Social Media is Eating Us

In this week’s class we were able to continue a similar track to last week when we were discussing the Internet and its effects. This week we focus a little more heavily on social media in particular. including which apps were popular, or the most useful, as well as how these apps influence us in our personal lives. Social media is a part of our lives that is ever growing, we post a glimpse of our lives for all of our peers to see; hoping they approve.

Social media isn’t as new as it feels; For years dating back to the late 90s, social media was used. Though its infancy it was just chat rooms where you could share a blurry picture of a recipe or talk about the newest Mustang with a bunch of car fanatics. it was much different, privacy was much more apparent, searching for approval wasn’t the goal, and most importantly, it wasn’t making anyone want to jump off a building. The while social media had a heartwarming start, as it evolved it quickly became a place of hate and shaming. Where people could voice their opinions no matter how oblique or hurtful, they were. Or a place where girls feel the need to post pictures in bikinis to get attention, and guys compare themselves to people lying about wealth driving rented Ferrari’s.  

Though it’s easy to get wrapped up in this crazy online world. people living in the middle of Idaho go from no one to 5,000,000 followers $70,000 a month in a matter of a week. With so much upside potential, it’s easy to see how a sort of popularity rat race could be started. Though from this rat race comes a cluster of mental health issues, self-esteem issues, and overall, some really bad habits. People get so wrapped up in living for their online audience, they lose sight of what matters. Focusing only on showing their followers a perfectly crafted snapshot of their life. From that comes people that don’t realize that snapshot is created to make it look like their life is perfect. The food looks amazing, the drink looks expensive, the restaurant Is beautiful. While really, on the other side of the phone, that beautiful steak? it’s getting cold; and the French fries are soggy, and the waiter was rude. You get it?

So even though the Internet has been a world altering invention, one that has led to medical breakthroughs, scientific breakthroughs, and overall has changed the way we live our lives. It has also in very many ways ruined them. My friends come over and sit on their phone, people record videos while driving and hurt others, and most of all people hurt themselves because of things they read about themselves online. The influence it has on our lives is still not fully known to us. As these apps learn more about us, tracking our search history and listening to our conversations. The content becomes more and more targeted to what we really like, it becomes easier to consume and much more entertaining. Getting stuck in the virtual world, mentally, is not a very difficult task. We must learn how to control our usage, even myself. I really enjoyed the activity we did, when we were just going around the room saying if we were “posters” or “scollers” and why. It was interesting to see how many people use social media but do not consider themselves active on it. a correlation between wanting privacy and being scared to show oneself with how people use social media was easily visible.

Overall, this course has been a blast, not only did I get to learn a lot more about the different kinds of mass media that I am already felt familiar with. I got to learn about one’s that I would have never thought to, like the production of the earliest film. We spoke about so many great topics and through all of it Nick was really interested in what we had to say. rather than just telling us his opinions not caring if we agree or not, as many other professors do. I had so much fun in this class and it is most accredited to Nick. If the professor is good, and the information is interesting. It’s the recipe for a perfect class.

Thank you for Everything!

Ohhh the Internet.

This week’s topic was really interesting, we were able to draw some attention to the ways the Internet has been affecting us. The videos we watched examined how the Internet affects the way children are educated; along with how that leads to how they act in society. People trying to draw these kinds of conclusions on popular mass media outlets is nothing new. Both the television and the movie industry, and the gaming industry. Are all used to facing this kind of criticism. Does the content they display show inappropriate things? Does it promote or champion violence or inappropriate behavior? And, is it ok for families to view together. Though the Internet takes this to a new level; Not only is the content largely unrestricted, but it’s also easy so to access.  

It’s more than just pornographic things for young people to be exposed to. Online gambling websites are extremely easy to use. and growing in popularity with all ages. Children might ask for in game currency for holiday and birthday gifts, then go on to use this on gambling websites Incentivized by in game items. While the Internet has obviously accelerated gambling problems, having them branch out to people under the legal gambling age is preposterous. Though the effect the internet has had on adult gamblers isn’t to be over looked. With the ability to gamble leaving the casinos and being welcomed onto your smartphone; people who were never gamblers- such as myself. Have been giving in to the urges of betting. Though you could do much more than bet on sports games. Some programs allowing you to add money directly from a debit card; in order to play simple games like slot machines or blackjack. rigged with perfect algorithms no less.

