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.