Chapter 5 of the book covered magazines. I'm starting to notice that the set up of the chapters are all pretty similar, starting with the history, going into detail about the specific medium, and then proceeding to say how technology has impacted it. I find it interesting that every single medium has been transformed over time due to the advances in technology today. They have all been transformed in similar ways as well, the internet sort of taking over each and every medium we have read about. Magazines were more interesting to read about than newspapers, probably because they are more prevalent in my life than newspapers are. I'm still more excited to start reading about things more along the lines of film, t.v, music, etc.
Chapter 4 of the reading covered newspapers. I actually enjoyed reading this chapter more than I enjoyed reading the chapter on books. This is because the evolution of the newspaper and the way it has changed now is pretty drastic. Now, all you have to do is ask siri a question and hundreds of news articles and online news sources will show up. The popularity of online newspapers vs. regular one is significantly different. My parents used to read the newspaper, but neither me or my siblings took an interest to them. It's interesting to see how technology is slowing changing so many aspects of our lives.
Chapter 3 of the reading talks just about books. It talks about the history of them and the way they have transformed over time. It addresses the fact that books used to lack popularity a long time ago along with how they have changed now with the new technology we have. We haven't quite addressed books specifically in class, but we have covered convergence and conglomeration which I learned are relevant when it comes to books as well. Books are now available online instead of printed out, which makes them easier to access. You can pull up a book on your phone or Nook and read it from there rather than having to go out and buy the book and have it in your hand. This wasn't one of my favorite chapters to read because I don't find history particularly interesting. The history of books isn't really too much better, but I did learn quite a bit that I would not have ever guessed before.
Chapter 2 of the reading addressed the change in the way mass communication works now. In class, we discussed the meaning of convergence and conglomeration. They both relate to how the media is merging. In class we gave brief definitions of the two words, but the book elaborated a lot on the ways the media is converging. Media is merging together and the differences between them are becoming smaller and smaller. The same show that you can watch on T.V can now be watched on your phone or computer as well.
Chapter 1 addressed the general idea of communication, culture, and media literacy. In class we talked about culture and what the meaning of it was. We also looked at how the media affects culture, watching hip hop videos from other countries and pointing out the similarities. The chapter does a very good job of explaining the connections between culture and the media today. It gave a more detailed and technical definition of culture, along with variations of it to show that culture is something that varies. The segment on culture and the media was probably the most interesting part of the reading. However, the beginning gave essential definitions, though it wasn't the most exciting. I didn't realize how many different components there are when considering media literacy until I read this chapter. It helped me to understanding that there is a whole lot more to understanding the media than I had previously thought. This chapter was very effective in introducing the elements of mass communication.
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Dana GordonI am a sophomore at Frostburg State University. I'm a communications major and wish to be a Public Relations Officer. Archives
April 2015
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