The graphic above demonstrates the diversity of outlets used to gamble in today’s world. Fueled mostly by the internet, obviously encouraged by the exponential changes in technology over the last 20 years.

My second largest grievance with the internet, behind ruining people’s lives by giving them gambling addictions so bad they sell their homes and car (legit, look it up) is the crazy addiction to it we all have. Some more than others thankfully but none-the-less most are infected. It’s only right to criticize oneself first; my downfall is YouTube. Though time-consuming I don’t consider it a pitfall to my education or success. I listen mainly to investment podcasts, or comedy so nothing brain rotting. Though it does take me away from things. A paper can wait 34 minutes, right? the gym has bad service? 23 minutes left.

            While I consider myself lucky, some people are deep in the void. Endless swiping, sitting in the car with friends on their phone, face planted in their phone while the world passes around them. And in today’s social media ecosystem there is no one perpetrator, Instagram has people obsessed with their online image, TikTok has people doing anything for attention, and Tinder has love being brought down to what your face or ass looks like. The perfect storm of ruining human interaction and ever so slowly the respect we have for ourselves and others.

Overall, the internet is the best thing to ever happen. People were given access to information. They could learn new things, share new ideas, the interactions that it allowed are the cause of some of the most mind-bending accomplishments to ever be achieved. Though while the internet has proven so crucial for the development of our species. I, along with many others, can see it being the downfall.

And don’t even get me STARTED on twitter.

Cable News = Confirmation Bias

Over the years we’ve witnessed a downfall of cable television. in particular, we’re talking about the downfall of cable news. the mass media giants that control most of the way people view the country from a little studio somewhere. Growing up we would watch something called New York one, now branded as spectrum news 1. this was a channel that provided basic news about what happened today in the city, what the weather was like this morning, how the traffic is on the morning commutes to make it through rush hour. these are the types of things that I believe news outlets should be focusing on, trying to provide us with the things we need and the news we must hear. And for a while it really was this way, people would tune into the news every morning, at 6:00 o’clock to get updates, and even at 10:00 PM again to see what’s going on tomorrow and what they may have missed from earlier broadcasts. the news used to be a real middle ground, you’d hear scary things about what was going on in the world around you, and you’d hear about celebrities’ new babies. I even remember before social media was the place where people promote their business, People would even come on the early news broadcast to advertise an upcoming event or show. The news truly was a middle ground, and something I’d have even considered an asset.

Now I feel as if the news is the worst channel you could possibly flip to at any time of the day. today news stations are about two things. The weather and whichever political party is paying them the most money. though the evolution of this political hellscape of news channels was slow. There are obvious correlations to how these mass media giants started to shift just before the 2016 elections. in the years before this live broadcast polarization, news channels were beginning to feel an extreme breath down their neck. Streaming numbers were dropping, salaries were dropping, donations were dropping, and the news honestly was getting eaten alive by social media and the different apps that provided our news throughout the day. where the news was able to really find their bread and butter was by the obvious pandering to the lowest common denominator. TRUMP. whether you were for or against the man your news channels were easy to identify. If you loved him, you turned the channel to Fox and if you hated him you put on NBC. The choices were seemingly cut and clear.

From this week’s class, one of the most interesting things I’ve learned was when we spoke about angertainment. As soon as I learned what this meant it brought all my feelings into a single word. these news channels rely on igniting people to be passionate about some of their worst feelings. If you supported the radical things that trump was saying then you were right at home, confirmation bias for as far as one can see. And if you hated what was happening then you receive the same. so at this point what should even happen, is people get to sit home and flip to a channel that they like and hear things that they want to hear from people that they want to hear from. the funniest part is that the people they’re hearing it from probably don’t give a damn. They are there to make money, to do their job, and most importantly, to make you turn back in tomorrow. And it seems like they found the perfect formula. Broadcast an opinion that some people would agree with, and let your opposition broadcast the other side of the opinion, all the news companies make money, and the whole world turns on itself. Seems like a pretty easy and harmless quick buck right?
what could go wrong? are people gonna storm the capital or something? Nah No way. Right?

