12 angry men was a strange yet interesting look into group think and just what a group as a whole can have on a person’s ideals and values. As people we don’t wish to stick out from the norm. It honestly scares most, if not all, of us in one way or another. In 12 Angry men they explore this idea and see just what one different opinion can do to change the tide of one’s mind and maybe even allow others to see that sometimes speaking up is the right thing to do. Despite the circumstances with the given legal surroundings and consequences.

I feel as though the look into this movie was a perfect sum up of this semester. Despite the subject matter, we’d always have a reference point within the lesson to look upon to show just what we were studying and how it works within the given space. Whether it be 12 Angry Men, The Twilight Zone, or whatever.

As a visual learner i found this crucial. It’s easy enough for a professor to just give a lesson or lecture and spew out information to the students, but it’s another to interact and give feedback with material that pertains to the lesson so it gives a good reference to the students. That’s one of the reasons why i enjoyed this class so much.

Despite my rough start and somewhat lackluster end to the semester due to lack of motivation and time management, the professor was always there to help me if i emailed ahead of time, even working with me on my essay when i needed the help. I honestly wish there were better circumstances in which i could have done better in the class, but all i can really do is say thank you to Nick for helping me when i needed it!

As we’ve continued on with the Mass Media course we’ve primarily focused on that of the news, radio, and things of the like that help us with seeing, or even not seeing, the true world around us. Though, as we move into the final days of the course, we’ve begun to look more into more personal media consumption, some of which being TV shows and movies. Though this week we’ve moved into the more scientific reasoning as to why we use these as a means of escape or even rest.

This week we’ve talked about gratification theory and how it may explain just why we enjoy what we enjoy in our free time, or even tapping into the previous subjects like news and radio. Gratification theory explores the idea that we use the media to either escape, unwind, seeing ourselves in the media we consume (hence making us want to continue “connecting” with said character), personal identity, and more.

As a person who found it interesting that we, as a class, were discussing fandoms and shows of the modern era was honestly pretty interesting! Although i probably should have seen that coming in a media class, it’s a rarity (at least for me) to see much recent events occur in class and discussed.

This week’s subject actually put things into alignment for me. I had never truly thought of why we as people enjoy what we enjoy. I suppose a part of me just thought it was just the way things were and didn’t have an explanation. This especially put in perspective one of the more recent fandom incidences, that being the announcement in the show Supernatural that one of the main characters, male, had fallen in love with another main character, also male.

This may seem a bit out of place and it may be a bit strange to bring up, but as a person who had been in the fandom way back when, then gave up on it around the 5th season, to hear about now, in 2020, when i had lost interest back in 2009 was such a shock.

For me this serves as a perfect example of Gratification theory. On the grounds that after nearly 15 years since it aired back in 2005 that the simple announcement of a character’s feelings in the show Supernatural finally being canonical in the series got trending on Twitter and blew up the internet above the presidential election.

This series, although being as old as it is, got people interested enough to 1.) research it even when outside the fandom, and 2.) sympathize and even criticize the characters. I feel as though this is seriously the most modern look onto Gratification theory i could find.

Although i’m not in the supernatural fandom anymore, i find this extremely fascinating and even funny as far as the timing goes. I suppose my only question is,

Are there any fandoms you’re in, or used to be in that you feel fit in with Gratification Theory? Why?

When it comes to the Media, there’s no doubt that there’s a percentage of control over what we see and how that may affect us, but as years go on it’s shown that ethics are slowly becoming less and less of a priority in said media. With more and more news outlets showing us simply what they believe will get them clicks and what would save face, where does that leave ethics? Should the government crack down on such antics? That’s what we learned during class this week.

When reading the chapter for this week, looking specifically at 14.3 when talking about News and the Media, we see the chapter goes on to speak about the push for distribution rather than getting the information first. “Newsrooms are asking their staffs to focus on producing first accounts more quickly to feed multiple platforms. This often means that more resources go into distributing information than gathering it”

This goes onto be another point within the chapter, explaining that there is much more intrusive behavior within Newsrooms, publications, and editorial rooms. With outlets being so focused within the realm of being the first to report a story, there’s little to no room for those being reported on. Not only this but this also leads into the topic of human error. With the speeds of which reporters and editors are pushing News stories to get the first interactions of their, and other, viewers there’s no telling what information they could get incorrect in that window of time.

For example. One of the more recent celebrity tragedies, that being the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a helicopter crash, was miss-informed on ABC News. Not only affecting the intake of information of the viewer, but ultimately impacting the lives of the Bryant family.

