I completely agree with this, because we can see the influences of media firsthand everyday. Take the show Teen Mom for instance. This popular reality television show on MTV has perpetuated the myth that teen pregnancy is glamorous and cool. As you read this, you're thinking the polar opposite--teen pregnancy is NOT cool. However, many teenage girls have been seduced by the possibility of getting pregnant and then getting their own reality tv show. He seems very real to them, and becomes "cool" in their teen culture.
"Media companies are in the business of selling human attention, and it's sold in units by the thousand, depending on the age, income, race, geographic region, and other characteristics of the audience."
We often forget that media companies (even our news sources) are a business. And they are in the business of ratings; whatever brings them the most viewers in a limited amount of time. As the quote says, the media's job is to capture our attention. There is serious research conducted on the demographics of their viewers, and they feed you what they think you will eat up.
This quote proves the need and legitimacy for a digital media curriculum in schools. Gone are the days in which we must evaluate print sources for their bias or credibility--now we must learn to evaluate media in all forms--media that is designed to appeal to us.
"Does mass media's use of contradiction and juxtaposition create a surrealistic frame that abandons logic, reason, and sequence? If so, such juxtaposition may promote a spectator mentality towards social and political knowledge, where we can watch injustice and degradation on the many screens in our lives but feel no need to take these messages seriously or respond to them sanely."
I don't think I could have stumbled across this quote at a more appropriate time. Currently, we are experiencing serious racial tension in the United States, while the media continues to feed us images, commentary, and video of raids and protests.
I scroll through social media and read "Low life thugs! Take away their welfare check and see what happens" or I hear people comment during conversations that have nothing to say but, "Maybe don't violate the law and you won't get arrested. They might not hate the cops so much then."
Has this constant influx of media desensitized us to the reality of social upheaval and civil protests that are taking place? We can partially contribute persistent racism to many of these reactions, however you only get so far. I believe that we have become such a culture of violence (from all forms of media) that we can no longer recognize it when it's directly in front of us.
We have adopted this "spectator mentality" in which we do nothing, but watch the social degradation take place.
No comments:
Post a Comment