Module 4

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         Dugan believes that convergence is more of a threat to democracy than symbiosis in my opinion. I felt that the first video had plenty of benefits of media and symbiosis. While the second one might have confused me a bit because I felt it was a little harder to engage in. I thought Dugan had some great information to share, I just felt a little overwhelmed and at times easily lost in what he had to say. I also had trouble locating what his opinions were on democracy and its threats. I felt that there were more benefits than threats of the media in Dugan’s perspective. Did anyone notice any negative opinions or threats that stood out to them in these videos? The only threat that I could point out in my opinion would be the lack of information that media provides to society is hurting us. This is because people do not have all the information they need to make accurate decisions. The sources that they use are not as credible due to the lack of research.

      In chapter 6, Sternheimer proposes a great question, “ do representations of sexuality encourage teens to become sexually active?” (Tollefson, 2016, p. 139).This question is actually quite interesting to me because I did a research study based on this idea. I feel that the representation and images these young pop stars display, in fact, sexualizes their image. These stars are idols and have many teen fans and of course the trends that they set, many will follow. I think that the clothes they wear, such as the crop tops and tiny shorts, that we see becoming more popular in teen culture, definitely sends the wrong message. Any comments or thoughts on this question and how it can affect their health? Sternheimer also brings up a good point and comments “don’t let TV be your teenagers main source of sex education” (Tollefson, 2016, p. 140). Especially with shows that we see today that are very popular such as “Teen Mom” or “Sixteen and pregnant”, these shows are not an ideal representation, although they attempt to be. For me personally, growing up in a very cultural and strict home, sex was not a topic we ever discussed. Growing up, I didn’t find out about sex education from my parents nor did I ever want to ask. I think this is because my parents portrayed this topic as inappropriate and them being so uptight on the topic made it very uncomfortable for my sisters and I to want to ask them questions.

           I believe that this has a huge connection with health and media. If parents are not informing their children and providing them with the proper education it can be very harmful to their health. They might not take the proper steps to being safe or protected if they are sexually active, because they were not taught. Dugan touches on the idea that the media provides us a lack of information and I believe it is the same with parents. They are not having the sex talk with their kids and if they do, I would imagine the majority of households do not go into detail. Therefore, they too are providing their kids with an insufficient amount of proof and information, just as the media does with us.

        Chapter 8 focuses on the health issues that media has caused among many individuals, such as, eating disorders, beauty images, and obesity. Obesity was a factor that stood out the most to me. Obesity is a great example of media and health. It also connects with what we have been learning in this module, from the lack of information Dugan discusses, to Sternheinmer’s connection on how the media is harmful to our health. If Dugan were to comment on this I believe that he would mention that the media is at fault for some of these health issues because they do not provide or support information to these issues. The media is harmful to our health. If TV shows aired more educated based and informative programs then maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to binge watch so much. I think Sternheimer would agree with this idea because in Chapter 8 she links the issues of obesity to the amount of TV consumed by those individuals. All these issues tie into why media and health have a connection. Obesity has a connection to the media which affects your personal health. If people are spending too much time watching TV instead of exercising outdoors then this may become routine. Dr. Christina Pabers focuses on the body’s need to restore balance. While someone is sitting on the couch binge watching they may feel the need to take a short  walk to the kitchen to seek some comfort snacks. After a long day of work someone may find it more relaxing to come home and binge watch on their Netflix series. This might best pair well with a bowl of popcorn and in order to satisfy salty, it needs a sweet treat, so what better idea  then to grab a bowl of ice cream. Imagine that someone is so hooked on their show they may not want to go out so they will order pizza and need soda to wash it down. This idea of superficial balancing is your body’s way to balance itself with food according to Dr. Pabers. This vicious cycle is exactly what Sternehimer mentions that negatively affects health and the media that leads to obesity.

References

Dugan, T. (2010). Impact of Media on Culture: The New Media Landscape (Part 1) – Conglomerate vs. Partnership vs. Synergy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch

Dugan, T. (2010). Impact of Media on Culture: The New Media Landscape (Part 2) – Convergence. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch

Sternheimer, K. (2013). Pop culture promiscuity: Sexualized images and reality. In Connecting social problems and popular culture: Why media is not the answer (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Sternheimer, K. (2013). Media health hazards? Beauty image, obesity and eating disorders. In Connecting social problems and popular culture: Why media is not the answer (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Module 4 Reflections

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In Module 4 I learned how culture plays a major role in values and beliefs reflected in the media. Sternheimer and Dugan explain that culture is learned. Dugan (2010) states, “A person’s culture is unique, made up of traditions and our own life experiences” (What is Culture Part 1). We have actually learned this concept in every Module so far in class. For example, the way each of us deconstruct and advertisement differently or how we see different connotations and denotations in the media based off of our own perceptions, beliefs, values, etc. However, as I have continued the process of becoming media literate, I have also learned to admire other views, especially because it reflects one’s culture. Dugan even explains that each of us are made up of many different cultures (Dugan 2010). I have never thought of culture in this aspect, but he is completely right. I have my work culture, school culture, a culture with my friends and one with my family, Each one of those are in one way or another, uniquely different, The previous Modules have focused on individual culture, Module 4 raises the question, “How does mass communication influence common culture? (Dugan, 2010). Dugan answers the question by saying it creates shared meaning. We are constantly learning from mass media. This can come relate to all different aspects of mass media.

