sure to shape someone’s identity. Most people will follow the trends and listen to the popular bands, celebrities, etc, of the time, and this is especially true for the youth of society. Everyone wants to be in the “in-crowd,” especially at a young age, and, although opinions and tastes may change, some of the ideals are still ingrained from an impressionable age. Although my tastes may have changed because of the evolving trends and media coverage, whether I like to admit it or not, the Spice Girls and other trends of the 90’s did have an impact on my identity. The group taught the girls of my generation to be more independent and to stand up for our beliefs. They promoted independence and unity among women with their “Girl Power” slogan and the idea that girls can be strong and righteous impacted the way I viewed my relationships and helped to break the “housewife” stereotype of women.

Music, television, art, and all other media have a large impact on our lives and in shaping our identities. Whether a pop group or trend simply influences how we dress or a television show or celebrity influence revolutionizes our way of thinking, it is undeniable that media and culture today affect our opinions, tastes, and lifestyles and help to form our identities.

Backmasking – the reversal of a song’s lyrics, which inevitably has affected countless individuals. 

This was originated by an intellectual in addition to the Beatles and they found that subconsiously, the human brain takes lyrics and songs which are heard and converts them into the true meaning of a song. 

This is indeed harmful to children because of the subconsious affects.  Take for example, Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust.  The original lyrics include ‘another one bites the dust,’ when in actuality, the reversal of these lyrics are ‘its fun to smoke marijuana.’ 

This is a media product which is harmful to not only children, but those teenagers and adults as well who listen to forms of this music.  El screamo and heavy metal are two examples which may include negatively affect a child due to the lyrics which are portrayed.

Portrayals of becoming drunk, being sexually active with whomever one comes into contact, and the use of drugs and illegal substances are all venues from which these types of songs are produced.  They ellicit particular emotions and ’subconsious’ effects in the human brain and ultimately affect how one acts and views life, media and society at large. 

I would make my concerns known in regard to this phenomena by actually going to the people who listen to the above types of music and probing them on whether or not they really understand what the lyrics are really portraying.  Simply stating that you should not listen to that type of music is like putting chocolate in front of someone and saying, “Do not eat that’; inevitably, we would want to partake of the delectable chocolate.  I would take the lyrics of the song(s) and help the individual see what the meaning is and allude those to how we as humans should live morally.

Should these types of music and this product be removed from society?  Well, initially, they will probably never be removed; however, if these types of music were removed, morals, esteem, ethics and life would infinitely succeed while suicide rates and illegal actions would drastically decline.  Essentially, I think that the meaning of lyrics should be presented to individuals, and they should understand the validity from the styles of music they enjoy. 

Backmasking is a product which, as stated previously, an intellectual in addition to the Beatles introduced.  Personally, I had never heard of backmasking until taking a summer history course this year, and researched the subject; thus, validating my above statements.  Backmasking explains why people do what they do when they listen to certain types of music - music affects everyone, whether or not you realize it, and this type of media can affect how you view your life.   

Try googling ‘backmasking’ and see what you come up with – you may find that the songs which you really enjoy have an entirely alternate meaning – for good, or for bad!

http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

Gone are the days of sitting around the television set with the family watching wholesome fun.  Now families are flocking to the theaters by the millions.  Young children are permitted to attend R-rated movies and the content in those movies can be harmful to the minds of these under-aged children.

Children under the age of 17 are allowed to attend R-rated movies if they are accompanied by an adult.  However, parents and the movie industry need to seriously consider this rule as the content of these movies can be very vulgar and can send wrong messages to the brain.  The increased violence in the movies affects the increased violence in the world.  Under-aged children are too immature to handle the violence, sexual content, language, etc.  Some children can be emotionally scarred forever from what they see in the movies and some can take that information and act upon it negatively in society.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the U.S. Market Statistics, “Since 1963 Americans purchased roughly 1 billion movie tickets each year; in 2006 1.45 billion tickets were sold” (Campbell 263).  This goes to show that people are attending more movies now than ever before.  Since more people are going to theaters, more under-aged kids will be trying and succeeding at getting into R-rated movies.  Because of this, it’s now more important to screen what is being shown in theaters.  Children under the age of 17 shouldn’t be allowed into R-rated movies whether or not they are accompanied by an adult. 