^ Me whenever someone tells me Trump had good ideas^

Violence in Movies, AND Sex on TV!

This week’s topic was pretty exciting I wanted to elaborate more on it in my essay but decided not to as it’s such a big topic, that now stems even outside of video games. The effect of media on our day-to-day lives has dramatically changed over the years. I really enjoyed the film we watched in class “Mean World Syndrome.” listening to all the old newscasts about how bad the violence in video games was effecting the youth. Or causing more crime. This is a smear campaign that has been going on for ages. in the early days of television violent scenes were crucified in newspapers and magazines, actors and actresses who performed sex scenes in TV shows and movies were hated by parents and religious folk. The correlation always being made that as we become more familiar with these crimes. Seeing them done on multiple different television shows, being performed  in multiple different ways. That soon we would start to replicate them. Using ideas we got from a screen, in a made up world, to hurt each other.

This problem only seemed to grow with more and more people rallying against the crude and violent acts that were being shown on daytime television and in Hollywood’s big debuts. Something had to be done. Like we talked about last week soon after these issues in television and movies became a bigger problem. A rating system was put into place. Movies were rated based on their graphic content allowing parents to decide if they think their child should be able to watch a certain show or movie. This also affected video games. As games grew more violent and more importantly, more realistic. Parents began to have a similar frenzy, having large town discussions as too what should be allowed in arcades, picketing outside of arcades, and sending thousands of letters to game companies. Leading to a similar rating system being implemented for video games.

Overall I really enjoyed this week’s discussion I think the restriction of content is something that we really are struggling with in today’s world. While some services make valiant efforts to ensure young viewers aren’t exposed to graphic content. Many others are making it easily accessible to anyone with access to the Internet. Though what is interesting in today’s times is media companies and the government alike must find a perfect relationship of protecting the youth, keeping the Internet clean, while avoiding being a censorship backed culture. a difficult middle ground to find indeed.

The Monetization of Video Games

Video Gaming is one of the world’s favorite pass times. Kids and adults alike can be transported to these magical worlds, where anything is a possibility. Video games are the next frontier of Mass Media as television slows. With companies making billions of dollars a year, and greedy business models. The Video game industry has branched very from its humble beginnings. The first game created. An extremely simple tennis like simulation, Utilizing just one ball and one player-operated “paddle” to hit the ball back. Created in October of 1958 by physicist William Higinbotham and presented at the Brookhaven National Laboratory open house, being played on an oscilloscope screen. (APS-NEWS, 2022)

This was only the beginning. The next few years lead to video games taking off, arcades became more predominant and video games were starting to be appreciated by the masses. Through in the 70s and 80s video games began to have a run. Some even call the 80s the “Golden age of video games.” And it’s a well-earned title, this period introduced us to some of our all-time favorites. Space Invaders in 78’, PacMan in 80’, Donkey Kong, and the introduction to Mario in 81’. (History.com, 2017) All titles that have made an ever-lasting impact on the gaming industry. 

Over the next 20 years, video game technology was able to reach a point of endless evolution. There comes a point in any new technologies life that decides where the technology will be headed. For video games, this point was decided with what I will refer to as personal game consoles. Up until the late 80s many people would go to arcades to play their games, wealthier families had Odysseys or NES systems but they weren’t prominent. From this period stemmed impactful developments, that allowed us to reach where we are today in gaming. With the creation of the game boy in 89’, The Sega in 95’, the N64 in 96’, and Sony’s fame-stealing release of the PlayStation in 1994. (History.com, 2017) Video games were now sitting in living rooms world wide. With Sony dominating for many years after. Credited to their use of 3-dimensional worlds and more advanced shapes for setting and character design. (Cantees, 2021) Continuing to dominate with the PlayStation 2 released in 1999, combated by Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Game cube. (History.com, 2017) The grandparents of the modern video game industry. 

