Questioning the Media Chapter 8

2. Why do you think people are not reading U.S. daily newspapers as frequently as they once did? Why is newspaper readership going up in other countries?

I think people are not reading the US daily newspapers as much, because it is quicker for readers to find in online and in there comfort. It also does not cost anything. I believe that newspaper readership is going up in other countries because they want to be involved with what is going on in America. The US daily newspapers feature stories that come from all around the earth, they are global. For foreigns to read one paper that has information about all the countries, entertains them. For the US it is simply just another thing to buy and sit down and read.

3. Discuss whether newspaper chains are ultimately good or bad for the future of journalism.

Newspaper chains are good for the future of journalism because it allows a place for journalists to write to the public, and reach the older generation of the period. But eventually newspapers are not going to benefit journalist because there is a limit on how much you can write and what you have to write on depending the newspaper you are writing for. With my generation, and generations behind us, have grown up with technology, and have lost the importance of looking at a newspaper. It is easier and more convenient to us to have newspapers online or news online. It is quicker for us to get the more recent news and not have to wait to the next day to learn about something or even wait a week. So if the future that we are talking about is in the next three of fours years then it is not going to hurt, but if it is decades to come then newspaper chains are going to be left behind and begin to be bad for journalism.

5. Will bogs and other Internet services eventually replace newspapers? Explain your response.

Yes, I think that Internet services eventually will replace newspapers because there is no limit on how long a article can be. Blogs are becoming more and more popular and having a big impact on readers. It has an easy access for readers being able to have the internet just about anywhere with many ways to access it. Young adults and teenagers are losing touch with the news and does not know what is going on in the world. Having blogs and internet newspapers available young readers are drawn to hearing the news.

Questioning the Media Chapter 7

2. Do you remember seeing a movie you were not allowed to see? Discuss the experience.

When I was in early middle school, I was always told to not go to any R rated movies. One night I spent over at a friends house, and her boy friend and his parents invited her, I got stuck tagging along to go. We went to see Blade Trinity. I was frightened and had bad dreams for days. It was not like I went and my mother had told me not to. I went because my friend was going and I did not want to stay by myself. I have only seen two rated R movies, and yes that is kind of weird because I am in college but it is just a choice I have made.

3. How often do yo go to movie theaters today? How often do you play DVD's on a television at home, or watch movies on a computer? Which experience for you prefer and why?

I do not go to the movies now as much as I did when I was younger but I think that is because of how much the price has gone up. It is incredible how much it is now to go see a movie, it is around eight dollars here but up in Connecticut where my cousin lives it is ten dollars and fifty cents, that is ridiculous. As a student in college I do not watch that many movies or that much television but when I do it is calming. I watch about one to two videos a week on the television or on my computer. When I am home for vacation or the weekend I tend to watch more movies with my mom and dad, just because it is some time to be together. I think even though it is nice to go out to the movies, I enjoy it more sitting at home in my own comfort watching any movie of my choice.

5. Look at the international film box-office statics in the latest issue of Variety magazine. Not which films are the most popular worldwide. What do you think about the significant role U.S. movies play in global culture? Should their role be less significant? Explain your answer.

When looking at the movie listing I think a lot of the movies have US impact. From most popular to not as much, only the top 7 it is as follows: Shutter Island, Avatar, Valentine's Day, The Wolfman, Percy Jackson & the Olympics: Lightening, Dear John, and number seven Crazy Heart. I am familiar with Avatar, Valentine's Day and Dear John and those are impacted on by the US because it is traditional situations that take place in the United States.

Questioning the Media Chapter 6

1. How many cable channels do you watch regularly? What programs do you watch? What attracts you to a certain channel?

The only cable channel that I normally watch is ABC family, for some enjoyable shows. When I am at home with my family, I watch the golf channel with my dad, and some of the talk show channels with with Mom. I enjoy watching ABC family because there are shows that I do not have to think about what is going on intensely, but rather just enjoying a show that is laid back. More that likely the shows that I watch, are more than likely not watched by many college students, but I enjoy watching them. In my dorm room, the television stays off most of the time, unless I just want to curl up in my bed and watch something.

5. Do you think DBS (Digital Broadcasting Satellite) is an equal competitor to cable? Why or why not?

I do not think that the Digital Broadcasting Satellite is an equal competitor to cable because cable had its own strong time at one point. And now it is Digital Satellites turn to be the big and new thing. Cable television was invented and was the new intervention and everyone enjoyed it, but then as time rolled around other inventors learned how to have digital satellites project television shows to individual homes. As I was growing up I remember having cable television and now as I have gotten older it is all digital satellites.

