12 Angry Men is a classic that I’ve actually read about previous to watching this film. To quickly summarize the movie, it places 12 jurors in a court who must deliberate between each other to find whether a teenage boy should be found guilty of first-degree murder. The film is pretty straight forward and has a happy ending but there are multiple overshadowed issues that are hinted during the film. In whole the film has a much deeper meaning than the gazing eye may happen to see. 12 Angry Men sheds light on issues regarding race, stereotypes, and the United States justice system.

The racial and stereotypical views and issues have caused major issues in our country and it is ever so true in the film 12 Angry Men. 11 jurors came to the conclusion that a young Puerto Rican boy was to be found guilty even with a lack of evidence because he basically fit a description and was falsely testified against. Look our nation and how easily people are racial stereotyped, its a real and scary thing for minorities. We are look at as “capable” for certain crimes so it isn’t hard to pinpoint us as suspects. Calling the Puerto Rican boy guilty was the easy decision and that is what all but one agreed to do. The one juror who decided to be different by voting guilty and seeing that there were holes in the witness statement shows that sometimes all you need is one person to make a change. The minority in a situation can have a voice, it is just about having the strength to go against the norm because you will face backlash for your decision.

The United States justice system is flawed in many areas but that is a much deeper conversation to get into another time. Just touching on the subject of the justice system and juries, you have people who are in positions to change someone’s life forever without much care because of selfish desires. In 12 Angry Men you had an individual who only wanted to make a decision so they could attend a baseball game. A jury can altering a beings entire livelihood and walk away like nothing ever happen. With jury duty there has to be some type of accountability that comes with it, if people have no care then they can’t judge something. The most interesting thing within the film is that even with all the arguing and opinions that were thrown around during the trial, at the end the jurors went there different directions with no animosity towards one another. The deeper meaning behind 12 Angry Men is that in any case there must be a sense of responsibility, unity, and understanding or we will all fall. DON’T BE SCARED TO BE DIFFERENT !

The uses and gratification of media provide us fans with an escape and an alternate reality in which we can be whoever we want to be for a moment in time. Being a fan of something brings you into a community of others like you. I’m a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and have been for years, when I meet other Buccaneer fans its an automatic approval of momentarily friendship. Fandom is a close-knit community and the media knows that so they highlight fanbases with different events and social gatherings.

The gratification that comes from being a fan and seeing the media praise you creates an alternate reality for most. Media gratification blocks all a lot of negativity one can be going through and it brings immediate joy. Many people do seek an alternate reality and I think the biggest forms of obtaining that is online gaming and social media. Social media has various platforms in which an individual can recreate who they are to the outside world. Many of us can type things online that we would never say in a person-to-person conversation. The gratification that comes from typing and not having to physically see the viewer is a thing that many people chase and that is thanks to the media. Online gaming is growing at a fire rate and it is because of how globally widespread it is. With online gaming you create a platform of who ‘you’ are, you can willingly join a community in which you are nobody and eventually become somebody. In these gaming communities you create a new you and whenever you are gaming, that person that you create becomes real.

The online gaming community can be a blessing or a curse because it is not hard to create a reputation especially the more skilled you are. The top gamers across different games across the world compete against one another and can be recognized for their accomplishments. These gaming competitions are watched worldly and individual gamers have fanbases themselves. Pro gaming is a profession thanks to the media and even in gaming there are community laws. Cheating and hacking are two immediate actions that can destroy a gamers reputation and ultimately get you banned from partaking in future events. It is actually comical to me that the media has created a virtual platform in which anybody can be anybody and still there is judgement between peers.

The use and gratification theory is truth and our society today amplifies that fact. The media is our outlet to find acceptance in life. Being part of a fanbase or joining a gaming community brings confidence and pleasure to individuals. We seek what we can’t have and sometimes just viewing something, even though we can’t obtain it, it brings a sense of gratification. People just want to be accepted, the problem is that everybody has a different personality and sometimes personalities are not compatible.

Questions for thought:

Would you say that who you are on social media emphasizes who you are in reality?

Do you express your true feelings on media?

Do you sometimes find yourself indulging in the false lifestyle norms the media portrays?

News media is so important for our society. This is how our society is informed of what events are currently, recently or to eventually happen. The problem with news media is that different stations are biased. The worst thing that ever to news stations is the injection of influences, funding and political views. Funding, I believe, is the biggest of all issues because the world revolves around money and every business/organization news a revenue stream to stay in business. Here is a scenario to help better understand my previous statement. Imagine if CNN received an annual investment from Coca-Cola then at some point in that year Coca-Cola is found to be involved in a scandal of some sort. Now CNN is a reliable source of news for millions of people all over the world, CNN must deliver the story but they’ll probably bend the truth in areas and try to minimize the situation to keep their investors happy. Scenarios as such are not uncommon and that is why people often have their reliable news sources.