In order to express our concerns about younger children attending R-rated movies, we need to become vocal about our feelings and beliefs and contact the MPAA.   We need to let them know the rules of allowing under-aged children to see R-rated films are slack and corrupt.  If they hear from enough people, hopefully they will eventually realize that the rules as they stand today, will only lead children to become more violent and out of control.

R-rated movies shouldn’t be banned entirely. They are appropriate for those they are intended to entertain.  However, theaters and the MPAA should make stricter age restrictions for R-rated movies and they should enforce these regulations.

     Within the past 100 years alone, Americans especially have seen a rise in the impact and net-worth of popular culture as a whole.  From star struck teenagers acting on behalf of the paparazzi following their favorite celebrities to news-addicted twenty-something’s following the upcoming Presidential Election, newer forms of mass media are presumably, threatening the status quos of conventional forms of media.

     While going to a concert is indeed an enjoyable experience for anyone, what is the most common (and sometimes annoying) factor among them all, whether it be a rock-n-roll revival tour of Def Leppard or a teeny-bopper’s dream at a sold-out Jonas Brothers concert? People and their cell phones, equipped with blisteringly fast 3G Internet capabilities, cameras that rival some professional photographers’ and the ability to send brief text messages to other cell phone users instantly. The rise of the cell phone has indeed contributed to the skyrocketing rise of popular culture, making it easy to publish photographs and text to personal blogs, send pictures through email, as well as instantaneously informing others of happenings via text message.

     Unmatched by any other cell phone in my opinion, Apple’s iPhone, has also further revolutionized the cell phone industry.  With the ability to “…browse fast on 3G cellular networks, get push email, calendars and contacts through Enterprise capabilities, find your location and track progress with maps and GPS…[while]…download[ing] hundreds of applications”, the iPhone is rapidly closing in on a market that very well could make even the ultra portable laptop computer obsolete in the coming years.

     Alongside the rise of cell phones among Americans (and as an extension, the world), the advent of journalism for the “common man” has also found its way into mainstream culture.  Various news agencies such as CNN and Fox News are now employing the help of their viewers to assist in the delivery of news as it happens through services known, respectively, as iReports and uReports (…yes, they are similar… don’t you love corporate branding?). They are easy-to-use, give people their 15 minutes of fame when their stories are aired, and come as free material for the news agencies to use. Clever.

     The newspaper, which has long been revered as a superior form of mass media, has long since been losing its popularity.  In the 2007 Annual Report on American Journalism from www.stateofthenewsmedia.org, “In a sense all news organizations are becoming more niche players, basing their appeal less on how they cover the news and more on what they cover.”  That’s true enough I’d say.  It seems to me that with the advent of cellular news reporting, that the News Media cares more about the fact that they reach their audience effectively than they care about with which type of media (whether it be print or electronic), as they should.

     It’s obvious that the fact of journalism and mass media is and has been changing steadily for the past 5 years, at minimum.  “But practicing journalism has become far more difficult and demands new vision.  Journalism is becoming a small part of people’s information mix.  The press is no longer gatekeeper over what the public knows.” (stateofthenewsmedia.org), which only supports the fact that America is rapidly entering a new age in the life of mass media.

     When asked to comment of the state of The New York Times and Print Media as a whole, the paper’s publisher and chairman, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. stated, 

“I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing The Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care.”  The head of the country’s most esteemed news company meant to sound an optimistic tone about journalism’s future, but the statement, like the industry, seemed to teeter between boldness and uncertainty. (Reprinted from www.stateofthenewsmedia.org)

The face of Mass Media is changing, without a doubt.  Whether or not traditional methods of reaching audiences stay in place remains uncertain, however the fact does remain that the audiences will be reached, nonetheless.  Whether the successful business man reads the stock values of his company in his corner NYC Starbucks café from a printed version of The Times, or the socially-adept twenty-something catches up on her entertainment news from the luxury of her iPhone, the fact remains that no matter what kinds of “facial restructuring” that mass media undergoes, the face of the media will inevitably remain a constantly recognizable and familiar scene for the public.

                                                                                                                               ***

     I do believe that the ever-changing state of mass media could potentially threaten what is typically known as “status-quo” for traditional media, however I also think that no matter what, the media will adapt with society’s values, thus creating new norms for what is considered “status quo”. In other words, print journalists and magazine writers, you can stop shaking in your shoes, while sitting behind your fully customized MacPros.  You’ll still get to use your talents…it just may be in a different way than before. But, hey, everything changes in journalism and mass media on a constant basis. Surely you all knew that from the start?