6. Some critics argue that citizens no longer participate in traditional neighborhood activities and that cable has played a role in fragmenting society, keeping us in our homes. Do you agree or disagree? What has cable done well, and in what ways has it adversely affected society?

I do think that cable and digital television shows have played a big role in traditional neighborhood activities. The television is keeping people inside and are coming less active. I think it is a bad thing, and that there should be a time during every day that the television does not run any time of television shows. It should be a time that families, parents, children, neighborhoods, and such join together to be active and do something that does not include sitting in front of a television screen and watching a show or movie. Cable and digital has hurt the population and taught children and young adults that you do not have to be active to look good, you can also just not eat, which is extremely unhealthy. I believe that the television has hurt the citizens and I am pretty sure that is why I do not watch much television.

Questioning the Media Chapter 5

1. Describe your earliest memories of watching television. What was your favorite show? Which, if any, shows did your family watch together? Were there shows that you were not allowed to watch? Which ones and why?

As a young child, I do not remember watching much television. I grew up watching mainly videos. But I do remember watching Barney in the mornings before my mom and dad took me to preschool, or before I went to the babysitters. I do not remember any shows that we watched as a family, but I assume, since I am a only child, that they watched whatever I watched with me. In our house hold, the only channels that were normally on, were PBS, or the golf channel. Barney was my best friend, well that is what I thought as a child. Like I said, I do not think I watched television that much, but I do remember that I was not aloud to watch Rugrats. To this day I do not like rugrats, and I am not completely sure why I wasn't aloud. But I am pretty sure that it was because of their behavior and how they talked. I do watch a lot more television that I did when I was little, these days, but as people get older that is what happens.

2. How much television to you watch today? Which programs do you try to watch regularly? What attracts you to your favorite program(s)?

Today I watch television a lot of times just to have noise going on, or something for my brain not to think about. I do enjoy watching some shows on ABC family, and my all time favorite America's Funniest home videos. I enjoy watching this show any day when I just need some good laughs, and some thing to be glad that hasn't happened to me. I also watch Secret Life of an American Teenager, and I am not completely sure what grabs my attention with this show, but I think it is just attention grabbing to me. I have a television in my dorm room, but normally the only time that is on, is when we are watching a movie or when we just feel lazy and wish to think about nothing.

3. If you were a network television executive, what changed would you try to make in the programs that American watches?

If I was a network television executive, I am not sure that there are any big things that I would change, but I do think that shows that are on, when children are home should be more censored. Even though channels that children watch have shows that children can watch, but it is easy for them to turn channels and find other shows that are extremely inappropriate. This would be a very hard thing to do, but I think it would necessary to attempt so that we are not exposing children to the harmful things in life, so that we do not have children with anger and wanting to react to how the shows are.

Questioning the Media Chapter 4

1. Describe your earliest memories of listening to radio. Do you remember a favorite song? How old were you? Do you remember the stations call letters?

Why did you listen?

My earliest memoriesof listening to the radio station were when I was in earlier elementary school and in the afternoons when my parents were still at work i had a babysitter. I would hang out in my room and listen to the radio. It was always the country radio station KICKS 103.3. My favorite song, that my dad eventually got me a CD of was Something in Red by Lorrie Morgan. I grew up dancing and so I always imagined that I would one day dance to that song. That was my favorite song till about third grade and then I decided that I didn't for some reason like country music anymore. I still listen to that radio station because it is the local station in Lenoir, and has local news on it, broadcasts some high school sport games.

3. If you

could own and manage a commerical radio station, what format would you choose,and why?

If I could own and manage my own commercial radio station I would choose to use the Oldies format. Only 5.4% of the radio stations played today are oldies music. I never thought that I enjoyed oldies music, but I do love 50's music. I would play this music, because it does not need to get lost in the music that is played today. Some of the music that is played today is similar to oldies music, but it needs to be known and listened to that that music came from something else. Generations of today are growing up and not getting a full feeling of their past. They read in History books, and learn about the history but do not really get a teaching about the music during the history that they are learning about. Music is just as important as people that lived during the past.

5. How might radio be used in improve social and political discussions in the United States?

Radio could be used to improve social and political discussions by being more informational about situations going on. It is common that radio stations broadcast this information but not clearly enough so that citizens understand the full situation before drawing conclusions. I understand that some people think that all citizens do not need to know everything, but they do in order to draw the correct conclusions on either a social or political issue. Even if the issue is simply about education, it needs to made clear about what the situation is talking about, so that not more in brought up to make the issue harder to figure out.