In the years after 2000 video gaming along with all other technology progressed at an unprecedented pace. Now video game consoles play games with ultra-high graphics, minimize loading screens, and boy are they expensive. Though what’s astonishing about video games is the vast adoption of these technologies. In 2020 there were over 2.69 Billion gamers worldwide. (Gilbert, 2022) Further, the number of people who still choose console gaming consoles is astonishing. With 1 in 5 global consumers having access to a gaming console, higher than comparable home entertainment like own PCs(14%), DVD players(15%), And home audio systems(16%). (YouGov, 2022) 

Today, video game production has seemed too have reached a point of success only paralleled by that of the movie industry. Video games have big actors, record-selling releases, millions of die-hard fans, and you can’t forget the multimillion-dollar budgets. In fact, some of the most expensive games cost over $100 million dollars to produce. Halo 2 Costs $120m, Call of Duty Modern Warfare costs $200m, and the most expensive video game produced GTA V costing $265 million dollars to produce. (Valente, 2020) Though these expenses do pay off on anticipated titles, GTA V for example makes over $15k dollars every 10 minutes and already made over $9 billion dollars to date. (Banerjee, 2022) While the most recent call of duty release, Ironically named Modern Warfare 2 as well. Bringing in more than $800 million dollars in the first weekend of release. It’s largest since the release of MW3 in 2011. (Plant, 2020 IGN) Though these crafty firms have been able to capitalize even further on their successful projects. The company best known for this has become Epic Games, the Creator of Fortnite.  The first way in which the firm drained more money from their consumers, is through game purchases. Transactions selling in-game items, bonuses, and even Virtual Currency. The most prominent example we’ve seen in recent times happens to be Fortnite.

While Fortnite was released as a “free to play” game, many things were locked behind paywalls or high-level requirements. OR. You could pay a little real money in exchange for these digital items, a win-win transaction. Though Epic Games was the true winner. Fortnite having been able to generate over $1 billion dollars from in-game purchases alone. (Valentine, 2018) 

Though it doesn’t end there. An unexpected and crucial part of the success of these games. Partnerships and steaming. In fact in a 2019 survey on people aged 16-24 results found that 44% of this group watched video game live streams online. And in 2020 1.2 billion people were recorded as watching video games online. (Yahoo, 2022) Though Fortnite remains a doozy. Making money at every turn. Added Marvel Character or John Wick. Having in-game live concerts from Marshmello or Travis Scott. These firms are able to make money at every turn, becoming power figure within the online world and making claim to every teenager. The recipe is simple. And man do they know how to cook.

Citations:

• APS-NEWS. (n.d.). October 1958: Physicist invents first video game. American Physical Society. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200810/physicshistory.cfm#:~:text=In%20October%201958%2C%20Physicist%20William,Brookhaven%20National%20Laboratory%20open%20house.
• History.com Editors. (2017, September 1). Video game history. History.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/history-of-video-games
• Cantees, J. (2021, July 2). What made the PS1 such a huge success? GamingBolt. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://gamingbolt.com/what-made-the-ps1-such-a-huge-success
• YouGov . (n.d.). Game console ownership around the world. YouGov. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://business.yougov.com/content/42391-game-console-ownership-around-world
• Valente, A. (2020, December 7). The 15 most expensive games ever made, ranked. TheGamer. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.thegamer.com/most-expensive-games-ever-made/
• Gilbert, N. (2022, November 6). Number of gamers worldwide 2022/2023: Demographics, statistics, and predictions. Financesonline.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://financesonline.com/number-of-gamers-worldwide/
• Banerjee, S. (2022, April 9). How much money has GTA 5 made till now? (2022). Sports news. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.sportskeeda.com/gta/gta-5-much-money-game-made-till-now#:~:text=Grand%20Theft%20Auto%205%20still,has%20earned%20over%20%246%20billion.
• Plant, L. (2022, November 7). Call of duty: Modern warfare 2 crosses $1 billion in sales faster than any game in the franchise. IGN. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-crosses-1-billion-in-sales-faster-than-any-game-in-the-franchise
• Valentine, R. (2018, July 17). Fortnite has earned $1 billion from in-game purchases alone. GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.gamesindustry.biz/fortnite-has-earned-usd1-billion-from-in-game-purchases-alone

