Media is Dangerous

After reading Mark Edmundson’s article all that I could think about was… WARNING: television, video games, Iphones, Ipads, and all other electronic devices that allow you to fantasize are DANGEROUS and may result in DOMINATION of your personal thoughts and dreams.

I am convinced. McLuhan’s theories about “media numbness” and “medium is the message” prove so true. Every time I watch a movie, I fantasize about being in it. Every time I play a song on my Ipod, I drown myself in this whole new world that only belongs to me and it is MY movie. I understand, now, that I think this way simply because media has driven me to think this way. I do not want to end up having the same fantasies and thoughts as everyone else. I want to have my own thoughts and dreams and now I am starting to feel like my dreams might be the dreams TV and movies have implanted in my brain.

Of course, I am not going to minimize the amount of satisfaction I get when I watch the media, but I believe I am going to have a more cautious view of what is believable and what is not.

When I listened to the narrative I felt plenty more cautious with the ideas and images I form. I watch the media for entertainment, but still, I empathize with the stories that are made to be “real.” Sometimes I even catch myself thinking, “I wish that was me,” or, “I want to be her so I can do things differently.” After listening to the new plot with Astrid and Leo being forced to like each other, I thought it was sick and annoying. If I were Astrid, I would feel like a toy with no voice. And that is exactly what reality television is.

I used to watch the Bachelor with my mom and sisters. We would get so involved with which girls we adored and which we hated and who was going to win and how charming the man is and how sweet some girls were… But what we were really watching were fake relationships and fake, romantic love scenes. Everything was fake.  I know these shows are too dramatic or too good to be true at times, but we imagined it to be true and that was the fun in watching it.

 Now, every time I watch a reality show I am going to feel sorry for the characters who do not have a mind and who are being forced to say things they do not really mean. And when I watch a movie or play a video game, I am going to remember that this is not reality and I need to stop believing that special effects and fabrications stay on the screen.

The Influence of Stereotypes

When I look at someone it is automatic that some bit of judgment is involved in my thinking. Honestly, there is no way for me not to assume ideas before meeting or getting to know someone. I do not necessarily consume this judgment into my final decision of accepting or not accepting the person, but I definitely put a person into a group beforehand. That’s just how I think and I do not know why. In the writing, “Stereotypes,” Dyer explains that “images of” people, places, etc. surround us. We are unable to avoid representing or stereotyping something or someone because that is simply how we form understanding.

One thought that I found very interesting in Dyer’s writing was, “I accept that one apprehends reality only through representations of reality, through texts, discourse, images; there is no such thing as unmediated access to reality. But because one can see reality only through representation, it does not follow that one does not see reality at all,” (Dyer, 2). So do we see reality or not? I believe that the reality is always blocked by representation. I can explain exactly what I do when I meet someone for the first time: I notice how they dress, the way they look, the way they speak, their thoughts. And I form an idea based on representation. This, to me, does seem like I’m losing reality. But at the same time, I accept my ideas as reality. It seems a bit confusing to me to understand the whole concept, but I do understand that perception based off of “images” that have already been created can influence my way of thought.

According to Dyer, the stereotypes of power are, “men, whites, heterosexuals, and the able-bodied,” and these are considered to be the norm (Dyer, 3). Without these titles, they have no power and therefore, are just like anyone else. I am aware that women had little to no power in the past because of their stereotype, but I do not feel that women are limited in this life. Yes, we are still stereotyped as inferior to men (mainly from physical aspects), but I do believe that women are at a high power and very influential.

Another important idea: “It is notoriously difficult to draw the line between harm-free drinking and harmful drinking. But stereotypes can,” (Dyer, 6). It is interesting because stereotypes easily show opposition between an alcoholic and someone who drinks a lot and that is the only way you can tell the difference. The same goes for homosexuals and heterosexuals and the similar feelings and emotions they have. Stereotypes are a very powerful tool that is very influential.

We're Losing Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality- the understanding that whether you are an average citizen or a large conglomerate, you have the equal accessibility of Internet speed and webpage access. We (average citizens) are against it. Major internet providers (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T) are for it.

This understanding, however, could see changes in the future due to major service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T. these companies “want a tiered internet. If you pay to get in the top tier, your site and your service will run fast. If you don’t, you’ll be in the slow lane” (savetheinternet.com).  Net neutrality means that Internet service providers “may not discriminate between different kinds of content and applications online.” If net neutrality is abused, it means we are facing a great deal of discrimination and problems that many average citizens will not agree with.

In the recent documentary, Barbershop Punk, the potential loss of net neutrality is addressed to us along with one man’s issue with Comcast. Robb Tobolski, seen in Barbershop Punk, “found that Comcast, his Internet service provider, was interfering with his peer-to-peer sharing of public-domain material.” The Federal Communications Commission eventually gave a ruling against Comcast (Webster, 2010).”

We are not necessarily at net neutrality any longer. Now, we are at semi-net neutrality. New York Times writes, “They ban any outright blocking and any “unreasonable discrimination” of Web sites or applications by fixed-line broadband providers, but they afford more wiggle room to wireless providers like AT&T and Verizon.”

This example shows that we are slowly reaching less and less of net neutrality. The question is, how much further is this “discrimination” going to go? And, when is this process (if it does occur) going to happen? What can we do as an “average citizen” to stop the absence of net neutrality from taking place?

It seems that the further we get into the world of the Internet, the further we are becoming controlled and manipulated. There is no such thing as being protected online, because every time we enter in our personal information, it is being shared and sold to many other major companies (Madison, 2012). The only way to stay fully protected is to not upload that information in the first place. With the fear of putting information on the Internet plus the fear of losing the freedom of net neutrality, the Internet is sounding more and more like an unfriendly place.

I am hoping that the loss of net neutrality does not occur and that we are able to continue using the internet freely; however, the more and more I read into this topic the more I fear that our freedom days are over. If these major corporations get hold of all of our access to the Internet, who knows what is coming next. I hope that the people come together and are loud enough to prevent this from happening.

http://www.techi.com/2012/03/the-latest-reality-of-online-safety-were-all-being-watched/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-101

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/net_neutrality/index.html

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/movies/barbershop-punk-on-net-neutrality-review.html?ref=netneutrality

http://barbershoppunk.com/