 

We watch the same news, hear the same stories reporters post online, watch the same movies that come out in theatres, every medium has a way in creating shared meaning, weather it is television, newspapers or social networks. That is why the media has gained popularity and has actually become one of the most important and used form of communication in our society. Both Sternheimer and Dugan believe that although the media creates a common culture, it does not necessarily shape our culture. I disagree, especially recently and how media has completely grown through out the last decade. Younger generations have grown up on media. I was in LAX last weekend waiting for a flight, and I saw so many young children sitting in their strollers, holding an iPad and completely zoned into a show or movie. It is hard for me to believe that whatever they are watching or listening to is not shaping their culture and beliefs. This goes into the idea of body image. Sternheimer states, “How can watching images of mostly underweight people on television make viewers want to eat both more and less at the same time?” (2013, p. 196). I do not believe that it necessarily makes people want to eat less or more, but it gives children and even adults the idea that, that is what we are supposed to look like. For example, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. I see so many tweets, instagram, and Facebook posts when the show is airing, about girls saying the need to eat less and work out more. This is only one example, but there are many more through out the year. Although many argue that the media does not shape your culture, I believe it does and that is why we need to teach media literacy in youth.

Module 4 Reading Reflections

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I cannot lie; the Dugan videos were pretty confusing. I watched Dugan’s series twice and could not wrap my mind around all of the technical jargon he laid out. Symbiosis? He said it was a science term, so immediately my mind just shut off. Science and I do not mix. I think I was most confused about how to really apply these technical terms that he presented to the two chapters that we had to read from Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture by Karen Sternheimer (Chapters 6 and 8).I think I was confused partly because the content in Sternheimer’s chapters have been discussed countless times.

In Chapter 6, Pop Culture and Promiscuity, Sternheimer tells the reader that we must not blame popular culture about the growing promiscuous ways. Instead we should look at the social structure of our society. (Sternheimer,  2013) Sterheimer admits that social structures have changed since media first became an influencing object, but she does not do a great job of explaining why our social structures have changed. Based on the content presented to us so far throughout the course, I highly doubt Sternheimer is an anthropologist and could easily explain the shifts in societal culture through the years. To blame social structure entirely on growing levels of sexual promiscuity seems rash in my opinion. How can media not influence sexual promiscuity? I am not blaming media entirely either, but I find it very hard to believe that media does not play a part. Sternheimer presented loads of statistics answering attempting to my question throughout this chapter, but the attempt was futile. The statistics were about young peoples and sexual activities, of course, but none explaining the diret effects of media. All of the content of media and sexual promiscuity seemed like assumptions to me.

In Chapter 8 of Sternheimer’s book tackled health and media. Once again, as stated in the first paragraph, the topic of health and beauty in the media has been tackled many times. Sternheimer tackled obesity, anorexia and bulimia. She did point out the small number of young women with anorexia and bulimia, Less than 5% of women will develop anorexia or bulimia based on the statistics tat Sternheimer presented, assuming I interpreted the statistics correctly. (Sternheimer, 2013) I could have interpreted those numbers incorrectly, numbers and I do not mix. The correlation of media and eating disorders seems simple, she states, but it is highly complex. Sternheimer lost me here. She did a decent job of presenting all of the factors that affect health in the media. I was happy she did not blame these issues entirely on the media, and acknowledged environmental and biological factors.

Mary- Module 4

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Module 4 was definitely an interesting one for me this week. My interest was continually peaked by both the readings, as well as the videos.

Chapter 6 of our text by Karen Sternheimer covered the topic of sex in teens and how we try to blame media for this “problem. What I found to be intriguing was that teens actually are much less sexually active than that of teens 20 years ago, and they engage in safe sex than their counterparts. Sternheimer went on to talk about how we as a society like to focus on teens on the topic of sex while ignoring the fact that adults are much more likely to be engaging in risky sexual behaviors and having unwanted pregnancies. We focus on teens because we fear for their futures, but we forget that we were once teens ourselves and went through similar experiences.  Sternheimer talks about how the past seems more innocent on the topics of sexuality and youth to us because we view it with a sense of nostalgia. I was surprised to find out about the drops in teen sexual encounters because I am one of those people who sees how sexualized television is nowadays and assume that it is a big influence on the actions of today’s youth. I couldn’t help but laugh when reading how we as a society fear for youth because of such media interactions like “sexting,” only to find out that adults were more likely to take part in such activities. I never realized the fears we have for teens with media could actually be less of an issue than that of the fears we should have for adults with media.

