Module 5-Hooray!
Wow, I truly cannot believe that our class has come to a conclusion. It ended as swiftly as it began and I am sorry to see it go. These 5 weeks were enriching and thought provoking to say the least and I come away not only with a more media literate mindset but with a deeper understanding of my views and perspectives. Self awareness is unequivocally the greatest gift a college professor and course can bestow so with that, thank you Dr. Tollefson for a challenging and transforming experience!
Module 5 delve into the subject of media influence and where it derives. Media ownership and consolidation were the most eye opening, and admittedly, I was naive to much of the process. The most critical question behind media influence is who is at the hands of it? As time ticks on and we become an increasingly profit driven society, the answer is those who are wealthy and possess positions of power. These decision makers seek to consolidate media channels making for a limited spectrum of different viewpoints and perspectives. I believe George Gerbner summarizes the issue beautifully; “consider that for the first time in human history a child is born into a home which television is on an average of about seven hours a day. And for the first time in human history most of the stories are told not by the parent, not by the school, not by the church, not by the tribes or community, and in many places not even by the native country, but by a relatively small group of conglomerates who have something to sell” (Gerbner, George).
Another problem is within media ownership there lies a lack of diversity. It is well documented and indisputable that minorities and women are underrepresented in the media resulting in a predominately masculine and white media ownership. All of these flaws result in the sum known as media news bias. News bias can be seen in arguably every aspect of reporting from who gets to speak at a round table discussion with Anderson Cooper to myths that are created by the media “that come to [define] our world” such as the “soccer mom phenomenon” (Radford, 2003, p. 65). “It is essential that news media, along with other institutions, are challenged to be fair” and taken to task. “The first step in challenging biased news coverage is documenting the bias [itself]” (FAIR). The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) have gone to great lengths to expose media misrepresentation and bias in efforts to end gender and ethnic inequality and discrimination (Who Makes The News).
In Chapter 10 of our text, Karen Sternheimer discusses A New Generation of Greed. To echo Gianna, I too was reminded of “The Story of Stuff” video series when reviewing this chapter. Sternheimer states that we our a materialistic society rooted in consumerism and the notion that “more is more.” Once again reverting back to her constructivist tendencies, she explains that while people wish to place blame on the media for this issue, she argues that the problem is found within the home. Sternheimer believes that in today’s society parents shower their children with material items condoning a consumer heavy lifestyle. While I agree with her views on the matter and believe that parents are often at the root of children’s material expectations/wants, I think the media does tap into our neurological tendencies. As we explored in the module 5 voicethread, neuroscience can help us better comprehend the influence of media on our thoughts, behaviors, and habits. It enhances our understanding by illustrating that the brain is composed of different systems that serve different functions. For instance, the limbic system controls our emotions. When we intake media, those influences appeal to that system and our emotions sometimes resulting in impulses that override our functional thinking (cerebral cortex). When this happens, imbalance is created. As we discovered in the Media and Health guest lecture with Dr. Christina Pabers, we seek a balance of yin and yang. It is my hope that through the tools of media literacy, the mass media can attain balance as well.
