What Is McChesney talking about?

In his book “The Problem Of The Media”, McChesney talks about the policies, structures, subsidies, institutions that are created to control, direct and regulate the media. Therefore, media will be responsible for the logic and nature of the media system. He talks about how the problem of the media still exists in all societies, but the range of solutions from each society is influenced by its political and economic structures. Now at this current time Media are at the centre of struggle for power and control in any society. He continues arguing on how the government is involved within the media, especially in the US. McChesney also talks about capitalism by stating “The emergence of modern corporate capitalism alters the initial equation that the press would not be dominated by the wealthy and powerful but would be accessible to broad segments of the population”. McChesney bravely criticizes the Journalist as well, he argues how they are the watchdogs of the powerful, and do whatever which is in favor of the powerful in order to receive their big bonuses. He further elaborates that there is no good investigative journalism left, as media firms have little incentives to produce journalism that might anger powerful business or government. I found a lot of criticisms regarding media in this book, some I agree with and with some I do not. One of the points I really like in the book is when McChesney talks about advertising and how it has emerged to meet the needs of corporate capitalism. He states that Advertising amounts to Propaganda. In McChesney’s ideology, Media can come back on track if it was more competitive, as more companies will form, information will be more widely available to the masses. It is indeed in the power of the government to solve the media problem by popularizing and democratizing media policy making.

The election coverage

This was the first election coverage I was interested in. Even though I am not an American citizen, I knew bit by bit about what was going on. This election was filled with drama and excitement. Both Democrats and the republics were having a war of words against each other. The election was covered in all forms of the media, and these parties attracted voters as never before. Barack Obama for example, collected most of his donation from the internet, and marketed himself very intelligently by bringing the message of “Change” to his masses. I watched the election on many different channels, such as Channel 7 or CNN. I felt than the election was covered more in depth on the internet rather than on television. News channels became entertainment or gossip Channels, where we saw Sarah Palin getting pranked or Obama in tears after his grandmother passed away. There were bombardment of advertising from both parties, and Obama’s team had the highest advertising cost compared to all other electoral campaigns throughout history. This was also the first time I saw people getting very emotional when Obama won the election; it was as America just won the World Series. There was so much hype, not only in America but all over the world, and from the internet I got different perspectives about the election, as people wrote blogs, and discussed on Youtube upon who should win. The television media knew best how to make entertainment out of politics, as all their stories concerning the candidates were baseless. The masses knew more about their life than knowing what their plans are for the economy. Here we can again touch the argument what MCchesney made, how these media don’t talk about the voices heard from the people, rather they create news which would benefit them and the governments who grant them the mergers. We can also bring in the example of Bordieu, who says that the main objective of the television is to entertain.

"The Perfect Thing"

The introduction of IPod has revolutionized how one listens to music, in a problematic world this was the perfect solution. The IPod in our generation is one the most innovative invention. First as a luxury item for listening music whenever or wherever, now considered as a necessity in all forms of life. It is the ultimate media channel where you can share your music, pictures, and always create your own moods by not letting a hard day make you grumpy. I bought an IPod because it became a fashion item, as all my friends owned an IPod, and when they asked me if I had own an IPod, my answer would have to be yes or else they would find me in odds. The IPod is also famous amongst college students, as 99% of the students I know in college own an IPod. IPod has also changed the way we interact with each other. For example before the invention of IPod people were more willing to talk to each other in public transport, and now the best way to avoid talking to other people is by listening to music with white ear plugs tapped to your ears. The phenomenon of the IPod is also talked about in the book “the perfect thing” by Stephen Levy. I personally believe that what Stephen Levy could have written in an article about the IPod, he went on writing a book. Stephen Levy talked about our choices of music, and how it tells a lot about us. I do disagree on this statement by Levy because then people pass judgment on people who listen to music such as Heavy Metal, Rap or Country. If I listen to Heavy Metal does not necessarily mean I am a rough or an angry guy. I do think by viewing someone’s ITunes Library you can get a glimpse about someone’s personality but you can also not say much about them as well. I think people have now taken it for granted that music tell a lot about a person, but I think different music is for different mood a person is in. I remember once I was listening to Britney Spears song and my friends asked me if I was gay, and I asked them why, they replied by saying only girls listen to her. People should understand that the purpose of music is to make you feel good, happy, relaxed, and if some music makes you feel good then you should go for it and not care what others have reflect upon you. Levy also went on talking about how IPod is the most important thing for a college student. I would have agreed with Levy four years ago, but not any longer. I think cell phones have become the most important thing for a college student. This is because now you can carry your music in your cell phone as well. We can take the example of IPhone, which became a sensation between college students where you can store all of your media, and in few years some other sensation would replace it. Companies never give up satisfying consumer wants because our wants are endless. We desire more and more, and the success of IPod proves this point, as we consumers love products that affect our life style in ways that would entertain us.
These are some of the few thoughts I gather after reading Levy’s book on the IPod.