The videos by Terry Dugan caught my attention because they really shed more light on what culture really is and how complex it truly is. I have always been mostly aware that culture are traditions and shared experiences we learn from stories passed down through the generations, but I did not fully realize the change of storyteller for cultural learnings and the effects it has had. Dugan stated that media was the new storyteller for the current generation, and it has been viewed as bad because it encourages bad behaviors and shows them going unpunished. It has led to a “decline in family values.” Society is quick to blame the media when the youth reject the experiences passed down by their parents which has led to censorship of media that can be traced back centuries. I feel that Dugan did a really nice job of highlighting the fact that people are more and more trying to preserve their own culture instead of assimilating into the dominant culture which can lead to things such as genocide, racism, and  oppression. I really liked the idea of the “melting pot turned into a walled garden” because I see it a lot in today’s world. Tensions has risen because people are rejecting what they are unfamiliar with and trying hard to preserve their own culture in places where that is a difficult task.

In both the texts of Karen Sternheimer and the videos of Terry Dugan we see that media has been censored or filtered in attempts to protect youth and to help with a common culture shared by all. The thing is that censorship does not fix the “corruption” that we feel media has imposed on youth; it never has. It is also interesting to see the disconnect found between adults and teens though the experiences are often similar, but the teens are viewed as in need of protecting or saving from media.

Module 4 Reflections

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In the video series created by Terry Dugan, we learned that culture is a learned behavior comprising of our traditions, lifestyles, and shared experiences that contribute to the way we experience the world around us. I’m very interested in anthropology, so it was nice to see a somewhat outside approach to the idea of communication and culture. Cultural anthropologists call the learning we do from each other that helps us create our unique cultures, “storytelling.” I think this is such a great word to explain the largely ambiguous concept that is culture.

The media then, is a storyteller. Dugan explains that media rarely shows the consequences of bad actions, which I do and don’t agree with. Some interesting questions that came to my mind was the idea that teens are invincible. Now, this applies to the video series in addition to the required readings, but I’m curious about this idea of invincibility among teens (and therefore their more raccous behavior). Is this due to the media? Were teens like this before mass communication (newspaper, tv, radio, the internet, etc)?

Family values from the Cosby show etc., are being replaced by the Simpsons, and more risqué media. Isn’t that just because that’s what is popular? The change in culture happened before the shift in media (at least in my opinion.) As we grew older, we accept of reject the traditions we’ve learned, and create our own cultures (Dugar, 2010). Therefore, the media we see on TV was something that a culture somewhere accepted, brought to us, and we accepted as well (in the general sense).

It was interesting to hear Dugan talk about media’s role as the villain. I know that we covered this a little in previous modules but I think it’s always good to restate the concept that for many, media takes the role of a villain.

Attention (which we learned a little more about last module) according to Dugan, occurs when someone is displaying their culture in an inappropriate setting for that specific culture (Dugan, 2011). He gave the example of a woman in her underwear at a bus stop waiting for a bus, and the example of the Grand Theft Auto video game. I think that these examples really gave the quote “A culture of violence is OK, but a culture of sex isn’t,” that much more intensity.

Also in Dugan’s video lectures, he explains mass communication as involving 8 elements: A sender, a receiver, a process of encoding and decoding, a message, feedback, the change of noise, and a channel (Dugan, 2010).

He also explains that all culture is local, defined by language, religion, and village customs (Dugan, 2011). I think it’s interesting when connecting the ideas of how culture is learned, and then later in the second video he mentioned about how immigrants would go to the silent theaters because they wouldn’t speak English, and they learned how to be American that way. It just really brings me back to the question I asked earlier in connection to the chapter 6 and 8 readings, and the videos about the idea that teens think they’re invincible. Did the media teach them this? Or was this already in our culture and was bound to occur anyway even without the introduction of mass media?