Letting such a large issue of a family, no matter how famous, get so skewed simply because a news outlet wanted to be the first to report on it is simply irresponsible and negligent to the victims involved. Another example of this being of the same story but of another news station. Becoming somewhat of a domino effect all because of “time restraints”.

Can you imagine just how the mother of Kobe’s daughter’s must have felt if her daughters weren’t immediately by her side to disprove that news story? What of all the local news stations covering the same story? Should they be held responsible for their actions on this family even IF they’re news stations? Personally, i believe so.

Since the breakout of the utter conglomerate that is media of the modern age there’s been sparked debate on just what adverse affects continued viewing and partaking in media would do to the human mind and its thoughts about the world. Even how people who are in control of the media may use this to their advantage.

It’s no secret that media today plays a huge role in how the world has ended up today. From the minuscule micro ad to what shows may be put into your algorithm for you to watch next, there’s no denying that the media in the modern age pushes the boundaries of what should and shouldn’t be shown. Though as of recent, we’ve found a much more pressing issue when it comes to the idea of the media. That being who is using and pushing what we see when it comes to the news and what we may see as “the bigger issue”?

This very idea is shown in the Agenda setting theory. In the textbook, it’s perfectly described as this “Under this theory, the issues that receive the most attention from media become the issues that the public discusses, debates, and demands action on.” Meaning that the things we may be shown online, on TV, watching the News, may not be the things that are truly the issue but, in fact, what the media outlets showing said news wants us to focus on.

This poses a bit of an issue in the grand scheme of things. Seeing as many news outlets rely on viewer attention, what’s stopping them from pushing away the real issues that plague today and pushing forward the smaller issues that some, if not most, may deem as minor issues in comparison?

I remember when I was in High School I had taken a previous Mass Media course where we had discussed this very topic. My teacher for that class, despite his love for the media, newspapers, radio, etc, had shared with us that ever since the starting days of media corporations were simply pushing forward these grim and dark stories simply because they knew it would gain viewers. Although this seemed a bit ridiculous to me at the time, over the course of the few years i started going to college, it really began to sink in that some of these new stories may, in fact, be pushed for those same reasons.

While that isn’t to say certain stories are fabricated, what is to be said is that the news stations and radio stations have a choice of what stories they choose to push. Whether or not it’s about some celebrities life rather than the true plagues going on in modern times is another story.

Although it may seem, if not completely true, that the media has control over most of our lives, do you believe it should stay like this? Should there be a limit as to what these stations may have a choice in showing to their viewers?

There’s no doubt that Movies have had a major impact on the world around us. In my personal opinion, i believe it’s one of the original pillars of not only media but also art in the new age. As a kid myself, TV and Movies were the thing that got me into art, so i’m sure that there are like instances.

Though Movies have paved the way for other art such as TV and other forms of media, it didn’t start off that way. When it came to starting such a large business venture, there were obviously obstacles in the way. As we had discussed in class, it wasn’t as if the entire Movie empire had a base to start and everyone knew what to do, of course not. Instead, the movie industry and, in turn, the big five that dominated said industry, had to make a name for themselves all on their own. Directors, Actors and Actresses, Stories to tell, Theaters to show the films, it all had to come into fruition despite there being no real starting point but rock bottom

Though, as time wore on, it was only a matter of time before the government were to crack down on the monopolies that the big five movie companies had on the entirety of the movie industry. With the lack of movie theaters that guarantied the viewing of certain films made by the big five, they subsequently had to move on to other, more financial, ventures when it came to their movies.

Flashing forward to precent day where there seems to be a rise of a new “big five” in the form of streaming services, it’s sad to see shows that once used to be public now in the custody of a streaming service that you may or may not have on hand.

Things are moving forward in the Movie industry that may lead to history repeating itself in a new way. Things aren’t as they used to be and i’m personally a bit worried but intrigued.

Social media, just like the internet, has had its runs with mixed reviews despite its relatively short lifetime. Though, in my opinion, with the continued revolution when it comes to cellphones and the like, there’s been quite the serge in both popularity and adverse affects on the user’s psyche. For example, with the increase of younger and younger generations getting their hands on cellphones and, in turn, social media, there’s been quite the spike in confidence issues and depression in said younger generation.

Although social media, like the internet, has its pros and its cons, there are still things that drag it down as far as ethics go and its affects towards others. One of the biggest affects that plague’s modern social media is that of said social medias mining data of its users to use and sell towards advertisers. This is pretty messed up in itself, but the idea that people entrusted with private information sells that information to other strangers is just bazaar and downright scary.

With sites like Facebook having started this trend of using social media posts to target advertising, its been known for quite some time that other sites followed in turn. Instagram, Snapchat, and the like using certain things you post to target things you may have been, or are, interested in buying. It may seem harmless in the long run but honestly what else could this be leading to?

