Video Games

There is a debate about whether video games are harmful of helpful. I am on the fence on this topic. I believe that video games are an alright thing to do in spare time. I think it is more beneficial than just watching TV, but I don't think it is something that should be done very often. There have been studies done that prove video games help with things like reaction times, but there have also been studies that have shown video games can cause things like obesity. I think video games are great, if they are used in the proper way and in the proper amount.

Public or Private?

On the Internet, not much is private. Pretty much anything you put on the Internet can be viewed by other people. For example, on Facebook you can set your settings to be "private", but anyone who is your friend or even a friend of a friend can view it. More and more people are using information on the Internet to decide things, like whether or not they are going to hire someone or if someone is going to lose their job. This story tells about a teacher who had to resign because of a picture on Facebook. I think the Internet should be more private so things like that don't happen, but the Internet can't really be controlled in that way. So, things on the Internet are never going to be private. People just need to be more careful about what they put on it.

Mass Media Class

I think the most important thing I have learned from the Mass Media class is how much media can affect us. I have never really thought of the effect media can have on people, but I now realize how much it does. It is a huge part of our everyday life.
I think the most fun thing I have learned in Mass Media is how to blog. At first I was very against blogging, but now I feel more technology literate because of it. I still do not really like sharing my opinions online for everyone else to see, but I understand blogging a lot better now.

Do We Really Analyze the Media?

I do not think we analyze the media enough. We should probably be a little more critical of the media rather than just believing everything it says. The media could say whatever they want, and a lot of people would believe it. Although, I think we do analyze the media a bit. For example, in some commercials it is apparent that the product that is being sold does not work as well as it appears. This article shows some "products that can't possible work".  People realize this, so they must be analyzing the media somewhat.

Will we pay attention to the way social media is affecting our lives?

I do not think we will pay attention to the way social media affects our lives. I have heard many times about all of the negative affects social media and other technology can have on my life, but I really haven't paid attention to it. I know it can harm me, but I choose to ignore it. I think that is what many people will do. They probably realize that their life is consumed by technology, but they enjoy it, so why would they quit?

Is Technology Helpful of Harmful

I can see both sides of the argument, but I mostly think technology is helpful. Although there are definitely times when technology can be harmful. There is a long-lasting argument about whether or not modern TV shows cause children to act violently. This website talks about studies that have been done on this topic. Even though there are some consequences because of technology, it is mostly helpful. There are many benefits we have today that we would not have without technology, like this blog. Relating to the violent TV shows, many people argue that TV is making people dumber, but in our book, a person named Steven Johnson argues that TV shows are actually more challenging than they previously were. For example, shows like Taken require complicated thinking, while older shows like Lassie repeat the same plot line with every episode.

Global Community

The freedictionary.com defines a global community as "the people or nations of the world, considered as being closely connected by modern telecommunications and as being economically, socially, and politically interdependent." In other words, a global community is a world where all cultures are mixed together. For example, there are McDonald's in India. The problem with this is that in India people are primarily Hindu. Hindus view the cow as a very important creature, but McDonald's is famous for its hamburgers. Some people might view a global community as a good thing, but it could cause a clash of cultures, like the situation in India.

Defending Captain Underpants

There are many banned books; some are banned with good reasons, others not so much. I can understand why books like The Joy of Gay Sex is banned, but I do not think Captain Underpants should be banned. I think it is an incredibly dumb book, but it doesn't have anything in it that is morally wrong. There are many grammatical and spelling errors in it, but it can get children reading. Captain Underpants may just be a gateway book. Children will start reading Captain Underpants because it entertains them, which may lead them to reading other, more educational books.

Who is Responsible for What the Media Reports?

Many people debate about whether it is the media's fault that they report on such dumb topics or if it is the people who read about the dumb topics' fault. I think it is a combination of both. For things having to do with celebrities, I believe that is the consumer's fault. The consumers like to keep up to date on what all of the famous people are doing, so the news reporters report on it. But, I think the excessive reporting on things like the Sandy Hook shooting is the media's fault. It is important to know what is going on in other places, but the media takes it out of proportion. They go beyond what they should report on it. There is even a conspiracy theory regarding it. I think the media should report on more important things, but the consumers are also a little to blame for that.

Under-Reported Topics

Our news sources are sometimes biased in what they report on. Sometimes they don't report on things that need to be reported on. I think the media tends to report on mostly things with good news, not bad news. There are many things going on that are depressing and sad, but people don't hear a lot about them. For example, the author of this article lists the five most under-reported topics from his point-of-view. Four of the five are bad news, in my opinion. This just shows how the media usually only tells about things that their audience wants to hear, not what they need to hear.