Why Read From Books Any More?

By: Daniel Harris

Once upon a time, you sat in a circle with other children while your teacher read an intriguing story from a book. Or you laid tuck under your covers as a loved one read you a bed time story from your favorite book. At times you were very eager to flip through the pages just to find out what happened next or even to take a look at the colorful illustrations or the pop out pictures.  Controlling the book in your hands was fun and had a sense that the story was yours and when you got to the end, you lived happily ever after too.

In today's day and age, technology has evolved beyond our imagination.  You do not have to read from books physically no more.  There are media tablets that has taken over the hard and paper backs.  A simple download and a swift movement of your fingers, you can put children to sleep as if you have the actual book in your hands.

These media tablets are so easy to use, children can pick them up and use them themselves.  This takes away from one on one time with the other person reading to the children.  Also, this takes away your chance on teaching children how to read yourself.  The technology is so advanced, that they can do all the reading and learning themselves.  At least there will not be any more stomping your toe into the bookcase, where as though you can simply store hundreds of books on to a small hand held device.

A New Look Into Technology

By: Chaz Fudge, III

                       Technology has new look into things mainly because now a variety of gadets have new ways

into connecting to social media. Like as apple pc's, ipads and tablets can be used to connect to what an

indivdual wants rather if it's facebook, twitter, skype or words with friends for entertainment to kill time on

train ride home from work etc. Poilce headquaters has the ability to tap in phone conversations now because

of new inhanced technology that they've recived over years, since makers of the product gotten smart to

make life smart and easy for not only for business wise also elderly as well. They devloped the emergancy

button press for the distressed elderly when they're in trouble and help is sent electronicly directly to the

headquaters for a dispatcher to send out the poilce to aid them. That's the beauty of technolgy today it can

save lifes anywhere and help ease troubles of physically enabled indivduals.
            
                Elmentary schools, middle schools and even high schools are now doing lessons on ipads and

tablets to capture attention of students and bring in fun with eduactional process with it. Teachers find it

easier and fun for students to learn then to be used to old method to write and talk all day long in front of

class which could be boring at times lol at times but its good thing that teachnology is fun for all ages and

good way to interact. Moreover, ipods and mp3's in such has inhanced greatly due to the fact the new

technology has many ways into unlocking music to higher level.

                  The media's network has been named largest social pool in America and it's beginning to become

nation wide. Facebook began becoming an nation wide social network for American's whose  relatives aren't


in U.S. can be in contact on via facebook ,and video chat. Twitter as well, howevery it's not as big as

facebook and can do variety things to be interactive in media its more of a journal blog of what your doing in

life whatnot. Media and technology helps the social society communcate with one another without this the

world will be dull and hard to deal with one another.

Technology Overload

Submitted by Ashleigh Niemiec

The general public is facing a technology overload everywhere we go. We carry our cellphones everywhere, people carry their computers, iPods, just to name a few. Now we might have to subjected to computer screens on our shopping carts. Can you image going shopping and as we go up and down the aisles different manufacturers would advertise their products on the computer screen attached to our shopping cart. Even if we can turn off our cart, we would have to listen to other carts on the same aisle. Other problems would be pushing the cart with a computer attached to the underside of the cart, the screen would limit how we load and unload the cart. If we damage the computer screen we could be liable for it.

This type of marketing is targeting the food shopper in the family which is usually the female head of the household. This type of targeting is feminist. You would not find this type of marketing on shopping carts in home improvement stores, advertising tools and such for the male head of the household. This type of marketing is not fair if they are only targeting females. This is also targeting the children who are with their parents, making them ask for the products that they see on the computer screen making Mom buy more than she was planning too.

When is enough, we need to stop all the advertising everywhere we go, we are subjected to it on television, spam on our computers, junk mail, and advertising in our newspapers and magazines. When do we get a say when enough is enough. What is next commercials in our cars as we drive down the highways advertising the stores that we pass. It would be very disturbing when we are driving, worse than texting. We need to take a stand before this gets out of hand.

