This session, we examined the R (receiver) of the SMCR model, focusing on three key questions: 1) Who is the mass audience? 2) How is the mass audience shaped? and 3) Is today's mass audience different from past audiences? If so, how? To dissect these questions, we began by outlining the important role of media in our lives today. And, despite the fact that we feel autonomous in our ideas/actions/beliefs, our intake of mass media (as much as 9 hours each day!) has a profound effect upon our lives as individual and social beings.
Our shared media experiences unify us; they construct shared culture and beliefs. Meaning is not something that can occur solo. And, while it may appear that we freely choose mass media communications, our freedom is limited by the choices offered. For media critics, such as Noam Chomsky, these limitations are a method of manufacturing mass consent. Elite media (consisting of corporations and experts) construct a single mass mind, while weeding dissenting opinions out via socialization, fatigue and mass distraction. Critic Guy Debord also focuses upon the power of mass distraction. For Debord, the passivity and alienation of modern life results from the dominance of spectacle, where representations have replaced reality.
- DUE SESSION 5 (2/20) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 4
Viewing Assignment (required): Growing Up Online
Project Homework: Public Issue Research (3 pages)
Reading:
- Simulacra and Simulations - Jean Baudrillard
- The Politics of Representation in Network Television - Herman Gray (chapter 23)
- Notes on the Construction of Reality in TV News Programmes - David Chandler
Click on the .jpg below for a printable version of the public issue research guidelines.
27 comments:
Frontline: Growing up online
Date: 1/22/08
This article is about the internet and the wealth of positive information as it pertains to academics and also the dangers lurking in cyberspace that can be detrimental to the life of a teenager. The audience for this article is especially teenagers and parents. The mass audience is shaped in ways that allow teenagers to become overly obsessed with socializing and expressing themselves in ways that are not known to their parents and the public. They are also prone to receiving unwanted attention by predators and cyber bullying. Today’s audience is different from the past audience because the world has progressed from the traditional way of how things were done and into the progressive way of life. For example, in the past students were taught by teachers and assignments were taken directly from textbooks and handouts. Once assignments were completed, teenagers were expected to do chores around the house such as cleaning and helping to prepare dinner. Today, literally everything is done through the click of a button. Academics, schedules, syllabi, test etc. are mostly done online. Subsequently, once this is completed there is nothing to engage a teenager especially with parents working longer hours. Teenagers are free to play games, socialize with friends and non acquaintances. They have the opportunity to receive detailed information on things that they would otherwise not have ideas on how to handle. For example, as stated in the article information was available if one decided to become anorexic and the plan of action that should be taken to complete the process. Even information on how to commit suicide is available. Parents also in my opinion are being more lenient with their children and allowing way to much freedom. On the other hand some parents are not as savvy as their teenagers and are not able to navigate the internet as well as their children.
Yvette S.
Frontline was a very interesting, and an infomrmative documentary for all of us who are not familar with the different internet sites, that our children are going on to meet other people. The mass audiences are our children, teens, and predators who are looking to kidnap kids for sex objects. Teens, and children with low self-esteem, usually meet other teens in the same boat as themselves. The teens open up themselves to all kind of unwanted advances from cyberbullying and etc.. The mass audience is shaped in a way where the teen or child on the internet, don't know the person on the other end of the net, unless they produce pictures of themselves, but even the picture is not a sure sign of the person. Without a doubt, the mass audience of today is differnt from the past, because just about everyting can be done on the internet such as, reading books, taking tests, going online to order textbooks, learning how to cook, finding a doctor, and leaning about the medication taken by family members,and etc.. Looking at this documentary has given me a heads up on what our children can get into without knowing, and the sad thing is the parents not knowing what their children, and teens are doing when they are on the computer. My heart went out to the parents of the child which took his life over cyberbullying. I pray more parents will look at this documentary, and take note of it, and listen. Our teen and children are crying over the net, and most of the times the wrong person is listening, and giving wrong advise which can become a matter of life or death. This woke me up in a special way.