What do you think? Will data mining lead to other things that may pose a threat to us in the future?

The internet has had mixed reviews over the course of its surprisingly short runtime. With people arguing that it’s beneficial, useful and downright needed in modern day society. While others saying that it’s a burden, things were easier before it, and it’s just caused more trouble. Who’s right and who’s wrong? Well, i’d like to believe that it’s a mix of both.

The internet, in my opinion, is much more of a grey area than most people like to believe. With the increased use of the internet in modern times we can certainly see those issues and successes come too fruition. The internet undoubtably brings people together and spreads many more opinions than used to be shared. Though, this brings its own faults into play. Just how good is having everyone, and everything shown on the internet? how far is too far and where should we draw the line as far as censorship?

Well it’s been widely know that, as long as the internet has been a topic, that children will find their way onto and around it, being privy to things that really shouldn’t be viewed by children. It’s become so widely known that even adults use this to their advantage on sites such as youtube to push “children’s content” that isn’t so much content for kids but rather using widely known characters to attract children’s attention and gain notoriety. Eventually gaining profit from such views.

One such example is that of “Elsagate” back a few years ago on YouTube. This was a time where channels on YouTube would skate by the censorship bots on youtube and gain millions to BILLIONS of views on YouTube Kids by making crude, disgusting, and downright inappropriate videos marketed towards kids. Many channels on the platform who had caught wind of this had put forward complaints to youtube’s team to take these videos down, censoring the imagery that these “kids channels”. Though, the creators of such “kids channels” had argued that they hadn’t, in fact, made these videos for kids but were marketing them towards adults, hence why they weren’t penalized by YouTube’s team.

This, for me, is a prime example of one of the core issues with the internet in modern times. With such immediate and fast technology, we gain access to that of the web, but at the same time, there doesn’t seem to be a bar of censorship that draws the line. There’s no in-between yet, and just like we had discussed in class, while there’s a wide variety of content on the internet, there hasn’t been much in the way of censorship as of yet. We rely on certain people to do this for us. Which, in turn, hurts those in charge of such a steep task. There’s isn’t a line in the sand, and if things like these don’t go unchecked, then what may happen in the future?

Television has undoubtably swept the nation as a result of the more modern era. Taking everything that made radio great and elevating it with visuals, it was only a matter of time before Television became the cornerstone of entertainment for years to come.

Just as Radio had been in the past, the more high class models of TV sets had been much more expensive to get. Prices going as high as 600 dollars for a simple set. This would amount to a very small minority of privileged people to gain access to anything related to the media of television. Though, as time went on, as most things do, TV became more widely available, more and more companies coming out in the 30’s to late 40’s with new channels for television.

With the expansion of the television on the rise, it was only a matter of time before people started seeing profit where TV lay. With the rise of Television there were, of course those who sought to use it to sell products, which in turn allowed television companies to be sponsored, bringing more and more capitalistic ideals into the mix.

Though, along with the barrage of commercials of modern, and even past Television, there is no doubt that television had, and still has, brought many talented people into the light.

One such person is that of Rod Sterling. A man taken too early in his prime and a man who paved the way for modern day film and television. With his works of The Twilight Zone especially, it seems that there’s always some trace of his work in modern media.

In my personal experience, Rod Sterling’s work on The Twilight Zone even shaped me and my class at a young age. One of my middle school teachers, when we had finished our work, would allow us to watch one episode of the Twilight Zone. And although this hasn’t much to do with what i’ve said above, it’s still interesting to see that the show still holds up to this day!

As an Artist, Music plays a major role in my life. Not only does it serve as inspiration for my work, but also it brings different ideas that I hadn’t once thought before into mind. This is mostly the case for nearly everyone who listens to music, no matter the genre, and it’s easy to see why. Music isn’t just an inspiration to others, but it’s an art form within itself which is a beautiful thing in my opinion.

Music tends to be a way for others to share life experiences, sharing personal feelings that some may see as just that, personal, but in a way that can truly affect the listener. This has become a much bigger theme in modern times when there are more than enough things to talk about, personal or otherwise. Though, that isn’t to say that we all have the same experiences in these times, but that’s what makes music so fascinating! Even if two separate people had the same exact experience, they could each write a song in two different genres that could display two totally different tones and auras around that situation. It’s something that i don’t think people think a lot about but it’s certainly something really makes you think in my opinion.

We may not all be in the same boat, but we are certainly all in the same storm, and with music it allows us to truly expand upon the many ideas in the world and it’s a truly beautiful thing!