Mass communication creates shared experiences. It helps us understand what’s going on around us, and I think this is an important thing to consider. The most interesting this from the first two videos was this idea of are we still learning from mass media. I personally would say yes. As children, we watch TV and then we try to imitate what we see on it. I don’t think it’s the only thing we learn from though, and I think that while it may be one of the first venues (especially for the past few generations) that we get our cultural values from because it’s just so pronounced. I don’t believe that we take it all at face value though. I still believe that media isn’t the only source of our cultural values, and in fact, I believe that it’s actually a very small portion if you are smart about things and educate your children. For example, I won’t deny that as a child my cartoons weren’t riddled with hidden innuendos and sometimes blatant references, but instead of shaming the child or the parents because they let them watch that TV show, it makes so much more sense to try and explain why that may be inappropriate. It’s interesting that in our textbook in chapter 6, Sternheimer cites a study done in 2012 that found that “38 percent of teens reported that their parents were the most influential when it came to making decisions about sex. Only 9 percent cited the media” (Sternheimer, 2013). More often than not, I’ve found that kids like to imitate language and words rather than actions, though, as kids turn into adults I believe that this flips as they experience more freedoms. Others may have had different experiences, and I’m not discounting anyone’s experiences, but I do have to agree with what Sternheimer says in chapter 6, since it’s so very close to my own experiences.

As explained earlier by Dugan, cultures are unique to each person, and even on a grand scale, for example we can take the dominant cultures from each country, they are all either slightly different, or very different in certain tolerances. I think that this is where the issues come in. Some people will have no problem with their children seeing a cartoon character smoke a cigarette, because they may smoke all the time at home; but if another set of more culturally conservative parents were observing what their kids were watching, they may be so offended by the act and would immediately blame the media. I think this Is a great representation of the idea that each person experiences media differently.

I think that for me, the biggest issue I see when media and the public clash, is the idea of the dominant culture silencing micro-cultures (AKA bounded cultures.) Last semester I took Intercultural Communication, and it’s very interesting to see concepts coming back from that class, and relating them to what this video series, and the topics in class in general have stated.

In finishing my reading of chapter 6 of our textbook, there was one thing on my mind If culture is learned, and all of our traditions (rules), and lifestyles are just the dominant culture trying to control the micro culture. In every generation there has always been some way of expressing a new found sexuality, and that’s just a side effect of more liberation, and more micro-cultures breaking to the surface and upsetting the dominant culture. I think this is a good thing, and should continue to happen, as I believe this is what makes our country continue to grow and become more accepting of micro-cultures or bound cultures.

In the intro to chapter 8, I immediately wanted to argue what an “expert” cited as the cause of obesity (Sternheimer, 2010). I do agree that overeating and inactivity and the cause of weight gain and obesity, but I don’t believe that TV is the cause of overeating and inactivity. Ads are lucrative, there is no doubt about it. We’ve learned all of the cunning ways that media can grab our attention, but it doesn’t make us act, not directly anyway. A child may see the ad on TV, but most of the time does not have the means to go out and purchase this food. I personally was very thing at a young age because my mother was very active, as was my father. Around the age of 6 or 7, my father became disabled, and thus we started to take numerous cross country trips to fill the vacancy that having no job left. For weeks on end, I would sit in the car, just looking out of my window. The scenery was beautiful, but the irresponsibility from my parents to allow the massive amounts of non-activity is disheartening. For years I struggled with my weight because of what I was fed (mainly fast food) and the lack of activity and socialization with other children. This is a very personal topic for me, because of my experiences with not only my weight, but my many, many eating habit changes. Sternheimer sums up my opinion on obesity very nicely with an explanation of: “obesity itself may be a causal factor for watching more television” (Sternheimer, 2010).

I think that media is much more apparent in the ideas of body image and eating disorders than it is on obesity. Unfortunately, as Sternheimer illustrates in this chapter, I’ve seen enough pro-ana (pro anorexia) images, blogs, and websites that display graphic images of severely underweight women with the intention of giving inspiration to those interested. Despite the numbers Sternheimer cited as 7 to 9 million Americans (Sternheimer, 2010), I think the number is much higher, and that this is definitely a problem that while I don’t think was created by media, was definitely exacerbated by it immensely. Even at one point in my life, I aspired to the beautifully thin celebrities before I found out that most ads are touched up in some way to create a false sense of beauty, and that really turned off the stars in my eyes as I realized what I aspired to was impossible. In that time, I had done many things that popular mediums presented as “What your favorite celeb does to keep thin,” and the like. These are often diets overseen by the guidance of doctors, strictly meant to help a celebrity prepare for a role (which in and of itself is absolutely crazy) but at the very least they have support to back them up if something goes wrong, and they lead a lot of young women into thinking that sticking to this kind of diet is the only way to stay thin and in likeness to a celebrity.

Module 4: Final Reflections

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Culture is the comprising factors that collectively makes us a unique community.   According to Terry Dugan, it is a set of traditions, lifestyles, and shared experiences learned and passed down by individuals of a group.  While family values were once at the root of culture,  there has been a steady decline and rise in “media as the storyteller”.  The mass media display many cultural beliefs, particularly western ideals.  Some of the ideals on the vast spectrum include hypersexuality, violence and the grapple between good versus evil, the hero or the villain.  On the subject of the villain, upon careful examination, can we assume that the villain is in fact the media and not the Green Goblin?  I would argue that the matter is far more complex.  I agree with Dugan that the media is “a convenient villain”, an easy scapegoat that springs up when children reject the cultural belief systems instilled by their families and instead turn to outside sources (Dugan, 2010, YouTube).  However, I also believe that media plays a significant role in the continuous evolution of our culture, flaws and all.  Where do media and culture intersect?  Can one exist without the other?