Questioning the Media Chapter 3

Question 1: Who was your first favorite group or singer? How old were you at the time? What was important to you about this music?

When I was twelve years old, I got my first CD. Growing up I had many tapes and had many music groups that I enjoyed listening to. But the first one that I remember getting and listening to over and over, and being able to sing along was a CD by Aselin Debison. I was born in 1990, and I loved listening to Aselin Debison because she was the same age as myself. Aselin is a Canadian pop and Celtic music singer, and s

he continues to write songs. My grandmother traveled to her home in Canada, and when she came back she brought me a gift, which was a CD titled Sweet is the Melody. I enjoyed this music because it was from Canada, where my family is from, and was from a young singer. I was able to sing along and relate to some of her music. One of her songs was about, a friend that had moved away and how just a simple want to stay friends will keep two people together. A few years before this CD came out, I had my best friend from preschool move away. We struggled with missing each other, because we had lived every waking moment together. This song brought hope to each of u

s, as to how we were going to stay friends together as long as we wanting to stay friends. Her music was comforting, uplifting, and overall enjoyable for me to listen to.

Question 2: If you ran a noncommercial campus radio station, what kind of music would you play and why?

If I ran a noncommercial campus radio station I would play Religious music. All types of Religious music, because I think there is not enough of it played. I do not think that it should be just Christian music, but any other music that any religious groups enjoy. I think that all religions should be able to rejoice and celebrate with music together. There are not many channels that have religious music that is not Christian, and since we are all in one world everyone should be open to listening to all religious music. Living on a religious based campus, I do not hear much religious music. So if I had a campus radio station, I would choose to broadcast religious music.

Question 5: Do you think the Internet as a technology helps or hurts musical artists? Why do so many contemporary musical performers differ in their opinions about the Internet?

I think the Internet as technology helps musical artists, because then they are able to express their music on the internet. They can choose to have their music on the internet for free or for a cost. Except I do not think that YouTube benefits musical artists, because anyone can post anything for a free cost. Many contemporary musical performers have a different opinion because some of them want to be able to have their music available for anyone to listen to at no cost at all. But then they are some musicians who want their music to be only available to people that pay for the music and give back to the artists.

Questioning the Media Chapter 2

Question 1: What was your first encounter with the Internet like? How did it compare with your first encounters with other mass media?

I can not really remember my first encounter with the Internet. I am guessing that I was in Kindergarten, in elementary school, the school had internet that students accessed. The first time I can really remember using the internet to search for information was in fourth grade when I was did a project with my best friend f

or the science fair. We did our project on elephants, and we were able to learn about elephants, and then make a presentation. But I think when I was in third grade, was as far as I can

reme

mber back to that I first officially used email. I traveled to Canada with my mom, and the only way to communicate with my friends at home were by email. I would walk over to the library every day and get on the internet and check my email. Most of my first encounters with other mass media was when I was younger, and back to before I can remember. One of the newer forms of internet is Google Chrome and I have gotten to be introduced to it now. There are many mass medias, and many were in place before I was born. I do not recall remembering my encounters, because I was young in age.

Question 4: Do you think virtual communities are genuine communities? Why or why not?

I do not think that virtual communities are genuine, and I do believe that some people let themselves believe a little too much into virtual communities. Virtual communities are a way for people to get to know each other, and be part of a community, but I feel that a community is a group of people that can physically join together with one another and have a connection. With virtual communities, it is very rare that you are going to physically be standing side by side with one another, and that doesn't mean, having your character that you made in the virtual world to stand beside your neighbor. Many people use these virtual worlds instead of being social in the real society. This is not a good thing, and is why I think virtual communities are not genuine communities.

Question 5: As we move from a print-oriented industrial Age to a digitally based Information Age, how do you think individuals, communities, and nations will be affected?

Many individuals that have had their lives more than half percent in the print-oriented Age, is going to be completely thrown off, if we go to a complete digitally based Information age. Many of my grandparents friends, have no clue what I am talking about, if I refer to sending pictures via email, or blogging on the internet like I am doing now. Communities will be affected because there are many places that have people who can not afford to have a computer, let alone connection to the internet. This makes, things really complicated, because then the community will have citizens that are not getting the information and the news, if the print-oriented age disappears. Living in the United States, I am very lucky to have the access in internet, and not tightly censored by the government. As the United States, slowing move out of the print-oriented age and into the digitally based information age, it may limit news and information getting to other parts of the world. Everyone will be affected as this change happens, even those people that have a computer and have the internet.