Hyperbole is the first device that postman uses. The title Amusing Ourselves to Death is a good example. Of course it would be very difficult to actually kill yourself with amusement, but the point he is trying to get across is that our culture responds to entertainment more than to facts. He further shows how this is true in chapter 9 – Reach out and Elect Someone when he states that, “... it was not until the 1950’s that the television commercial made linguistic discourse obsolete as the basis for product decisions. By substituting images for claims, the pictorial commercial made emotional appeal, not tests of truth, the basis of consumer decisions.” (Pg.
In ther essay, Winn describes television as a “decline of family life in America” and “damaging to family relationships”. Although she obtains strong supporting evidence within her work, I find pleasure in contradicting her opinion as she misinterprets the influence of television upon American families. In her essay she states her opinion of television’s influence upon modern day families. Winn questions her readers as she uses the statements, ”When do they talk about what they did that day? When do they make plans, exchange, views, share jokes, tell about their triumphs or little disasters?
Alexa Forbes Period 4 Ms. K <3 Technology and the Affects in American Society In American society today, there seems to be a conflict about whether technology, including T.V. and the internet, has a positive or negative effect on people. In her article, “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” Amy Goldwasser claims that the internet has changed society for the better. Additionally, in the article “Watching T.V Makes You Smarter,” by Steven Johnson, he asserts that watching television can intellectually stimulate a person’s mind. Both authors address the emotional health effects of society from T.V.
All around us, we can see a lot of propaganda ads on television, magazine, newspaper, and etc. What is propaganda? In the article by Ann McClintock, it states that propaganda “is a systematic effort to influence people’s opinions, to win them over to a certain view or side.” I believe we have been influenced by the propaganda advertisements. Some psychologists’ point of view consider that propaganda are in fact changing our mind and heart, because they make our spirits full of material desires. For instance, sometimes we purchase something that we don’t even need because of our desire.
The negotiated reading is when the audience does understand the intended meaning of a media text, but still chooses to reject it. For example, Once Upon A Time is a television show which tries to reinvent and intertwine the widely known fairytales within our culture. A negotiated reading would say that the text can be understood in terms of what the intended reading is, but the text isn't entirely believable because of things such as narrative and the technical and visual codes which leaves it lacking suture. There are many factors which impact an audiences reading of a media text. The demographic of an audience is one of them.
Those most affected by these trends and ideas, as delivered through mass media, are youth and young adults. The balance of this society can be considered non-mainstream and more traditional and practical in their thinking. Product and concept companies utilize the media in promoting their ideas and trends, and they use famous celebrities, musicians and sports stars to deliver these messages. Pop culture defines a perception on what we should look like, how we should live, thus how we should behave in today’s society. A prime example of falling victim to this influence comes from television production companies and what they air.
Examination of Consumerism In this day and age there is advertising everywhere, from billboards on the highway to commercials on television. Advertising is what makes consumers buy what they want to buy even though they might not really need it. This advertising feeds consumerism which is the base of our economy and our every day lives. Consumerism is a lot of times believed to make us buy what we want instead of what we really need. James Twitchell, a professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida, believes that “the idea that consumerism creates artificial desires rests on a wistful ignorance of history and human nature, on the hazy, romantic feelings that there existed some halcyon era of noble savages with purely
Amber Anardi Poe ENG 151019 2/14/12 South Park’s Effectiveness on Mocking Important Issues Society has taught us to avoid making a mockery of important issues, but what if a television series with a million count fan base, gets sky rocketing ratings by using impertinent humor on worldly concerns? The fact of the matter is that using disrespectful humor to present issues common to our generation gets the best ratings by the public. South Park is a leading example of effectively using profane humor to entertain and get a point across to its audience. Given the media hype of today’s age, many of our youth’s presumptions on important issues are influenced by what they see on TV; the show South Park showcases multiple outlooks on each issue therefore giving the viewer the opportunity to formulate their own opinion on the matter. South Park effectively enlightens viewers on concerns that are relevant to daily life, while keeping their attention through bold humor on the issue presented in the episode.
Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, at times utilizing sensationalism to attract audience viewers and increase advertising revenue profits. Participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations, and are often persuaded to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen "story editors" or "segment television producers", with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through direction and post-production editing techniques. Reality TV, which is in the business of making us feel good rather than be good, actually contributes to the growing problems in our society by celebrating human weakness rather than human excellence. Reality TV doesn't empower us, but rather overpowers us by taking our innate power and inner knowing and spirituality away from us, leaving us feeling insecure, inadequate, less fulfilled, isolated and confused by virtue of the promotion of anti-social behavior, excessive self-indulgence, self-entitlement, greed, compromised integrity, obsession with winning at all costs, and erosion in morality. Although the critics of reality TV are highly outspoken, there is also the counterargument of the benefits of the genre on its participants and audience.
The popularity of reality TV shouldn't come as a surprise considering the fact that we live in a culture that worships vanity, rather than virtue, and lives by the mantra of 'He with the most toys lives,' rather than 'He with the most joys lives.' It's been said that circumstances don't make a man, they only reveal him. Likewise, reality TV is merely a reflection of what our society has become. A society that