Hollywood Cinema

Ever since I was old enough to acknowledge what fame was I knew I loved Hollywood. The swagger actors had, the power a handful of directors held, the millions of dollars being paid to talent and the billions being spent on production. Hollywood is an animal that still impresses me today. A place heralded in its past and focused on nothing but itself. Hollywood is the home base of the movie industry or, “the Industry” for short. An unforgiving and beautiful monster that can make or break a person in a matter of weeks. Representing the unreachable world of some of the most powerful people to ever live.

Though learning about the beginning of the film industry and how certain aspects came to life was intriguing. Talking about how the media has changed over the years. Whether it be a change in how gender norms are portrayed, or a complete shift of culture to a point where things once seen as okay are now deemed taboo. One notable example of this would be the restrictions of what kind of sex or sex related scenes can actually be aired on television. I also enjoyed talking about how the politics of movie making seem to have stayed somewhat unchanged. With a handful of movie productions controlling most media output, and a small circle of famous personalities and performers getting most of the work. While today celebrities and influencers are much more common. Certainty due to the rise of the internet allowing people the ability to align who and what they listen to with their own personal beliefs. But that’s another conversation. Today big-time actors can gain just as much fame as they once did. The avengers’ actors are the best example. Not only are they known worldwide but they have become the face of the superhero’s themselves. Cartoons are drawn using their likenesses as the character in the cartoon. An indescribable of fame is still being reached in today’s time.

I also enjoyed our talks about the rating systems and how the MPAA system works. While now the system means little to me. When I was younger these ratings were the reasoning as to why I couldn’t see many movies me and my friends wanted to view. What was interesting to me was the fact that the first things to become banned were things like curses, sex, and acts of crime that may “inspire” people to replicate them. I also found it interesting that production companies were weary of getting R and X(nc17) as this kind of rating could drastically effect sales of the film as parents were less likely to allow their children to watch. A significant part of the market.

Overall, the topics from this week were interesting. I love movies and I love to try to understand how they work. So the clips we watch and topics we discussed were able to answer a lot of questions I did not even know I had. Hollywood will always be a place shrouded in secrecy, and a place I hope to be more familiar with in the future.

Film: Past v. Present, and just how do the networks fit into it all?

My relationship with old movies is an interesting one. While some people who love listening to high quality headphones and nice home stereos are called Audio files. I would consider myself to be a Video file. I bought the highest quality monitor I could afford, I love fancy Television and viewing screens, and I ask for computer parts every Christmas. That said, watching old movies is a task I find extremely difficult. As nothing throws me off more than poor special effects. My mom blames it on video games. My Dad blames it on my mom. Both are correct.

This has led me to have never made it through a Star Wars movie, or the harry potter movies despite having enjoyed the books. The older movies that I prefer are ones not meant on special effects. Movies like Scarface, The Matrix, Rush Hour. Those kinds of movies did require too much special effects, relying on camera work and traditional “movie magic” of shot manipulation. While at times in Star Wars you may even get a glimpse at a string holding a character or prop in the air.

Though while I am unable to be interesting in movies that have special effects that doesn’t mean I despise them all together. The clips we watched in class were actually really interesting. For the videos to be so old, some even around 1903 the scenes were made out extremely well. With setting being done as correctly as possible many times even being filmed onsite no matter the danger. Or with the scenes outside windows, even putting an effort to project things onto walls to simulate an outdoor scene. Or in the example we watched a train going outside the window of the set, before leading the characters outside and continuing the scene at the tracks with the real train on site. Whereas now they’d simply build a set with a single train car and use CGI to make the train appear as a full train.

