CPCF 1F25 Post 2: Mass Media Impact Response

   After sharing my views on Mass Media and what it has done to our society in terms of language, I got the opportunity to read through some peers opinions on the topic as well. They all share similar views on that you can't hide from mass media in this day and age, but what made me look to their blogs were the fact that they all expressed the different changes mass media has been impacting their lives. Natalie Collier (http://nataliecollierblog.wordpress.com/) expresses how media throws us in a world of cyber social networking, however it kills our face to face interaction quite noticeably, Alison Sparham (http://allisonsparham.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/1f25-post-1-media-impact/) expresses how she would have never been able to understand what she wanted to do for a living if it wasn't for the effects of mass media, and Jamie Foster (http://comedressedtoimpress.wordpress.com/) who views mass media as a daily routine, such as a cup of coffee.

   Natalie Collier, who states: "I believe that the source of media that has impacted people the most is the cell phone. These days it is considered as uncommon to not have a cell phone, as it was the complete opposite only ten years back." believes that the power we have in our hands is a little ridiculous. I too agree with her on such statements as, " Why do we need to take pictures of ourselves or tweet irrelevant things that no one actually cares about to people that we don’t even talk to or even know half of the time?". I feel that mass media has corrupted our youth into thinking about their next tweet rather than their next project or outing with their friends. I am almost positive I have thought those exact words I have quoted multiple times in my life, questioning the mindset of every other teenager, but then I just find myself getting caught back up in the loop.

  Another student, Alison Sparham, writes about how she would not be nearly as keen on the topics she is interested in, if it wasn't for mass media, ending her introductory paragraph with the words: "In a world without mass media where would I be?". With that being said she follows up saying, "My chosen career is in the tourism industry, but what if I had never seen the Taj Mahal on Slumdog Millionaire, would I know it existed? If I had to learn about the Taj Mahal through word of mouth, I probably would never have learned about it." I can relate to this easily. Movies, documentaries, magazines, and even social networking create opportunities for us to explore information and areas far beyond what we could even imagine, allowing us to understand and further the small questions we have in our heads, and turn them into huge hobbies, interests, or even jobs. I am certain that the majority of things I love and cherish deeply would not have played such an impact if I had not had access to the majority of beautiful imagery and writing available to us in our modern day society.

   Lastly, we have a gentleman by the name of Jamie Foster , who sees mass media in the light of entertainment value. Jamie goes about this by making it clear that "I go onto the internet every day, not just for social networking, but just to surf the web, literally just flipping through pages of randomness to pass time or procrastinate". He sees mass media as an essential part of staying up to date in our society. As a computer fan myself, I see where he is coming from, for I too learn new, interesting, and outrages ideas from all spectrum's of life through forums, the news, youtube, social networking, and other sources, and I strongly agree with the point Jamie puts forth by stating that by being apart of the growth of mass media is in fact "what it means to be cultured".

   Media is a touchy subject as there are so many positive and negative effects because of it, but I think after reading everyone's opinions towards the topic, I feel it is something that needs to be embraced and accepted as it has been adapted into our society at such a large (and growing) rate.