After reading several blog entries from my classmates, it is
evident that the mass media affects our worldviews significantly and our lives
as a whole. Some of the people had a
positive view on the mass media while others considered mass media to be
pointless and even a nuisance to society.
In a blog
written by Tyler Nakamura, he listed negative aspects of the mass media. One of his arguments was that although it may
be convenient to be able to view newspaper articles from across the world,
there is no way of knowing if they are reliable. He talked about a conversation he had that
was evident to his claim, “I met a guy from
Toronto, and he had told me that Canadians have a false perspective on the
people in Somalia because of the newspapers articles that we see are filtered
by their government.” Another negative
he talks about is the distraction factor that mass media creates. He talks about his personal experience with
mass media and distraction; “it took me an hour longer to finish this blog
because I got distracted by Facebook while doing my work”. One other negative he talks about is that it
affects kids in a poor way, as they are so obsessed with the social media that
they are becoming lazier and not reaching their daily exercise minimum.
I
noticed a significant difference in views on the mass media while reading other
students blogs. In a blog written by Sam
Dixon, He really focused on the positives of mass media. He mentioned how we can use mass media to
help those in need, “With the introduction of mass media we are capable of
sympathizing and offering aid to many of those around the globe that are less
fortunate than ourselves. We are capable
of talking about these issues in a safe and controlled environment, but through
the media we can feel more connected to the rest of the world.” He also spoke positively about mass media in
the aspect of him being able to communicate with his family back home. “Approximately four years ago I emigrated
from England and through the use of mass media I was able to keep in touch with
what is happening back there. I could
communicate with my family more easily and effectively, which has made the
transition manageable.” He believed the mass media was a very important and
necessary aspect of today’s culture.
A
different opinion came from Ernest Coetzee’s blog. He pointed out that the mass media is
everywhere and involved in each and everyone’s lives. However, he was very skeptical about the mass
media and said, “Going through our everyday lives, what we currently think the
world is right now through the window of mass media.” What that means is that he believes the mass
media doesn’t depict the whole picture, and that it only shows what the media
wants us to see.
Reading
through the blogs of my peers it became clear that mass media is in fact a part
of each and everyone’s lives, however, not all had a positive outlook on
it. Some of my peers agreed with me in
saying that mass media is a good thing that is an improvement to the way we
live, while others viewed it as a bad thing that just gets in the way and is
ultimately unnecessary. Despite whether
it was viewed positively or negatively, it seemed that we could all agree that
it is a huge part of our lives.
Peer Blog Links:
Tyler Nakamura: http://tylersmediaandsocietyblog.blogspot.ca/
Sam Dixon: http://samsmediaandsocietyblog.blogspot.ca/
Ernest Coetzee: http://jakecoetzeecpcf.blogspot.ca/
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