Probably the two biggest news stations are CNN and Fox News both are enormously influenced by political parties and this past election outlined that. Fox News is viewed as leaning right and because of that the station is loved by Republicans. In a survey done by Business Insider asking responders to choose the most and least bias news stations, Fox News was viewed as the most bias new station for said Democrats but then the least bias for said Republicans. On the other scope, CNN was viewed as the most bias for said Republicans and was at the top tier for least bias with said Democrats. Then you have MSNBC which holds a tier in the middle of the field. Holding middle ground is not something that individuals like, they want a right or wrong answer and if that can’t be achieved then they want you to pick a side. MSNBC doesn’t do either of these so, it comes as no surprise that the network received negative feedback from both political parties. The question that resides is how can news programs that are supposedly spreading the same message have such different views to viewers. The media decides what points of interest to maximize and minimize, sides are chosen with many topics and issues of the world, and in effect you have individuals that form positions based on what the media highlights.

I am not much into politics so when it comes to watching the news I don’t have much a personal bias nor do I pay attention much to what they initially speak on. I always let the news play out before deciding what is right or wrong and if the news is that important to me then I will do my own research to find my answers before believing anyone else. The media has proven to just be a race for facts and because of that you’ll often receive misleading or even completely false information. In a world that rely so heavily on media coverage, who do we as the people turn for the truth?

Questions for response:

What news station do you watch on a regular?

Have you ever heard completely false information from the news?

The media is disturbingly too powerful and it is due to the lack of knowledge from individuals. As a society we have put so much faith into the media for just about anything, from how to raise our kids to where we are visiting next. The media has cancelled out self-guidance and self-experiences needed to help people better understand life and their lives specifically. We live in a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ society and the media amplifies that. We idolize celebrities, we invest into fictional characters, and we even choose occupations from the media. Generation Z and millennials are adding fuel to the fire because of how these groups want things delivered. Everything for gen Z and millennials is about speed and efficiency, the best place to get both those wants is the media and it brings dilemma because the truth is often bent within media.

The media works against our knowledge and fills our minds with how they want us to perceive things. Just look at the various news stations (CNN, NMBC, FOX) they all are relatively distributing the same message but based on various external factors they’ll highlight or shadow particular messages. It is scary that finding the truth takes massive amounts of self investigation because you never know what is being hidden from you.

Going back to how the media has formed many different perceptions on life and watching ‘The Human Behavior Experiment’ it made me think of the Stanford Prison Experiment were people volunteered to engage in a prison experiment in which individuals were picked as prisoner or guard and told to act on their free will but no physical violence. The said experiment was suppose to last two weeks but after just six days the experiment was terminated due to emotional breakdown of prisoners and excessive aggression of guards. I referred to this because how do people play a role as guard or prisoner when they have never been in prison or worked as guards. The answer to that is the way the media has portrayed these roles. These people involved in these experiments created the role based on how the media has shown these roles. Social roles and stereotypes are also highly influenced through media.

The media has become a wrecking ball of destruction on the minds of simple minded individuals. Youth are sponges of the media because of how much time they spend on several social media platforms. The mind is not something to play with and I feel that the media purposely preys on its targets knowing they can easily be manipulated.

The media controls various aspects of of society reaching from social norms to politics to economy. The way that the media adjust and misconstrue popular trends does bring many skeptical thoughts.

Motion pictures were first presented to society in New York City in 1888 by Thomas Edison. It brought a visual element to storytelling and literature. Something new and exciting that people could collectively join in viewing. The power of motion pictures I believe caused a change in how people viewed others. Instead of always listening to information or entertainment you could see it and some say that seeing is believing.

Motion pictures provide audiences with the ability to travel the world, experience tragedy, love and several other emotions without leaving a theater. Motion pictures are all over the world and easily accessible. Society loves motion pictures but the collective amusement of sitting in a movie theater and enjoying a movie is dying in our world. Generation Z and millennials have formed a society that wants things instantaneously and at their own leisure. Motion pictures will still be a thing but when it comes to movie release dates and the attraction of a movie theater, I believe in the next 20 years it will be a dying business. If we look back at history, live attractions were at the epicenter of entertainment. Even as far back to the Roman empire and coliseums. Live entertainment slowly died out because of changes in the wants of generations and you can say the same for the viewing of live motion pictures.

I am a heavy movie lover and I’ve enjoyed that sort of entertainment but I don’t necessarily enjoy going to theaters. I’ve lost the passion and interest of theaters because I just don’t have the time anymore.

