'The Collective Conscience Of Reality Television, And' The Collective Conscience Of Reality Television?

Advances in technology has altered the world as we know it, and it can only progress farther. Through the minds of many intelligent and devoted individuals across time technology has developed into a twenty first century deity. A young child one hundred years ago could never envision a world like ours today, ruled by ones and zeros. The media has affected us in ways that we can’t even comprehend and will continue to steadily provide humans with a faster and faster flow of information for years to come. But what is the cost to have all of the information you can imagine at your fingertips? The exponential increase in information that we process in all forms of media is affecting the way that we live by making society more alienated.

As stated by Stanley Hyman in his 1960 article “Ideals, Dangers, and Limitations of Mass Culture,” “mass culture and television may produce an overpowering narcotic effect, relaxing the tired mind and tranquilizing the anxious . . . where there is the existence of a captive audience with no escape” (379). While Hyman was more concerned with the replacement of literature and the arts with television and cults, his statement echoes the fears of today. I am worried that cell phones, the internet, social media, texting, TV, and video games offer an alternate reality that appeals to those who wish to escape from their own reality. From my own observations, I remember seeing countless students searching Facebook during class, disinterested children at dinner toying away on

The most powerful form of mass media that we enjoy in America is the television. What we see on our T.V.’s can have very deep and profound effects on our beliefs, our life-styles and our needs and behaviors.

It is increasingly clear that media and culture today are of central importance to the maintenance and reproduction of contemporary societies. Cultures expose society to different personalities, provide models, which display various forms of societal life and cultivate various ways to introduce people into dominant forms of thought and action. These are the types of activities integrate people into society and create our public sphere. Media and technology surround our society; engrained into the fabric of our existence so much so, that it has become hard to find an aspect of life not influenced by its effects. For this reason, media controllers, wield extreme power and influence over the lives of everyday people. Although, they

People very often debate whether technology is good or bad. Many people believe that technology can only cause harm to their lives and society, while many others strongly defend the technologies which have made their lives much more leisurely and enriching than it could have been several hundred years ago. In my opinion, both of these views are correct to an extent, but I also believe that what should be examined is not whether technology in its self is good or bad, but rather how we as humans use it.For decades now, television has been accused of contributing to the dissolution of the American family and the destruction of the minds of those who watch it. However, although the TV has been involved in this, the problem roots not with

Since the proliferation of cable television and subsequent technological advances including colour, satellite, digital, Smart, and now even 3D TV, television has become a dominant force in our lifestyles. It has physically entrenched itself in our homes and psychologically engrained itself in our minds. As such, television has become an important tool “for integrating individuals into the social order, celebrating dominate values, and offering models of thought and behaviour for imitations (Winslow p. 268). Television is the medium or tool, but the programming or shows represents the pervasive messaging.

The book has two core arguments to make, one about each generation. Digital Natives, the

Growing up in the 90s, my family mainly shaped my cultural life until technological advances, such as the personal computer and colored television arrived. My family purchased a colored TV, and as a child, all I wanted to do was watch cartoons. Early on, my mother would limit the time my brother and I spent in front of the TV, and I never understood the logic behind it until recently. Similar to my family, mass media has altered how we communicate. In fact, there is an over abundance of media in present day life. For example, many households have embraced and welcomed personal computers, Ipad’s, and TV sets into their living rooms. In the American society, an average American spends about 1,600 hours a year watching television (“Characteristics of Culture 51”). As per the U.S. Census conducted last year, for many Americans, access to computers and high-speed Internet connections has never been more important. We use computers and the Internet to complete schoolwork, locate jobs, watch movies, access healthcare information, and find relationships, to name but a few of the ways that we have grown to rely on digital technologies (“Computer and Internet 2013”). In the past, families would read the newspaper or talk to a neighbor to find out about current events and information.

In the last century there have been many developments in the evolution of mass media. From the first radio commercial to invention of the television and then the use of Facebook, our mass media landscape has changed drastically in the last hundred years. In its day the radio was a major jump in mass communication. Messages were able to be delivered to many people very rapidly. Families’ even rushed home to make sure that they didn’t miss a program so that they didn’t miss what was happening in the world. When the television came along people could not believe how far we had come in just a few years. Now we could view the people that we had been listening to for the last decade. Over time the picture resolution got better stations expanded and we had access to many different forms of broadcasting up to present day when we can record our favorite programs and watch them later. Computers were later released which brought along the internet and different forms of mass media communication. And recently within the last 20 years we’ve had the release of the

In March 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, British scientist and visionary, invented one of the greatest novelties to human beings: media (Internet). The internet has become the greatest gadget to share information anywhere and with anyone, no doubt the internet’s existence has made the human life easier and more convenient. Whether you are using a computer, telephone, or tablet. There is no doubt that many people are spending more and more time online, shaping, and molding our society. Society should limit the constant exposure to the media because the influences and effects are leading to preventable and real changes. So, how is media changing society? Scientists have studied these changes and concluded that the three most interesting changes in society due to media is Compulsion Loops, Fluctuating Brain patterns, and Phantom Vibration Syndrome.

Entertainment media has had an increased presence in daily life. The routines of many Americans revolve around their television sets and gaming systems, as well as their mobile devices. The widespread use of electronic devices has lead to an increase in the amount of information known. Due to amount of devices used - about 56% of United States adults use either smartphones, tablets, computers, and/or televisions (Anderson) - people are presented with endless ways to obtain information and knowledge. However, the ability to have access to all of this information can be troublesome, as not everything that entertainment media provides is beneficial to society.

Television has greatly impacted our society in both negative and positive ways. There are compelling arguments on both sides from the way some see television as a rich source of information, education, and entertainment, while others blame it for society’s violence, obesity, and misinformation. It is an inevitable part of modern culture considering that we depend on TV to keep us updated and informed with news, weather, sports, entertainment, and information. Television has warped and revolutionized the way individuals view themselves and the environment around them by portraying unrealistic stereotypes and trying to appeal to the desired audience.

Imagine how boring people's lives will be if there is no media in the world. There is a vast variety of media popular today among young students and children. The most typical forms of media include video games, computer games and TV programs. It is an undeniable fact that media is very important in people's daily lives. However, media brings negative influences on young students to some extent. In general, it effects their education, influence the way they think, and they lives with their families. Using too much media has a negative impact on young children because it could be harmful for student test scores, behavior, and communication with family members.

Technology has become a very common device to own and utilize nowadays, whether it is a public/private computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It became very affordable and approachable as well, and has had the most influence on the 21st Century, or better described as the Digital Age. The use of media technologies has influenced in different fields in life from communication to education. It became a key tool in learning and it has also had a great impact on contemporary journalism, and how our society access to news organizations.

Technology serves as a way for people to escape, but they would simply find another way if social media was not available. The true problem is not caused by the availability of media, but the moment-to-moment decisions about where to focus energy. As mentioned in “The Judgement of Thamus”, Neil Postman states; “What we need to consider about the computer has nothing to do with its efficiency as a teaching tool. We need to know in what ways it is altering our conception of learning, and how, in conjunction with television, it undermines the old idea of school. Who cares how many boxes of cereal can be sold via television? We need to know if television changes our conception of reality, the relationship of the rich to the poor, the idea of happiness itself” (Postman). It is not about the media itself, but how it impacts the lives of others and how it can be used to boost productivity. Although it is often cited as a distraction, technology can be a major aid in becoming more efficient, as it provides resources at an extremely fast rate. As Postman says, people must adapt as technology develops and continue to change themselves along with it to properly use its positives and personally nullify its