I also liked talking about how in the early days of the film industry some companies were able to form basically monopolies over broadcasting and movie production. With Fox, WarnerBros, and MGM being just a few of the companies that still hold power today. Something that’s been changing in more recent times has been the disruption that the streaming world caused. Taking some of the power away from these production giants. Movie companies and Movie Theater companies alike are feeling a large pressure from streaming services.

Overall, this week’s topic was interesting. While watching the old films in class was difficult for me, I was aware that my boredom stems from being spoiled with media and high-quality effects. Causing me to almost force myself into an analytical view rather than trying to view the piece for entertainment. Allowing me to appreciate the film for what it is. I love movies, I really like old movies, my top ones even though no one asked to consist of.

1. Paid in Full
2. Goodfellas
3. Blow
4. Predator
5. The Matrix
6. Alien

Man I hate Ads

The world of advertising is A monstrous place. filled with greedy companies and even more scams advertising has really gotten out of control in recent years. what you don’t notice it’s just how much advertising you take in every day. whether you’re walking down the street driving to work working out at the gym and especially whenever you touch your phone you’re being advertised too. marketing has always been an interesting business science. advertisers know no bounds, since the beginning of capitalism companies have tried to use things that would draw customers in. Stupid things, like colors that attract the eye, or buildings that look a certain way, or special slogans or jingles. All aimed at doing the same thing. Making you take that wallet out. Though as time has gone on the different methods have only been expanded on further. Advertisements in person now consist of things like stunts or large-scale attractions, or multimillion dollar set ups. Some of the more recent ones being the giant ball of money they placed in Korea to advertise for squid games, or the giant Wendy’s drive-through promotion with Rick and Morty. Firms that rely on more in person business have to find ways to make “viral” content. And that’s where the nightmares start.

Online advertisements are where the world of advertising has recently taken some very dark turns. in the beginning stages of the Internet advertisements would be blocky tacky looking images spread throughout the very edges and sometimes the top and bottom of web pages. primarily free ones. though now online advertisements are everywhere, whenever you’re trying to do anything online, you’ll find an advertisement. Even educational websites or news outlets make you watch an ad before you could view an article or watch a video or newscast. streaming services are coming up with new ways to make money using advertisements. coming up with plans that cost more money to not have advertisements, or by forcing advertisements in the beginning of the show or when opening the app. Everywhere in streaming advertisements are making their way into view.

And it’s easy to see why. these large media firms who own all the apps end websites being used are making billions of dollars from these advertisements.  why should Hulu only make money from their monthly subscriptions for their streaming services when they could also make money from companies wanting to advertise on their service. on top of that they also offered an increased price plan for those who just couldn’t bear to watch advertisements. or take YouTube for example, one of the most famous public streaming platforms. has begun talks of increasing their ever famous one to two ads that are usually skippable in the beginning of videos. and increasing it to 5 to 11 shorter advertisements before the video begins that would be un-skippable. The firms making so much money by allowing companies to advertise to their viewers. That’s where the biggest idea in modern marketing comes in. Buying your eyes.

Though these streaming services are making a lot of money this business is not their main model. Though companies like Facebook cannot say the same. A saying goes something along the lines of “if the service is free, you are the product.” Meaning that what you’re browsing on Facebook and Instagram, those ads that pop up every 3 videos or pictures, is exactly how Instagram is making money. Facebook generates billions of dollars in ad revenue each year, putting an emphasis as to why they were so greatly affected by apples decision to allow users to hide data.

While I do have a resentment to ads, I do have some commercials that I do like or find amusing. The Progressive insurance commercials, The manscaped, or some of the Taco Bell commercials. Though my absolute favorite commercials are Panda Cheese.

Did TV make me?

Over the years we have seen a massive shift in Television. At one point in my life I remember the TV being the absolute epicenter of my household. It was where my siblings would be sitting each morning when I woke up, fighting over what to watch. My dad sitting down to watch after work, with my mom cuddled up next to him focused intensely on what the Sopranos were up to this week. Television used to be so much more involved. People would tune into events from all over the world. Millions of views watching the same thing. Where as now events like the Grammys or the Oscars are barely getting a quarter of the views they were used to since they became a thing.

