Class Highlights

When I read the description for this class, I honestly didn't think that I'd enjoy it as much as I really did. But it went beyond just the history of media, and how it may have impacted societies in the past, but it really talked about how media affects our society and our lives. Somethings that really led me to think were:

1. When I realized that correlation may not necessarily mean causation; it makes you think qualitatively and not just quantitatively. It forces you to really look at the why, as well as the what.
2. That countries like our with really liberal freedom of speech/press laws have so much power in our words. I think if the media took proper care of their responsibilities and stopped caring about what ideas will sell, we'd be much better off. It's a shame that we have all this freedom from our first amendment, yet we hardly use it on much that matters. Because I don't care if Kim Kardashian has a baby or not, quit giving a whiny baby like herself more publicity.
3. Advertisement is almost evil. There is SO much product placement in movies, it's really hard to not to recognize it when it's there after the veil has been torn. I really can't enjoy a movie without a cynical thought to the company that the movie has been advertising for.
4. Because T.V. has been around long enough that the character the television show broadcasts to its likewise adolescent viewers to are so over exaggerated that it's redefining what kids should act/think like. I think we'd have a lot less people pulling the same stupid stunts in real life if it wasn't present firsthand on television.
5. You can't trust everything that you find on the Internet. There are some serious trolls in the world and the Internet is their bridge that they exploit. Enough said.

I think these were the key "Aha" moments that I got from this class that I'll be holding onto.