A major facet of our culture is sexuality.  Our media is saturated with sexual suggestion as it’s been proven that sex does indeed sell.  As promiscuity in the media is more prevalent than ever, parents are growing increasingly concerned about the influence on their children.  Is it encouraging sexual exploration at a tender age?  While Karen Sternheimer states that “we live in a time when virtually nothing is off-limits in pop culture,” sex included, she argues that “young people are not nearly as sexually active as many fear” (Sternheimer, 2015, p. 146).  She explains that while our attitudes regarding sexual expression have changed, the behaviors have not altered on a drastic scale.  She continues to say the root of the problem lies within the social structure, not popular culture.  Societal issues such as poverty are propelling the sexual culture in youth forward, not a viewing of Last Tango In Paris.  Instead of condemning media representations of sexuality, I agree with Sternheimer’s stance that they “provide [helpful insight] about power and privilege  and can launch greater exploration” of gender issues and cultural trends (Sternheimer, 2015, p. 166).

In Module 4, we were introduced to the media’s relationship with health.  In our guest lecture facilitated by Dr. Christina Pabers, she explained the importance  of yin and yang and society’s innate need for balance.  The mass media taps into consumer desires for more by selling the extremes.  For instance, energy drinks such as Monster provide people with boundless amounts of energy.  These products result in a heightened sense of yang and creates imbalance.  The goal is to reach a calm state of excitement, a state in which our external and internal needs are in harmonious balance.  Unfortunately, we live in a society that does not place emphasis on these values and it can be seen in our cultural patterns.  In chapter 8 of our text, Karen Sternheimer explores beauty image, obesity and eating disorders and discusses whether or not this is a media hazard throwing our society off balance.  The media often ejects material of a questionable nature and content that stirs controversy.  The most controversial is undoubtedly the media’s representation of health or lack thereof.   Magazines featuring outrageously slender celebrities are being blamed for poor body image.  Excessive intake of television and movies are also being vilified as the reason young adults have such poor self image.   Sternheimer’s constructivist view on the issue is this, there are astounding factors explaining the connection between media and health and its effects on the younger generation.  It is not a matter of laziness; these are issues that go far deeper.  Social issues such as socioeconomic status and ethnic background are two key factors in unhealthy media consumption.  Sternheimer concludes that instead of confronting the structural conditions behind anorexia, bulimia, obesity and so forth, we opt for the easier route of blaming popular culture for our poor health.

After viewing the Terry Dungan videos and “The Story of Stuff” series, I have come to the realization that we live in a culture of our own creation.  The imbalance that can be seen all throughout our society is one that we created, not the media.  While the media is notorious for manipulation and exploitation, I do not believe it is fair to blame changing values on media representations.  If anything, the media highlights the evolution of new ideas and sparks discussion of important subjects.  In order to be truly media literate individuals, we must understand our role and take responsibility for our choices and their effects on our culture.  In regards to the effects of media on our health, I feel it is a conversation we must have with ourselves in order to better understand the impact.

 

Module 4 Readings

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The Terry Dungan videos were very informational. I have had previous experience with some of the information through other classes so it was very interesting to see how connected to media they are. The parts of the series about culture were probably my favorites. I find culture incredibly interesting and have even taken a cultural anthropology class. Looking very specifically at media’s believed and actual effects upon the populous and culture was definitely enlightening. Both Dungan and Sternheimer seen to agree on the fact that media is very often blamed for many of society’s misgivings. In Dungan’s words, media is a “convenient villain”. While there are most certainly many issues in media, it is not at all the single cause for something bad that happens. Sternheimer demonstrates this through such topics as violence, sex, and health. There are always other facets to every problem. Turning media into a scapegoat by putting all of the blame on it is simply running away from the larger issues in life.

The conflict between dominant culture and bounded culture is particularly thought provoking. America has always been hailed as the melting pot society and yet, it is not as smooth of a mixture of cultures as it is given credit. It is extremely evident that there is a great divide in American society. People and cultures conflict with one another, especially when the dominant culture is trying to be enforced, which have led to problems and hardships. It is somewhat ironic that there is such a strong, domineering American culture that tries to overtake others. Being called a melting pot country should be a symbol of pride. Having people from all over the world who can come and share their own cultures, perspectives and knowledge should be a gift rather than something that is considered “un-patriotic” and needing of change. The media has the ability to play a large role in the ways that people see other cultures and this is very important to be aware of.

