- Informs us
- Influences us in opinions and dictates much of what we choose to talk about
- Expands our personal experience of life by giving us an understanding of what it feels like to be a participant in something we would probably otherwise not have the chance to have perceived in our lifetime.
- Sets a standard for the norm; provides us with examples (inaccurate or not) of how people look, feel, dress and speak, or of how things in a society work or function.
- Shows us advertising; influences our buying habits
- Entertains us
I chose this video from the popular YouTube channel, Vsauce, titled "Does The Internet Make Us More Alone?"
For this assignment
- Discuss which role(s) of mass media is/are discussed.
- Discuss how the roles are explored.
- Consider whether the article/video observes changes in the roles, offers criticism that the roles are not being met, etc.
- Discuss the article/video's position.
- Indicate whether you think the media being discussed is actually mass media and why you think it is. Also include your own viewpoint of the article/video and whether you agree or disagree with the article/video's position.
Now, just in case you are curious and would like to learn more about what Vsauce does, I will put a link to Micheal's channel here, so that you can check out his videos and gain a better understand of what he does. He makes science-/information-based, educational videos on the Internet for a living now and a large portion of his income consists of the checks he gets from Google through his YouTube partnership, where he gets paid a fluctuating rate based off of the number of video views he accumulates over a certain period of time. Basically it all comes back to the advertisements that appear before, during or after his videos, as well as the ones that show up next to the YouTube sidebar—but, I am really running on a tangent now and if I go any further than this I am going to distract you from the true purpose of this post! (Just trust me, he makes good stuff... 'nough said?)
I know that the person talking in this video, Micheal, is somewhat more experienced in creating and managing social media and the more interactive and feedback capable form of media, the YouTube video, as appose to to actual mass media, but I feel that many of the opinions he shares with us are applicable to things like Newspaper and the radio as well. (I'm sorry. It told us to choose something we found interesting! Out of all the things I read and viewed, this was the one I liked the most.) I will try my best to make a comparison of how the things he says apply to mass media the best I can.
Now onto the real mark-able portion of the assignment where I discuss the examples of the effects of mass media that are being described through this video:
I guess that I have already talked about how advertising has made an appearance in the video through the methods mentioned above, but other than that, Micheal really didn't say anything about how the Internet or mass media make use of advertising.
Micheal's videos are all about suppling us with information. If there ever is an organization that is to be considered number one in explaining how things in the universe come into being, their purpose and how they work, my vote's on Vsauce. However, mass media does more than that. According to Micheal, when he talked about visiting the Flat Earth's Society's webpage, he said, "In reading their forums and arguing with their viewers, I learned a lot more about [Einstein's theory of] relativity, and Lorentz contractions, and all this stuff that didn't have a reason before. It was just information—now it's useful..." Perhaps the same thing could be said about mass media.
If we become more open to receiving information—like Micheal said he was—even if our views don't match that of the media producer's, we can still find ourselves learning something we didn't know or discovering a way of thinking that we never knew exists. In that sense, by being open, we allow ourselves to expand on our personal experience of life. If we listen to a mother of a murder or hate-crime victim speak about her struggles in coping with the loss of her son, then we can develop a feeling of what it is like to live the life of people dealing with the issues that woman faced.
Of course, after we watch, listen to, or read a story that really makes a strong impact on us, then it can also come to the point where it begins to influence our opinions. Micheal said, "I also think that because the Internet allows us to discover new and different viewpoints, it also allows us to meet people who think exactly the way we do." Through mass media, not only do we get to have our opinions changed, but we also tend to organize ourselves into groups of similar-minded people, who have been re-shaped in the same way. Within these groups, the common ground you have with people is the fact that you all: watch that new show, read that hot-selling book, etc. So obviously the common form of mass media in which you consume is going to influence what you talk about or what you may or may not choose to say around these individuals.