Linda Shorts
The Internet and the digital world was something that belonged to adults, and now it’s something that really is the Province of teenagers”.
I enjoy Growing up Online, it was very interesting. The first thing I’m going to do is tell my daughter about this Documentary and make sure that she and my grandchildren watch it. The mass audience for this documentary is our children and parents. The mass audience had shaped our children to stop talking to there parent and to talk with who ever will listen to them on the internet. It is so sad to know that cyber bulling can cause a young teen to take is own life. We as parent need to get more involve in our children life and what they are doing, (1) we need to talk more with them (2) we as a family need to sit down for dinner and listen to what they have to say. The young girl Sarah was Anorexic how did her parent know this was happening to her. Today audience is different from the past audience because when I was going up we were not into the compute we like to go outside and play with other children. The children today, from the time they come home they are on the internet until they go to bed, and let not forget the cell phone. Parent need to find out why our children have low self-esteem and why they field they can’t talk to us.
Denise Bradley
Growing up on line was a very interesting article and it should be recommended for all parents to watch. So that they could learn about the different websites like My Space and Face Book that their children maybe on. In addition, that they the parent should not let their children close themselves up in their room and stay on the computer for hours. They need to monitor their children, and put a parental lock on the computer because there are predators online looking for teenagers for sex. 1. The mass audience is the teenagers and adults because we do a lot of school work, researching for things to buy, and Emailing. 2. The mass audience is shaped in a way to draw teenagers to websites like My Space and Face Book were the can say and do whatever they like to without their parents knowledge, and it is transforming teenagers into where they do not want to pick up a book or go out for walks with friends. 3. Yes! Today’s mass audience is different from past audience. When I grew up there was no computers and when my son and daughter were teenagers there was no computers in my home. My children went out to play after school and homework or they went to the library to research school work. I brought my grandchildren a computer because they live in the country and they are not near a library. But my daughter has a parental block on the computer because I do not care where you are there are predators.
Betty Corbett
“Growing up on-line” was a very fascinating documentary. The mass audiences are our teachers, parents, teens, children which lead to murders and predators. Parents and children are suffering from low self-esteem; the children are being affected by bullying and cyber bullying. The parents are losing their children to the internet and they do not know how to get them back. Children are always comfortable talking with their peers. The mass audience is shaped in a way where the internet is the new way of socializing and discussing whatever they want and children are posing for pictures in a manner that sends the wrong messages to the receivers. This new way of socializing can range from a pleasant conversation to the next phase in bullying, cyber bullying. Furthermore, today’s mass audience is different from the mass audience of the past, because the past was family structured. We went to school did our homework and we sat down and had dinner together as a family. Most children in the family were unable to speak their mind. You were told what you were going to do and you did it, no questions asked. This documentary has opened my eyes. I will be sharing this with my family. Thank you Jen!
Denise W.
Growing Up Online was a very informative and interesting documentary. Although parents and guardians are aware of their children' use of the internet, this program showed the obsessive use of it and the major role it plays in teenagers lives.
No longer are parent sort out for advice, because the "on line life" provides that. The internet also allows these individuals to rotate between a real and fantasy life. This on line life offers unlimited possibilities and an opportunity to live a life unimagined in "real" life.
The documentary offers a positive aspect which is that these children are allowed to socialize and network, but with that comes tons of negative aspects from this medium.
The impact on the parents is that they have competition in raising their children. Not only are there peer pressure from school, but now teens have opened their lives to millions of other individual who may not have their best interest at heart or are too inexperienced to offer solid help.
The mass audience are teens and young adults. This audience is shaped in ways that they now believe that on line is now the only way to be a real teen and lack of this medium poses a threat to their existence. Sadly it seem that it is almost impossible to reverse or reduce this trend of socializing.
The public school featured in this documentary was taking steps to keep up with the teens by changing the styles in which they deliver their curriculum, and parent, although resistant are accepting this on line life because of the threat it poses if they resist or remain ignorant of it.