TV in America compared to TV in Europe

As we all know America’s biggest export is entertainment, and as an international student going to America I was very much aware what America had to offer. Since a teenager I have been seeing American movies, listening to its music, radio, and learning about its politics on the international news Channels such as CNN, which was first established in the USA. American culture of entertainment is famous and common amongst everyone in the world, as everyone loves Hollywood and the music the US has to offer. Now if someone asks me what is the difference between European television channels and American Television channels , at first I would not be able to tell the difference, but if I start watching closely and differentiating it I can make many assumptions between the two. I see that European news channels are more informative, they go into the core of the hot issues going in about around the world, and they have many programs such as the “Hard Talk” where they bring influential people from different countries and have open ended discussions. On the other hand American news channels are less informative, they focus us on so many things that people generally tend to lose interest on the topic which is a current major issue in the world. They add so much information in one hour of news that people forget what they heard was important, for example after telling how the US bombed a place in Somalia killing innocent civilians, the next topic would shift towards how a young boy fought with a coyote to save his life. On the other hand European News channels have a more democratic approach compared to American news channels which are run by an oligopoly run by people who make sure that their and the governments interests are considered. European entertainment channels are also more realistic than American serials such as flava 5, which are not at all knowledgeable. This is a major issue because Television is viewed a lot by American people, and it affects the society in many ways because children grow up by watching these entertainment channels which are focused on materialistic things, girls, money e.t.c. This is an issue which the government should resolve by ending the oligopoly, and letting other people open Television channels that are more knowledgeable, democratic, and entertaining at the same time.

Reflection on New Media pesentation

After my group’s presentation on New Media, everyone, including me got a better understanding of New Media, and where it is heading towards. New Media is the future of all Media. Our lives are now surrounded by New Media, from home to work. New Media can also be called the digital media, as everything digital such as the web, cell phone, or the digital camera is included in the New Media category. New Media has a tendency to bring innovation in technology and Lifestyle, as companies like Apple are making people’s life more exciting and easier by introducing products such as the iphone. Web sites have now become a hub for social networks, and socializing has never gone this digital. You can be in contact with a person on the other side of the globe, and still be capable of watching that person live through the web cam. Through New media everyone is one click away. New Media has taken entertainment on to a new level, as now we can watch movies online, listen to music and radio online as well. Laptops/computers have never been so personalized than before; it has now become the stimulus of our everyday lives. New Media is now heading where the sky is the limit. This new form of media has made our lives faster or in some ways easier for us as well. There are also many pros and cons related to new media. The pros are what I have discussed earlier, which is how New Media made our lives faster, easier, and more entertaining. The cons include that we have become too depended on New Media, for example if my Blackberry stops working, then instantly everything has come to a halt, and I cannot function, because I already have become so dependent on Blackberry. Our social life is also affected in ways such as instead of meeting a relative or a friend in person you would talk to him/her over Skype or Aim. People have lost the essence of social life, as social networks on the web have taken over it. We can also say that media has made us lackadaisical, as we can function practically on everything by sitting on your couch with a laptop in your hand. In few months social networks such as Facebook will have the capability of ordering pizza just one click away, and in no time calling Dominos would be a hassle for us because it would take an effort to get up and call Dominos. This gives us a bigger picture how fast paced life is becoming. For some New Media has brought more pros than cons, and for other there are more cons than pros. As far as we know that the new generation loves it, and all we can do is wait and see how New Media shapes our lives for the future.