The 8 elements in the communication seemed very beneficial in being able to understand. When creating media, every element is extremely important to think about. As we have learned, everyone experiences the same media in a different way. This idea is a key point to keep in mind when trying to form your own message. According to Dungan, the creator of a message has about a mere 50% of control over it. So you need to take the time and thought in viewing your own message in other perspectives because if it is not very clear, it could be decoded in ways that you had not initially intended.

Lastly, some of the information about symbiosis and convergence could be somewhat disconcerting. The immense powers in which corporations hold and the influence that they have on media, products, and our everyday lives is unhealthy. While it can make information more widespread, our perspectives, information, and choices are also narrowed which is not at all to our benefit. As corporations become larger, the individual person becomes smaller and unheard. Money has become speech and influence. We can especially see this in media with the invisible, ignored poor and the prevalence of wealthy stars or corporate “experts”.

The Sternheimer chapters provided excellent light to the connection of sex and health with media. A particularly astute point that Sternheimer made was that people always point their fingers at children for acting in promiscuous fashions, when in reality it is adults who are far more likely to be sexually active. People then continue to put the blame on the media for loss of control in children’s’ knowledge and actions. While there is certainly an abundance of sexual imagery in media culture, which has to do with it becoming a profitable product of society, it is not the sole reason for children’s sexual behaviors. Family monitoring, support, communication, politics, race, and poverty are all very important factors in children’s choices. Children also have sexual encounter not by choice, but forced upon them. Rather than looking more closely at these problems, research continues to focus on popular culture. Popular culture does not necessarily have as strong of a hold over children as some people may think. Some of the reasons that children gave in watching content considered to be sexual were very interesting. Children are very impressive and we do not give them enough credit. Their reasons included, “using adult themes from television to try to demonstate adult-level competence and knowledge” (Sternheimer 157) and to construct their own values and identities. Especially because the topic can be such a taboo, media can be children’s primary source of knowledge. There are some major issues with this however. One of the most critical points that Sternheimer makes is demonstrated in the following quote:

Controlling information about sex has historically been used in order to maintain dominance over others. Withholding knowledge about birth control keeps many women in developing countries in poverty, and withholding information about sex from children is a way to maintain adult authority (Sternheimer 161).

This is so important to understand. This knowledge can be a very powerful form of control. We need to be able to understand why certain ideals are being enforced or encouraged and the effects that they will have upon society and individuals. Sexuality and gender stereotypes are also very strong in media. By ignoring the problems or trying to keep children away, “we will have done nothing to address gender inequality” (Sternheimer 159) and sexuality. It is therefore extremely problematic to ignore sex and its portrayal and prevalence in media.

Health problems have been largely blamed on the media as well. Sternheimer states that, “although images in popular culture reinforce often impossible standards of beauty, the roots of these messages run deeper than popular culture” (197). Just as with violence and sexuality, race, ethnicity, and poverty have a very important connection. As was noted in the chapter about violence, children in low-income areas are unable to live in the safest environment. They do not have the luxury to run around and play outdoors and often are unsupervised because of parents having to work. They are better off staying inside and doing something safe. Available food options for people in poverty are also extremely limited. In poor areas, there is often an abundance of cheaper fast-food restaurants. Healthy foods at a grocery store can cost a lot of money and it is better to have unhealthy food to eat than to have no food at all. It is the effects of all such factors that can cause weight gain, not just by the action of watching television. As for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, research “suggests that rather than creating eating disorders, the fashion industry may draw some who are already anorexic and validate their behavior” (Sternheimer 204). Other countries have created laws in which to deter media from the encouragement of this behavior, but unfortunately the U.S. has no such law because it would supposedly be in violation the First Amendment. Just as with everything else, eating disorders have their origins from places other than media and sometimes are even a form of coping with major problems. Sternheimer mentions that the real greatest threat to children’s health is the lack of health care. Health insurance has become increasingly unaffordable and businesses may be unwilling to provide such benefits. Hopefully by understanding where the problems truly arise from, we will be able to change and media will be able to reflect an improved society.

Module 4

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Culture is learned behavior by individuals. People share experiences and traditions that make a person’s “culture” unique. Each of us can belong to several different cultures. Someone can have one culture at work, one at home, another with friends, and so on. From the first cave paintings to the internet there is a fear that the media has replaced the storytellers. Dugan (2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qSOdmCDoow) says, “when the media is the storyteller bad actions go unpunished”. People are afraid that TV shows like Homer Simpson are the new family values. Why is violence ok and sex not? “A culture of violence is ok, a culture of sex isn’t.” Dugan (2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qSOdmCDoow)

All communication used to be local because of mobility restrictions. Language and customs would stay within a village. After the twentieth century and America’s involvement with WWI people became interested in acting, talking on the radio, etc. By the 1930’s people wanted a true common experience and they were experiencing it through the radio. Dugan (2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qSOdmCDoow) states, “Mass communication can create a common culture through shared experiences.” These shared experiences are shared by listening to the same TV program or same radio station. Many Countries are now filtering what American programs are able to come into their Country. They are worried that the American culture will become their culture if too much is shared. The mass media is not mass anymore. There are more niche communication avenues then common culture. Advertisement is the only exception to this rule.