How often do you go to the movies?

Social media is the greatest and worst thing that has ever happen to a society and its because of the the ability it has to create a movement. Headlines of social media did not take place until the early 2000,s, in 2004 MySpace was the first social media site to reach a million monthly active users. This milestone was astonishing because you can look at it as almost a start to technology. People were now able to access and delivering information instantly to millions of people. The problem with social media is that anybody can post so legitimacy is always a question of thought. Information is a powerful thing and an individual or even a group can alter an opinion to seem as truth. Most of us, if not all, are active on various social media platforms and information is often given with no proof. We the users are in charge of our beliefs behind what we see, the issue is that we are easily influenced by the actions and doings of those we see as equals or idolize. I’m at fault in that case, I’ve jumped to conclusions without evidence because their was a similar opinion between my peers that I judged as truth.

Social media has created a false image on just about everything in society. Our trends are fabricated by the upper-class we see on social media, our decisions of what to wear, what to eat, what to look like, who to call friends and etc are derived through social media. The negatives of social media are infinite because of how many opinions you have to filter through before finding a reality.

Politics and social issues are two of the most recent topics that social media has inflamed the already have many controversial beliefs. We’ve seen how Donald Trump has used social media as a platform to deliver false information to the entire world. Politicians and various news networks have thrown out opinions and false accusations that have caused huge uproar by individuals and organizations. The biggest social issues that we have today in America are social injustice and police brutality of African Americans. Social media has brought that to light, people can’t hide anymore what they are doing. A video at any time can be on you and be broadcasted to the entire world as a moments notice and due to that it has shown us what is really going on in America.

Social media is not all negative. It can and has been used as a platform that brings together like minded individuals to speak on common ideas.

As the above image outlines, they’re several branches that are positives of social media. The two biggest for me are relationships and awareness. With millions of users with instant access to each other you can meet just anybody no matter their social class. Awareness is huge in social media because information is literally at the click of a finger. The entire world today is no accessible and that is great in part to social media.

Some questions for thought:

Do you use social media as your main platform for daily news and social events of the world?

Has social media given you false information that took you a long time to figure out the truth?

If not social media, how else would you know what is going on in the world?

Televisions were first created in March of 1925 by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird. The television was so revolutionary because for the first time people could watch motion pictures and silhouette images. As the years pasted the television was constantly being re-created and you want from regular black and white images to now color. Having theses images in color created a new realm for the television and with the never-ending advances in technology you saw the constant innovation being placed into televisions. Look at modern day now, you can literally speak to these machines and they will listen. You have pre-installed applications, downloadable content, internet access, global access and etc. The innovations within televisions are amazing but why do it seem to a certain extent that the use ‘regular’ television is dying? When I say regular I am referring to the use of digital television not streaming services or subscriptions.

I remember growing up as a child and checking the daily television guide to see when my favorite TV show was coming on so I could tune in. Now I don’t even think to pick up a remote unless I’m watching a live sporting event. The reason for that is the society that we live in today.

The above chart shows that digital antenna television is soon to be non-existent with the access to streaming services and subscriptions. Especially with the rise of generation Z and millennial’s, they have created a want for an instantaneous society. With gen Z and millennial’s being the future of the world, society must adjust to the desires of them. People no longer have the patience or desire to wait! You see this across everything in life now. E-commerce has become the biggest market in the world thanks to the laziness of us. Streaming services and subscriptions allows users access to hundreds maybe even thousands of shows at just a click of a button, you no longer have to wait for a specific time for a show of your choosing to air.

Music brings a vast array of emotions, actions and mental thought. Their is power in music and in the 21st century in which we live in, that statement becomes even realer. Our advances in technology have proven that words, sounds and rhythms can cause someone to change. Music for me has always been something that I needed to spark certain emotions, I’ve been an athlete for my entire college career and pregame music provides an energy boost for me. I have an emotional attachment to some songs in which help fuel my in-game performance so in a way you can say that my actions are persuaded by music.

Everybody has emotions and different ways of coping to different scenarios. Music can cause sadness , create anger, bring joy and etc. Listening to music can make you feel more relaxed, but in some cultures, it’s actually used to ease pain. Science all but confirms that humans are hard-wired to respond to music. Studies also suggest that someday music may even help patients heal from Parkinson’s disease or a stroke.

In the 21st century music has broaden and reached great elevations. The development of new musical technology can accredit to that.

Some questions to spark discussion:

How will music be different or altered 10 years from now? With every decade that past, music has shown great changes.

What genre of music would you say gives you “power”?

Do you feel that music doesn’t alter emotions? Why?