In the past the mass audience for online usage was adults. It offered time management and easy access to pay bills, emails and networking. It was a supplement to everyday life. Now today's mass audience are teens and young adults who sees this medium as the main way to exist.
Dionne Vincent
WoW! Frontline: Growing up Online was very interesting. Some of this i was not knowledgeable about. I did not realize how much was going on in the Wonderful World of Internet/Online. I am going to spend more time investigating this @ a later date. I wish had paid more attention to this when my daughters were younger so that I could have been a little more educated. Although, my daughters did not have much time on the computer, they were only allowed to finish school assignments, etc. (At least that is what I knew) With these children today, one never knows. I would have liked to know exactly what all this talk about the various websites and the danger that this cyberspace, etc has on these children. I think there should be more talk about this kind of stuff in the schools. Parents alike should be constantly warned and educated as well. Growing up online is something that i am going to share with family and friends especially those w/younger children. As i said eariler, I am going look into this article a little more when I can because it was informative and educational for me. Well, I would like to say more but I have to finish my paper.
Cathy E. Page
“Growing Up Online” was a very fascinating documentary, which all parents and teenagers should read. These teenagers usually surf on websites like My Space and Face Book. The uproar about MySpace has a familiar feel. On one hand, law enforcement agents have called the website a “smorgasbord for predators.” On the other, millions of teens think it’s a cool place to hang out. One thing is certain. MySpace is phenomenally popular with 12-17 year olds, so parents need to pay attention. MySpace is attractive to teens because it satisfies two cravings, one for self expression and the other for recognition by peers. Setting up a personal page on MySpace is free, quick and fun. With the site’s simple tools, members can use words, colors, photos, music, and animation to create self-portraits that are as unique and changeable as teenagers themselves.
The mass audiences are teenagers and predators. The mass audience is shaped in ways that allow teenagers to become overly obsessed with socializing and expressing themselves in ways that are not known to their parents. In today’s world most parents are at work when their teenagers comes home from school so that they have the freedom to surf the internet and communicate with their friends, especially on MySpace and Facebook without parents supervision or knowledge. Children have stop talking to there parent and only talk with who ever will listen to them on the internet. It is so sad to know that cyber bulling can cause a young teen to take his own life. We as parent need to get more involve in our children’s life and what they are doing. The young girl Sarah who was Anorexic, how did her parent not know this was happening to her? Today mass audience is different from the past audience because when I was going up I was lucky to have my mom at home, who was someone I could always talk to. I did not have time for the internet because there were so many thing you wanted to do when you got home from school. You had to do your homework and help with chores around the house. After dinner you get to read your favorite book. You were even allowed to help with dinner in a fun way. I enjoyed those days and we need to bring back the good old days to our kids.
Sharon Teekasingh
“Growing up On-line”, was a very interesting documentary. It is a very informative piece for children and parents as well. Our children are the first generation to come of age on the internet. The mass audience is parents and children. The mass audience is shaped where children at this age do have some insecurity, and they feel more comfortable expressing themselves to strangers on-line than with family members. They feel they will not be judged. The mass audience today is really different from the past, whereas when we were growing up we used to spent time on the phone, and had to adhere to curfews. Children today are able to text each other at any given time, or interact with numerous individuals at the same time on AIM. I have a teenage son of my own. It does give me some type of assurance that I know my son is safe at home. I am able to monitor his activities and his conversations on-line (with the aid of a microphone headset) because I have the computer in my room……
G. Martin
This Internet bullshit wasn't around when I was a teen. But it is reminiscent of the late 70s and early 80s when I was a youth. In my day marijuana and hallucinagenic drugs were the in thing. The mass media audience to this Internet phenomena seems to be young people as well as adults-mostly teens.
This audience is being shaped into a society of secret-keepers just like the youth of my era. We kept things from our parents and adult authority figures. I am not saying that the Internet is a bad invention. It gives us as a society a wealth of advantages if used in the proper context. Audiences today are basically like audiences of yesterday. There is one big difference, the youth of today are far mor technologically advanced.But to some extent, they know what they're doing. They know to delete predators from their lists, etc. Parents should censor their children's use of whatever computers they buy them. But parents can't be everywhere. People are just going to have to take responsibility for their Internet use and activities.
