Media as Technological Advancement and Education - Assignment Example

Media Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Introduction Media refers to the media technologies collectively. They include newspaper, internet, radio and film all of which are used for the purpose of communication as well as the organization involved in controlling these technologies. Since the years of 1950’s many countries have obtained a great level of industrialization in terms of technologies like radio broadcasting, cinema and television especially in their role in advancement of political power (Downing, 28). Contemporary research that has been carried out shows that there has been a rise in the increase of media ownership whereby the sector is greatly owned by private sector. There are many types of media classifications namely Braille, handheld, embossed, TV, TTY, speech, projection and print. The media usage depends on their role to their audiences like entertainment, advocacy and news. Print media and electronic media include; Broadcasting which entails the television and radio Tapes and disc used for music, computer and video Film used for entertainment and documentaries The internet which is used for blogging, podcast and other functions like news, video, speech and music Mobile phones which is used for the purpose of rapidly breaking news, entertainment like horoscopes, jokes, games, advertisement, music and alerts. Publishing like newspaper Video games for entertainment Media Contemporary audiences are more involved in creation than their predecessors It is evidence that as technology and other factors are evolving due to innovation as such, they are more critical. There are many factors that have led to emergence of great difference between the contemporary audience and their predecessors. Contemporary audience refers to the audiences in this modern society. Some of the factors that have created the difference between the contemporary audience and the predecessors include the advancement in technology like internet and mobile phones, media ownership, changes in curriculum and education, westernization or embracing western culture, media freedom, and the methods of dissemination of media contents advancement of propaganda (Nightingale, 200). Most of the contemporary media audiences have assumed the role of researchers whereby whatever is disseminated by the media is critically synchronized and scrutinized. The habits of Audiences are changing as times moves. It should be noted that as technologies used by the media changes, there is a great change in their habits. Another factor of the audience with reference to their habit change is social and physical location which affects the manner in which the audiences receive the information. The expansion in the technologies of media has led to facilitation of media audience development in the contemporary diffused audience whereby in the developed society they are connected together through an electronic media. Technology is changing whereby interne is serving as media. Many people are able to access internet from anywhere they are such that information is spreading like bush fire. An example is a political crises occurring in developing countries whereby after most national elections there arises post elections violence (Moores, 80). Such news is widely spread via the internet whereby they reach a wide range of people. The contemporary audience then takes it upon them to criticize what is happening. The internet has provided the audience with social network like twitter, to go, yahoo messager, Skype and Facebook which most people are using. Via those social network people are able to criticize whatever is happening anywhere in the world. People are able to hare ideas both in the form of negative and positive critique due to the media technology advancement. The use of mobile phones as a form of contemporary media device has also led to the difference experienced between the contemporary audiences and their predecessor. This is because using the mobile phones; people are able to spread the news as well as their opinions about what has been communicated out via the media. It is evident that today many media houses have a telephone communication line, email address, social network account and post office address for the audience to give a feedback. This has encouraged them to criticize whatever the media if communication (Moores, 70). The emergence of television technology whereby many governments have embraced the technology as a one the most rightful means of media to convey information across the country has led to the change. This is because of the speed with which it conveys the information. Television broad casts can really reach so many people as fast as possible and especially the targeted population because of the fact that the transmitted events or information can be instantly received. The government has achieved that by using the most watched programmes like news. As we all know, many people would rather miss any other programme but get to watch news so as to be updated on the current issues. The media houses also have advanced that by providing the audience with a way of giving a feedback through SMS or calling a direct line. So the government has taken advantage of that fact where need be to control the mind of people. In most cases some channels, which accommodate a talk-show in the middle of the news broadcast are used (Moores, 155). This is whereby; a respected official in the government is welcomed on bold with an interview to discuss a key issue. The same kind of mind control has been seen in the passing of public advertisement whereby, the advisement come up in the midst of the news broadcast when many people are viewing. This has attained a great deal of influence or mind control, attitudes and beliefs in such a nation but the contemporary audience objected to that strategy responds back by criticizing. Television has also replaced many of the traditional ways of communication in this modern world. This is because of the fact that it has overcome illiteracy since the so called illiteracy is no longer a barrier. Media ownership is another factor that has led to the development of critical contemporary audience. In most countries, today most of the media houses are owned privately. This is whereby the people starts up a media company either radio station, print or television media. Since for them it is a business, they do anything to ensure their business flourish. This is whereby they believe in giving the audience what they demand (Cruz & Justin, 79). This is whereby the content as well as materials covered in their communication is in such a way that the audience is given an opportunity to express their satisfaction as well as dissatisfaction. By doing so, they are given an opportunity to even criticize what the government is or not doing. This never used to happen in the ancients days whereby most of the media houses were owned by the government of the country or the colonial government. In those days, the audience never had an opportunity to express their feelings, views or even give contributions on issues. Their role was just to receive what the media was offering without any chance to criticize. Education and curriculum has also led to the development of contemporarily audience. Modern curriculum has developed students who are independent minded in the sense that what is being studied