Karen Sternheimer shares a newspaper article in her book, “teenage boy from the Baltimore area who videotaped himself having sex with a classmate and then showed the video to his friends.” (Sternheimer, 2013, p.140). In the article it says that children will have spent 19,000 hours in front of the television by age nineteen. Sternheimer believes that it is not the sexual content from television that led to this horrendous crime. I on the other hand have to raise an eyebrow. Sternheimer (2013, p.140) states, “if our television culture is so sex laden and causes such inappropriate behavior, we would expect even more incidents like this”. I would like to remind everyone that victims of sexual abuse do not always step forward. They do not step forward because they are embarrassed, scared, the list goes on. Humiliation in a sexual nature can be just as emotionally damaging. The key is moderation when we are talking about television like Dr. Pabers explained in her lecture, ying and yang. Dr. Pabers says, “know when it’s time to turn it off”.

Obesity in the United States is an epidemic. Some experts say to cut TV out heavily. “The simplest way to reduce obesity risk is to cut TV time”, Boston Globe. The time that you sit in front of the TV is time you could be walking around being active. Before fast forward and recording options were available for TV programs advertisements were a huge influence. When these options were not available advertisements were always luring children into buying sugar loaded cereals. On the opposite side of the spectrum anorexia, bulimia and body image is a big problem with role models being people like Beyonce and Hillary Duff. They set unrealistic expectations for children and people. Sternheimer (2013, p. 203) says, “celebrities, magazines, websites, the fashion industry, and even Facebook” contribute to the overwhelming problem. Susan Patricio did her media critique on the deconstruction of Disney women. I think we can correlate the two of these together. These Disney characters give unrealistic expectations to children growing up causing health problems. Look how many people are suffering from eating disorders!

module 4

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In the video What is Culture? Dugan states that culture is learned. I agree with his statement because my family has a strong Mexican culture where most of the women are house wives, they do not receive an education, and males are seen as superior. On the other hand, when I migrated here I learned from surroundings and experiences and adapted to my personal culture. Also, I found interesting that we have various cultures, personal, family, bounded, and dominant. I can relate this to the different worlds theory were individuals have different worlds and how they intervene is up to them. Also, he talks about the melting pot and how we are becoming a dominant culture. I can relate this to a presidential candidate whom wants the country to become just one culture extinguishing others. Lastly, he talked about the 8 elements in communication. Six of these elements are essential to communication, one blocks communication, and the other improves communication. What I found more interesting was the noise that impedes the messages to the receiver. This noise is what tends to block certain audiences from some message. For example, the message can be to stop smoking and the noise can be psychological from a smoker where there urge to smoke blocks the message.

In chapter 6 of Connecting Social Problems and Popular Cultures I found very interesting many linked sex with media. Although I believe that media has used sex to sell, I do not think that media has increased sexual activity within adolescents. Sternheimer states that the rate of high school students engaging in sexual intercourse, has decreased by 7 % since 1991. Also, he states that the use of condoms has increased by 13%. With these facts the scapegoat that media increases sexual activity in adolescents is debunked. My though is that because we progress in time, culture changes and adapts to the younger population. Now a day, because sex sells and we see sexual content on the media than back in the days, adults assume that adolescents are more sexually active. My thought is that before the population was more sexually active but because sex is very open at the moment many have learned about contraception and have learned what they can about sex from the media. Although the media also creates myths, I think it just facilitates conversation on sex.

Additionally, to sex education, in chapter 8 we learned about obesity, anorexia, bulimia, and health hazards. To begin with, I still think that the media is the scapegoat for many of the problems in the world. This chapter explains how many believe that obesity is linked to the media because of the amount of time that we spend watching TV instead of going out and being active. Also, he explains a relationship found between magazines and eating disorders. Our society blames the media for being obese or for being anorexic. Although I agree that many females look up to models and to the media for a new look, I think its time we stop blaming the media and try to have more psychological help to those  who are affected by the media.

Caterina- Module 4

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Hello my fellow bloggers!

I am so sorry for the late post. I had a very busy week and some family issues came up which prevented me from being able to post earlier. I enjoyed the reading in the text book and the videos we watched this week. I felt that it was easier to handle instead of many different readings! I hope you girls thought the same!