David Esquilin
The editor Frontline has done a fantastic job on their on-line documentary titled Growing-Up.
This documentary was an additional eyeopener for me as a parent on what's lurking out in the cyberspace world. Techonology has taken the internet to a level far more than I could ever imagine.
The audience for this on-line documentary is especially for children of all ages and young adults,parents and anyone that is interested in learning more about the internet with good or bad intentions.
The mass audience is shaped in a way that encourages teens (children) to see the internet as a cool modern way of communicating through technology. In fact it has shaped the audience to believe that it is the only medium to communicate by. It's a way of meeting friends, sharing the new internet lingo in dialogue, or meeting an on-line date. There is also a downside to this; for example- receiving unwanted attention from predators and cyberbullies which was revealed in the documentary.
When looking at the mass audience of today and comparing them to the past audience - I say to myself what a difference a few years can make. I compare it to the Flintstones vs. The Jetsons. Everything is at your fingertips with just a click of a mouse. Everything is done on-line, I mean everything! For example; various school reports, homework, daily assignments, talking to teachers, playing games, chat rooms/My Space,shopping, blogging and watching movies. There is really no need to step outside of your home to communicate with the world. Compared to the past - everything was done at a slower manual pace. For example - face to- face contact, more telephone calling and usuage of US Mail. There was less danger to get involved in and at a much slower pace. Yes there were predators in the past but the internet has made our children more vulnerable to the predators as well as the cyberbullies (shown in the documentary).
This is a documentary all parents/guardians should view. Our children are in need of parents/guardians who are constanly receiving updated info to keep them abreast of the many channels of communication.
Communication is the key to success. Let's do our part as parents/guardians and mentors to keep an open line of communication between our children and ourselves. Let's remeber to share all information regarding new and upcoming technology and mediums of communicating. I will definately share this on-line documentary. We have tough battle ahead with all of this new technology as a new way of communicating.
T. Williams
The internet is a source that provides information to millions of users world wide. It contains the biggest resource of information in the entire world. It also enables people to obtain an interactive mechanism to instantly communicate with each other. With the open and distribution of technology the internet has created, an entirely new form of human communication. On the internet we find massive numbers of individuals broadcasting informtion to countless people. The internet has turned every owner of a compute,a modem, and telephone line into a publisher, a radio station and very soon a television studio. This is the new economy of information. Prior to the internet communication between community and audiences was largely enforced by media, telephone, and via books that was acquired painstakling through the public library. The internet has bridge this divide, by providing a single medium that is used to address communities and audiences.
Dawn McKenzie
The media exerts an enormous, almost a normative influence, over the lives of men, women, adolescents and children. It influences, particularly among teenagers, the ways in which individuals and groups dress, talk, behave, and think. The media, in the forms of movies, television, radio, and print as well as the new electronic communications medium of the Internet, helps to connect individuals to one another and to the world; invariably, this powerful influence shapes the ways in which viewers or participants perceive the world and their own place within that world. Given that teenagers are often highly impressionable and subject to such influences, this report will consider the effects of media on this particular age group. The mass audience of this documentary is the kids and the parents and sick people who is lurking online to do children harm. How the mass audience is shaped, giving our children access to the Internet where they can be someone that they are not and looking to belong in a social group, in this day in age technology plays a big role as far as it goes when it come to the mass audience everything is so easy to access food. Clothes, even people in the past it wasn’t as easy.