The video does speak vaguely about how mass media, through the form of the Internet, sets standards which create a picture of what is to be considered normal to us in real life. Micheal suggests that you may find more people who agree with you on the Internet, than you would in real life. I feel that search engines play a big role in this because they allow you to ask questions and to search topics where you are more likely to find groups of people who are all arriving at the same destination, looking for the same thing. For example, if you search "I love unicorns" then you will more-than-likely be directed to webpages filled with people who share the same passion and love for unicorns that you do (if you do.) Thus from visiting those kinds of websites, and noting the boundless enthusiasm these people have for the mythical creatures, you may begin to think, "Gosh, I guess I never really even realized just how much society loves unicorns!" Yet, when in the real world, the percentage of people who love unicorns may be slimmer than what you are lead to believe.
The last key role of social media that is said to be the most important to some people is entertainment. If the form of media we fallowed wasn't in the least bit entertaining to us, then we probably wouldn't be watching, listening to or reading it in the first place! However, Vsauce says very little about entertainment when speaking about their experience in working with mass media. I guess that I could say that I find their content quite interesting and entertaining, myself, but I can't speak for the rest of their viewers. (Some people might report feel bored or annoyed while watching one of Micheal's videos!) But other than that, I can't really say much else about this key concept from having watched Thinker's video on Vsause. Sorry!
Micheal's videos are all about suppling us with information. If there ever is an organization that is to be considered number one in explaining how things in the universe come into being, their purpose and how they work, my vote's on Vsauce. However, mass media does more than that. According to Micheal, when he talked about visiting the Flat Earth's Society's webpage, he said, "In reading their forums and arguing with their viewers, I learned a lot more about [Einstein's theory of] relativity, and Lorentz contractions, and all this stuff that didn't have a reason before. It was just information—now it's useful..." Perhaps the same thing could be said about mass media.
If we become more open to receiving information—like Micheal said he was—even if our views don't match that of the media producer's, we can still find ourselves learning something we didn't know or discovering a way of thinking that we never knew exists. In that sense, by being open, we allow ourselves to expand on our personal experience of life. If we listen to a mother of a murder or hate-crime victim speak about her struggles in coping with the loss of her son, then we can develop a feeling of what it is like to live the life of people dealing with the issues that woman faced.
Of course, after we watch, listen to, or read a story that really makes a strong impact on us, then it can also come to the point where it begins to influence our opinions. Micheal said, "I also think that because the Internet allows us to discover new and different viewpoints, it also allows us to meet people who think exactly the way we do." Through mass media, not only do we get to have our opinions changed, but we also tend to organize ourselves into groups of similar-minded people, who have been re-shaped in the same way. Within these groups, the common ground you have with people is the fact that you all: watch that new show, read that hot-selling book, etc. So obviously the common form of mass media in which you consume is going to influence what you talk about or what you may or may not choose to say around these individuals.
The video does speak vaguely about how mass media, through the form of the Internet, sets standards which create a picture of what is to be considered normal to us in real life. Micheal suggests that you may find more people who agree with you on the Internet, than you would in real life. I feel that search engines play a big role in this because they allow you to ask questions and to search topics where you are more likely to find groups of people who are all arriving at the same destination, looking for the same thing. For example, if you search "I love unicorns" then you will more-than-likely be directed to webpages filled with people who share the same passion and love for unicorns that you do (if you do.) Thus from visiting those kinds of websites, and noting the boundless enthusiasm these people have for the mythical creatures, you may begin to think, "Gosh, I guess I never really even realized just how much society loves unicorns!" Yet, when in the real world, the percentage of people who love unicorns may be slimmer than what you are lead to believe.
The last key role of social media that is said to be the most important to some people is entertainment. If the form of media we fallowed wasn't in the least bit entertaining to us, then we probably wouldn't be watching, listening to or reading it in the first place! However, Vsauce says very little about entertainment when speaking about their experience in working with mass media. I guess that I could say that I find their content quite interesting and entertaining, myself, but I can't speak for the rest of their viewers. (Some people might report feel bored or annoyed while watching one of Micheal's videos!) But other than that, I can't really say much else about this key concept from having watched Thinker's video on Vsause. Sorry!