to day involves a lot of critique of the theories that were developed in the ancient days. In the same manner most of these students have a critical mind when receiving information or materials via the media. This has led to a lot of criticism of whatever the media it producing. Media students in their classes have also learning opportunities whereby they are learning issues of media and are given an opportunity to give their opinions on the issues that are ongoing in the media. Other professions like law are also depending on media for information. This is whereby in the events of human impunity, the laws societies depend do much on the media to get information on the issues surrounding it. As a result, they end up in the media to talk about their opinions on the same (Downing, 59). The environmentalist is also using the media to communicate to the public on the issues affecting the environment lie climate change. This is whereby through documentaries, they pass the intended messages of what is happening. As a result, the public which happens to be contemporary audience responds to what they see by airing their views. Some of these features are in real sense aired to the public in search of solutions and in the process of getting the solutions some of the public ends up criticizing. Media freedom is another factor that has brought about the great difference between the contemporary audience and their predecessors. This is whereby laws and policies have been developed and implemented giving the media freedom of expression. In the ancient days the freedom of media was limited the information reaching to the public as limited. This is different in the contemporary days. Today due to the freedom of media, there has been great coverage of any event going on. This involves some government activities like parliament proceeding. Many media houses are airing the proceedings live for the people to watch (Hart, 178). As a result the contemporary audience is able to listen, direct and analyse for themselves what is going on. This has enabled them to criticize some of the issues going on. This is whereby some of these media houses conduct an opinion poll from their audience concerning such matters. As a result, the public gets an opportunity to give their opinions. The opinion polls are carries out even in the public social gathering where the media houses get an opportunity to reach to the public themselves. By doing so, the public is encourage to give media more audience and with a critical mind since every audience want to give their opinion. They want to suggest what the government or other sectors are doing wrong or are doing right. Method of dissemination information is another factor that is causing the difference between the contemporary audience and their predecessor. This is whereby in these modern days, many ways are being used to pass information. The media is using the video or cinemas to pass information. This is whereby they are taking a scenario and acting it in the form of a film. Then it is displayed to the audience either in the tapes for purchase, in the television or in the cinema hall. Once the people watch it, they are able to link it with the real events and then start criticizing what is happening. Many novels are also being disseminated resembles with the real situations happening around the audience. As a result, some of the readers come out clearly in writing to relate what is written to what is happening (Gauntlett, 133). This is happening a lot in literature where during the analysis of the novels read by the students, the analyst criticizes what is happening in their own countries and especially with reference to politics, violence and criminology due to insecurity. Some even tries to criticize the efforts of government as well as the authorities in place are doing in relation to those matters. Some of the script writers, the crew, the producers and directors take an opportunity to express their sentiment on some of the issues currently going on for the purpose of getting a response from the public of which they great succeed in driving the contemporary audience into criticism. The rate at which propaganda is evolving in the modern society has led to the changes noted in the audience. It should be noted that the experiences, reactions and responses of the audience are dependent on the manner in which they receive the information disseminated (Moores, 34). Propaganda refers to the communication of a peace of information with an objective of influencing the perception of a group of people as far as a certain issue is concerned. Propaganda it itself is made up of complete information but moulded in such a way that it will influence the attitude of the listener, hearer or the entire audience. In most cases facts in propaganda are given out selectively in that some details which are very important are omitted and substituted with some false information so as to achieve an emotional response from the audience instead of a rational one. For example, the use of propaganda promotes a state of disapproval of a given idea or even creates a negative point of view concerning an issue. In actual sense, propaganda differ very mush from any normal means of passing a message or even communicating information in that it is insidiously presented and not in a subtle form. Propaganda is usually presented in such a way that it will definitely create some form of negative or strong emotions. In most cases propaganda promotes concepts which have no logic in them (Nightingale, 108). Among the many form of media spreading propaganda that are in existence, television is rated as one the best form in as far as persuasiveness is concerned. Therefore, television as a form of media will effectively pass across a message which can easily lead to control of mind. Conclusion It is evident that the contemporary audience is more involved in the process of creation as compared to their predecessor. This is due to the level at which the society is embracing modernization in terms of innovation, technological advancement and education. Media is enjoying freedom to disseminate information to the public while as the audience has been granted the opportunity to air their views in response they receive (O'Sullivan et el, 122). Also many forms of advancing propaganda have emerged as the technology keeps changing, for example the use of television. Besides that form of technology the internet and mobile phones have been very effective and efficient means of spreading propaganda very fast. That is why so many forms of official messages or piece of information known to have affected a certain mind set of people have been said to be received through such form of communication. Work cited Cruz, John, and Justin Lewis. Viewing, Reading, Listening: Audiences and Cultural Reception. West view: Boulder, CO, 1994. Downing, John. The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies. SAGE: Sage, 2004. Gauntlett, David. Creative Explorations: New Approaches to Identities and Audiences. London: Routledge, 2007. Hart, Andrew. Understanding the Media: A Practical Guide. London: Routledge, 2001. Moores, Shaun. Interpreting Audiences: The Ethnography of Media Consumption, London: Sage, 2003. Nightingale, Virginia. Studying Audiences: The Shock of the Real. London: Routledge, 2006. O'Sullivan, Tim, Brian Dutton & Philip Rayner. Studying the Media. London: Edward Arnold, 2004. . Read More