Jennifer Lynn Romain
This PBS show puts today's society in the spotlight. For me, our generation is so uptight with everything being perfect that we forgot what is truly important in our lives, the communication with our children. We all have held secrets from our parents, that is life. But, when society begins to be so busy with themselves and, for me, loses reality that we,our children, our family, our upbringing are not perfect we even begin to escape to fantasy world. And that is what we are inadvertently producing in our children through the internet. On the internet nothing is personal, anybody can be who they really want to be. The difference in yester year and today is; we used to be able to hide behind closed doors and today there are no doors. A relationship with your children is more important than ever today. They need to know that as their parent you wil be there no matter what, without judgment. Parents can still advise their children, but kids need to know it is ok that they are not perfect.
Dana Fernandez
This article: Growing Up Online
It just blew me away,how kids have such knowledge of the internet. and how adults can take advantage of innocent kids. Society has allowed these children and teenagers to become obsessed with this internet. where they can express to other how they feel and what they want. even go has far as putting the pictures of themselves and others on the internet without parents knowledgement. they can give the number and address to stranger with even thinking it would be dangers. I think it time for parent to wake up and start taking control of the children and home. instead of being afraid of what society thinks. I think the internet gives to much freedom to these kid where information is too accessible. It so dangerous out here in this world let alone not knowing what your children are doing in their bedrooms. we as parents try and give our children the best and also put alot of trust in them , but we have to see what their doing. reguardless that they feel their privicy has been invaded. big deal, knowing your child is safe is the most important thing in our life's. as they say down home children are to be seen not heard.
Ethel Thiam
There is nothing new about growing up on line. This has been going on for somtime now. My son is 12 and he has been on the net since, what kindergarden. I think that myself as a parent i have to control that, which is what i do. I don't panic abot what i hear about the net, i can't tell him that he can't get on, all of his friends do, i don't want him to feel like an out sider but then agian i don't want him to be a follower, which is why i control what he is doing even at shcool with out him knowing. The mass audience is teenagers today and thier parents along with the education system, i say bascilly anyone who can get on the net. The mass audience is being shaped children being allowed on the computer without supervison of adults, don't get me wrong children have the right to have and experience some sort of privcey but and that is a big BUT there are limits. We as parents and adutls have to understand that times are changing and the children today are part of the change, back in the day there was bullying but not what todays bullying is, bullying is if you stand up for yourself I'm going to go get my gang or a gun to make you stop. My son was being bullyed at one piont and he had to fight the student and he got suspened for it. I wasn't to angry becaus this is what i told him to do, the one thing i told my son is that if he can't make friends then do it on your own until the right ones come along, because if a person is trying to get you to do somehting that you are not supposed to just to be their friend then you don't need them, I believe that this is how he deals with peer pressure, This is what growing up on line is another form of peer pressure. to me. I say no, because the mass audience is the people it always has been and always will be. I say yes because now the focus is more on children, teens, and young adults of todays world they are the primary foucs, when befor it was about adults and somewhat children not its just about the younger generation. It is not easy being a parent wither you are single or married children go through alot in thier preteens and i think as parents we have to just do our best because in the end that is all we can do.
Octavia :)
After watching Frontline: Growing up online, I realized how out-of-touch I am with today's youth. However, I don't think that today's audience is much different, just a different mindset. What was accepted when I was growing up, is what our minds were fed at that time, and we adapted to that. Now things are geared for the youth of today; the cyber youths. The mass audience is anyone who adapt, relate and accept today's technology.
Catherine Lewis
The main focus on this article was on teenagers who drown themselves in technology. These kids literally live, eat, drink and sleep internet and texting. The article focuses on teenagers and how they are so evolve and intreged by the internet. These teens spend more time on the internet than actually communicating in people.
These teens create new personality, lifes, and identity online. They have become so indulged in tecnology that it often seems real to them. Some parents may be concerned what their children are doing on the net, and some parents have none.
I got cut off
The previous comment is connected to this.
Kids in the pass are totally differnt from kids today. Kids today are so smart with the computers. They are always looking for the easy way out. Kid in the past were more hands on, they didn't have as much feedom to spend hours and hours surfing the net. The way cmputers are so popular, it kind of strange to think that we didn't always have access to computers.