Just like we have learned in previous chapters of our text book by Karen Sternheimer, the media is often the thing people blame for the issues going on. Chapter 6 covered the topic of promiscuity. People from older generations often blame the media for children/ teenagers being sexually active. When in reality there is a gap in generations which is recurring and inevitable. The generations before us did not have as many sources of media. They however, participated in sexual acts just as this current generation. In fact, when industrialization happened, both parents from each family started working instead of the father working and the mother staying home. This created less supervision and more independence for the children to experiment and do what they wanted. This is when parents started really loosing control of their kids. However, media was not as such of a big deal then as it is now. The generation before ours however, fails to view it as every generation is sexually active, it doesn’t matter what we use to entertain our selves with. Youth in any generation are trying to figure out who they are in their own personal culture. Each generation says that the generation following them is far worse off due to the change in the social and cultural spheres. This supports the argument that it is not the medias effect that ruins the youth. It is merely due to a misunderstanding between a foreigner judging a different culture. As Professor Dugan mentions in his video, The Functions and Effects of Culture, people are starting to act with their personal culture (who they are when they are by themselves) and their bonded culture (who they are when they are with their friends) when they are in dominant culture (in public). Other people do not know how to act in response to this though because it is unfamiliar to them. They do not know their place or role in that persons personal or bonded culture.

The media today is filtered. There are special organizations to monitor movie content and ensure that movie and television shows are acceptable to show. The type of censorship and control gives the media power. It allows them to limit and restrict what the youth sees. This is influencing the youth negatively because it does not allow them a choice of what to think. It highly influences their opinions based on their restrictions.  Professor Dugan talks about how the media is restricting receives in his video, Module 3 Part 1c, The communications Process, he talks about how television shows and movies are showing edited versions of media or even providing age rated labels. I am not saying that I think that all things should be free reign for the youth. But, I do think that the reason why they do things is because they are curious about what they are or who they are. So they experiment to gain self knowledge and build up and meet their inner identity.

The media does warp the youths image of what they should look like. We watched other videos in the module this week about how the media changes peoples appearance to benefit their sales. They feed off of peoples insecurities. I do think that this is an issue the media is creating. I think there is more to it when it comes to violence and sex, but as for poor body image- I think the media has a great impact. Chapter 8 of the text, talks about beauty image, obesity, and eating disorders. Many youth look to the media to build their self image. The fashion industry for example, use models to sell their clothes/ cosmetics/ accessories. Many of these companies use very attractive and thin models in their campaigns. The youth compare themselves to these models. Who most of the time are unrealistic or even photo shopped to appear really thin. Society says that we should all be really thin. If you are a little overweight, you are made fun of. It is sad because it is a fact that eating disorders are a big issue. The fact that everyone in society is aware of how bad the problem is and how unrealistically thin these girls are, yet is perpetuated, which shows that this thin image is what society still wants. Images of unrealistically thin young women reflect a very narrow version of beauty and the way in which women are routinely valued based on their appearance in popular culture and, in many cases, everyday life. (Karen Sternheimer, pg. 207) I have noticed that media does not promote alternative forms of beauty. Usually only thin women are considered beautiful. No other body type is glorified as much as that. I believe that the media strips away the possibility of there being other forms of beauty. Most people overlook the social and political aspects that go along with this form of beauty. It is economically, socially, and politically extremely hard to achieve. Not just extremely hard, nearly impossible. As Professor Dugan mentions, we are the receivers of this mass media. We need to provide feedback to encourage the media to improve or alter the message they are creating. I think that if the media encoded different media, media that possibly promoted all forms of beauty, there would be less of a problem with eating disorders.

Another disorder is obesity. I think that all age groups in America have problems with obesity as well. But, obesity in the youth is a big problem. Our youth learn from us. If we are eating poorly and providing them with junk food, how are we going to expect them to be healthy? We need to set a good image for them to pay attention to. Also, the media should promote health as a priority. I think instead of there being such a jump form anorexic models to sales at McDonalds, the media should find a happy medium in their advertisements. Of course, they are never going to do this though because our society doesn’t pay attention to the happy medium which is horrible. Professor Dugan talks in his videos, New Media Landscape, about symbiosis. He says that mass media needs other mass media in order to operate. There are two different aspects, partnership (where two companies work together in two different spots) and conglomerates (organization where one company owns many different networks). Then in line with symbiosis in his second New Media Landscape video, there is convergence (blending the different aspects of mass media into a seamless whole). This is where all the networks are airing all the same information. This narrows down the amount of sources. I think that this is why the medias all show the same information and there is no change. They are either all working together or owned by the same place. Or they get their information from all the same sources. I believe that we need to provide feedback to help make a change since we are receiving this information that warps our societies view of “normal body image”.

Overall, I found this module to be very interesting. I think that it touched base on a lot of issues we are facing not only with the youth in our society, but all ages. I think these are all big issues and something needs to be done. Once again, I am so sorry for posting so late!