Module 2 Reflection
During my experience with researching our material for module 2 I found myself questioning each article with my own experiences. With every question came great concern towards how to negate mass media makers influence on society. More importantly, how could one learn to redirect his/her attention to see through what society considers a standard norm of living. Would education be the answer to allow individuals to be more media literate? What I learned shocked me in terms of education with Tollefson (2008) article titled, “The inversion of visibility. In Volatile knowing: Parents, teachers and the censored story of accountability in American public schools”. Within the article many ideas were presented.
Firstly, there was a lack of collaboration between both teacher and parents towards changing educational as a whole. Secondly, the structure of education was based on corporate power. Lastly, individuals were inhibited from believing that they could make a difference in changing the Panopticon structure. However, what spoke to me more was the structural analogy used to explain Michel Foucaults term Panopticon aka the “perfect prison”. In hindsight the prison is structured to keep individuals inline by forcing individuals to go against their moral responsibility by using the accountability spot light effect to force self-policing behavior to allow one to feel comfortable with the current ideology of discipline fixes implemented within the structure of power. Additionally, this discipline fix is what we see in current media that disallows community based systems to work together due to private corporate interest groups. Therefore, in summary this is a form of behavioral change.
Once I had wrapped this around my brain around this idea, along with the countless statistical data that showed we are consumed by media, it all came together. By considering this structure of power I realized that this was used not only in our education, but within our media outlets. This had answered my question on why people accepted mass media as it was. As a result, I saw the challenge that laid before us all. What if Tollefson statement were true, “If we have accepted the conditions of our own objectification as natural and inevitable, we will have relinquished our authority to define” (130). Would this be our undoing? No, I would like to argue that people could realize that this is all an illusion to distract us from pressing matters. Tollefson article does state if parents, educators and students work together to purpose dialogue on education than there would be progressive results. I say this because it makes sense, if you disconnect one another than you have won by allowing humans to be only individuals. Again, I feel as you read through all the reading you can get quite upset with the reflection of your own subjective life. I reflect and wonder how my life would have been if I was media literate growing up. The amount of time wasted, is disgusting. Yet, considering this course is granting me an opportunity to put it all together. I too want to help others see through the blight of corporate intellectual property.
I now want to ask about your thoughts. What do you feel you have gathered thus far from our reading? Do you feel the same as I do?
-Sebas