Nekeisha Forbes
The Frontline video "Growing up online" dated 1/22/08. Tells of the new technology, that is being taken over by our children, "Teens"
Teens are the mass media audience today. Technology, computers, myspace, texting, etc. are used more so by youth to stay in touch with each other.
Today's audiences are, Youth, and they are different then past audiences. It used to target adults because they had the money to spend, now the young people are taking over this new computer technology and they know how to bypass the parental programs to get access to things they shouldn't be involved in, and parents are none the wiser, because our children teach us only what they want us to know.
Maryann
2/25/08
By watching this program I get the impression that the mass audience is anyone with acess to computers. Todays mass audience is shaped by their specific interests. Todays mass audience is very different from past mass audiences because now their interests are a lot more accessible to them. They have the ability to just type in a word of interest or a certain subject and they have hundreds of sites where they can access this information, but not only just acess this sites but also contribute their own information.
Miguel Hernandez
Frontline: Growing Up Online
This article was an eye opener and very informative. The mass audience that is our children that use the internet to meet and bond with strangers. I don't recall the computer being a necessary asset during my era. The teens today are obsessed with the internet. Although there are so many resources on the net, there are also a lot of predators that take advantage of our youth. Most parents aren't familiar with all of the sites that our youth visit, so they are more at risk for being taken advantage of.
This particular era requires a lot of activity on the internet. Homework is given through the internet, test are given, games, monetary games which allow hackers to invade your privacy. There is a lot of exposure to our teens that is dangerous because of a lack of supervision, and it is also because they are the mass audience, in which, they are easily swayed.
Aquilla Anderson
Homework #4
Growing Up Online has informative
documentary for parents. I did
not know about Growing Up Online
internet web site. It helps
parents to be aware of many
interesting documentaries about
teenagers who are going through
detrimental life experience.
Parents must be aware that there
are unscrupulous predators who are
waiting for their victim in the
internet. The mass audience are
children, therefore the predators
always focuses on teenagers who
are easy to convince to watch sex
movies, and are easier to kidnap.
In fact, the mass audience is
different from years ago. Do to
the technology children know more
than in my times.
The Child Predator Fear is an
example, in which parents live in
so much fear when their children
are surfing the internet.
Martha Fuentes
I remember growing up being able to do math problems using pen and paper. Now it all electronic, everything is now done on a computer. There is little, if any real contact with others, it's all texting. I don't know if kids today know how to have real face to face conversations.
It seems that it is more important to be able to reach the highest level in a video game but they still can't read.
Jeannie
Growing up online 1/22/08
This artlce was very interesting. The mass audience were the parents, children/teenagers. It showed us how teenagers are misusing the internet. Teenagers are doing things that their parents would not even begin to think they are doing on the internet. All parents need to watch this clip. Todays audience is very differnt from the past audience because in the past the internet wasn't as popular as it is today. In the past things were more traditonal , more conservative but now things are fast paced.
Nicole A.
The mass audience is the kids and the parents.
The audience is shaped through the appeal to the kids (i.e. myspace, chat, even emailing/texting) and any concerned parent that learn of their childrens' obsession with the internet.
Today's audience is much different from the past. Today there are alot more media targeting the children that the adults. All the craze about texting and myspace is spoken more with children that adults. The internet makes bullying and preying on children easier. A person can be whatever gender, age, or nationality they want and no one can say otherwise.
All this decreases the kids ability to socialize. They rather communicate through the internet (and say what they want) than to develop their social and speak skills.
Michelle B.
The frontline special is an eye opener to all parents who do not monitor what there children are doing on the internet. The internet is babysitting for a lot of parents who are not aware of what our children can get into. The mass audience in this special is teenagers all over the world who are hooked on their computers and laptops. The mass audience is shaped to capture the eye of young people who do not have any other outlets and becoming attached to all the information that the internet has available. Today's mass audience is definitely different from the past audience in many ways, first of all the past audience was not exposed to as much as our children and teenagers are today. And today our children are more advanced then we were growing up, we were more protected in the past. Now the future generations are left to figure out life on their own.
S. Elliott
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