one concept i found extremely interesting was that of the influence of television, which was covered in the beginning of the chapter. i've always had a love-hate relationship with television. as a woman of color whose worldview doesn't always coincide with the dominant culture, there are times i find television to be EXTREMELY troubling. i suppose i'm believer in the powerful effects model which theorizes that receivers of television are relatively passive, accepting the many messages tv is feeding them which in turn informs how one thinks. i think it important to remain vigilant and maintain an awareness of the biases involved in the production of television programs which is a for profit endeavor. i think the powerful effects model is ESPECIALLY true for children and young people, many of whom have yet to develop the critical thinking skills needed to negotiate the powerful messages television bombards them with.
i think it important to also mention the media in light of the u.s.public health emergency over the swine flu. the initial television reports i've seen are contributing to community panic. i've seen several reports suggesting that the best protection is to take tamiflu, a pharmacutical antiviral whereas the cdc website is offering measures such as washing one's hands, the use of hand sanitizer and the avoidance of public spaces where exposure might be high.
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Hi nyp:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in regards to what you stated in your blog about television. In your blog, you argued, “I believe in the powerful effects model which theorizes that receivers of television are relatively passive, accepting the many messages TV is feeding them which in turn informs how one thinks. I think it is important to remain vigilant and maintain an awareness of the biases involved in the production of television programs which is a for profit endeavor.”
I am amazed at some people who accept anything and everything they hear on the TV, in the newspaper or on the radio as a fact and then incorporate it as a rule in their life. For example, my husband is famous for telling me this or that is good for you. When I ask him what is his source, he will tell me, today I heard it on the television or the radio. I then have to explain to him, I will not accept that statement/fact because I believe there is no solid evidence by any medical doctor that taking melatonin before you go to bed will help you sleep.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI agree there is a definite misleading effect that television and media play on us all especially our youth. It is very true that the basis of all the programming we see is a for profit venture. Without the opportunities to make money the television media would not exist. Television is so influential telling us through commercials what we should buy, who we should like and the most scary but true, who we should be. Reality programs have taken a huge role in todays world but they don't often resemble our true reality. The swine flu scare has people in a panic. My sister freaked out when her throat started hurting yesterday and was convinced she had swine flu so she went to the doctor today. They are using scare tactics to make us tune in. This is very similar to when bird flu, Sars, and the pandemic flu was publicized a while back.