Overtime there has been so many hit TV shows even an attempt at naming some of them seems useless. Though some TV shows left the watcher with much more than just something to watch on your free time. From TV shows emerged peoples entire personalities. People would hear jokes in the new episode of their favorite sitcom, and repeat them at work the next day. Kids would see their favorite character playing football and go to school the next day wanting to try. I really can’t emphasize enough how at one point not many years ago the whole world was obsessed with television. People followed shows on a weekly basis so much so that it almost felt religious.

Though when it comes to my personal relationship with television. It feels as if I’m just a person filled with so much pop culture, so many references, many of which I might not even get. Till this day if you are a big time Family Guy fan, we could probably end up bestfriends. Along with South Park, Rick and Morty, and a few other shows. Now I am aware most of the jokes that come from these shows are extremely offensive, though I don’t just blindly reiterate jokes. It’s more so that my sense of humor seems to have evolved from these shows. Filling my brain with useless references to old songs, or actors, or learning about technology from Seth McFarland or Trey Parkers childhood. All of this information gathering within me to formulate what I find funny.

Overall the life of television is one of the interesting tech phenomenon that my generation has been able to witness. In my earliest years TV and Radio would get me and my family so excited. Cartoons in the morning, weather, traffic, and music in the car on the way to school. Then came the great divide. Social media and the achievements of technology that allowed it to take over. Replacing radio almost completely in many peoples lives, and giving us more than just weekly TV shows to watch. Killing our attention span in the process.

Though it is not the end of television. As there is way to much money invested for it to ever stop. Channels are now pandering to the lowest group they can find. Whether it be MTV showing only ridiculousness all day, or certain news channels spewing hateful garbage. All of it is with hopes of retaining the people that still watch it. OH TV WHERE WILL YOU GO NEXT

The New Age of Television

From the early 1940’s TV has been a staple of American households. In those days they were even a showcase of wealth. Not only could you afford the television itself but you had enough free time to watch it! In the years that followed people became attached to these screens. As they kept on proving themselves to be integral in maintaining the status of an informed person. Digging themselves deeper and deeper into our lives, and our emotions.

Television had its biggest impacts during some of our toughest times. Being a place that scared and helpless families could turn for information and reassurance. During WW2 families would turn to news channels for information about the war. Even greater an impact during the length of the cold war, as most information (and propaganda) was shared on television. The television industry only continued to grow from these stages. They learned how to use a certain rhetoric to convey different kinds of news, or worse, how to persuade people into doing things they were against. With this is change television, specifically news television. Began to grow into the monster that it has become today, a place filled with 50% garbage 40% opinion pieces, and a strong and kicking 10% of real news.

Polarization

The photo above is one that I had seen online some time ago, it comes to mind every time someone talks about news. I think the fact this spectrum is even a thing says so much about greed and politics in our country. I find it astonishing that news outlets are not objective sources of news. Becoming less of a world shattering reality when you take into account that they are bias strictly for money. pandering to the beliefs no matter how radical of their listening demographic. A strategy that has had to be implemented since internet news has threaten to shut down most of the news channel industry.

The Brightside

Though it may seem like I hate television I should make it very clear. I hate the current state of news, along with Time Warner Cable or “Spectrum” whatever the freak that means. Though the multitude of amazing art that has been featured on television over the years should not be understated. I am obsessed with many shows, from SVU, to ‘Family Guy’ ‘South Park’ and ‘Rick and Morty,’ to more silly pointless shows like Brooklyn 9 or Bar Rescue. The amount of different types of TV shows is amazing, and something that I am extremely grateful for. My sense of humor most of my life could be dictated by the Family Guy episode that dropped on Sunday.

Overall I love TV, I love the creative nature of writers for shows, fiction or not. I love the industry making children superstars or ugly guys the dream boy in just a few weeks. Its amazing how far television has come in less than 100 years, and I can only imagine how it might shift in the years to come.