Technology Running Circle around us

Submitted by Fred Dukes Technology has put a major impact on the way people live life. Technology has become such a apart of our life its like we cant live with out it. For example when walking down the street 9 out of every 10 people you see are either on there cell phones texting or with headphones in there listening to somebody tell them whats wrong with the world. And at home with the social networking and new ways to communicate its almost like the only way people can interact with one another a lot of people suffer with not being able to hold face to face conversations with people because there not use to expressing there feelings through verbal communication. Peolpe have lost site on how to live life because for as long as you take to look at your phone or listen to your music you miss out on hearing the beautiful sound of nature or the communication and dialouge that is going on around to

FUTURE, FASTER, AND FACETIME

Submitted By Shanea Hannibal

Let’s admit it people, no matter how young or old, we are addicted to the mass production of new cellular devices thrown in our face every day! This is the future and beyond for media and technology of the world. We just love the feel of a touch screen, the rapidly fast progress of connects with via Internet, messaging, downloading, and who doesn’t love Wi-Fi. Just looking at those advertisements like the commercials, billboards, and the biggest yet- seeing other people carry their high-tech phones just gives you the urge to go out and buy one for yourself, whether it’s an IPhone, Blackberry, Samsung, HTC, or Motorola Droid. 

 

These phones supply us with everything we need in one little package. How much better could life get. The fact of the matter is, do we really give this any thought? I mean do we really need this much information at our every touch with just a tap of the finger. What good is it to pick up a book Books when we can buy them on our phones, who needs to actual sit and watch a movie with friends I can buy it on my phone and multi-task, who needs to go all the way to Home Depot for flash lights, I get it on my phone! They supply use with so much today we don’t need to utilize other resources.

This creates social isolation as well. We as people get so lost in all with what technology offers and what it allows us to do that we overlook everything else around us. I mean seriously, text message and picture mail use to be the huge diversion to our lifestyles but now it’s more than that. You have people flying you e-mails, IMs, notifications from your social networks (Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter), video-chatting and do we ignore them- I think not. Why is it so important for us to be socially involved (but really nonsocial) over something so materialistic. If you drop your cell phone and it breaks- which happens often, you have no choice to wait for a new phone to ship out about a week later- unless you have insurance. The fact of the matter is what will you do? Go days without talking to anyone or physically go out your way to pick up a house phone or even better take a walk or ride to see the person and actually hold a human-like conversation with them. 

 

The fact of the matter is that we can’t lose ourselves within the social skills we obtained from the young age of infants. Do we really want our next generation to grow up only learning the language of computer-cell phone dialogue; LOL, OMG, TTYL, WTF, and etc. Technology is making headway everyday (oh yes, there are scientists discussing about 8G speed at this very moment) do we really want to become the victims of new advancements, when the only added feature is a slight more storage space and a unusual color and shape to look fresh.

Media's Impact on Social Norms

Submitted by: Gregory Fowler

“It Gets Better” is an internet-based project founded by syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller.  The focus of the project is suicide prevention among gay teens who are bullied.  Originally intended as a Youtube channel in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, the It Gets Better Project has grown to over 20,000 videos of adults from all sexual orientations encouraging youths that life does get better.  Its website features endorsements from numerous celebrities, nonprofit organizations, corporations, universities, and most recently, major league baseball teams.



The teams that have made videos for the project include the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

At first, I was surprised that not all of the teams in Major League Baseball had made videos for the project.  However, it seems that the individual teams are deciding to make these videos, not MLB as an organization.  Interestingly, different teams use different language in their PSA.  In addressing the issue, some teams use the acronym LGBT, whereas others use the words, “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender“. Why this difference in language?   

I did some research into the home cities of the teams who made the PSAs.  It seemed to me that any correlation between teams that endorsed the video and those who didn’t could be solved by the looking at the social geography of their home cities.  This was not the case.  I couldn’t find any correlation between the teams that made the videos and the size of gay populations in those cities that might indicate new target markets.  Nor could I find a correlation with teams that have falling attendance rates, or any other economic strategies aimed at generating more income.  Also, it doesn’t seem that teams that have a smaller fan bases are attempting to look at new nationwide demographics either.

After exhausting my ideas about why certain teams would endorse the It Gets Better Project, I was reminded of the discussion of social norms.  Social norms are the rules that a group uses to define appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.  Specifically, in the case of these videos, the perception of social norms and how they are influenced through media is what I found interesting.  These athletes’ personal beliefs surrounding sexuality become, in a way, social issues by virtue of their prominent positions and status as role models, as well as speaking as a united team.  This is particularly true if we can rule out obvious economic interests in gaining new fans.

The It Gets Better Project is, by itself, an example of how technology takes personal issues of sexuality and presents them in a social context.  The rate at which the project is expanding shows how effectively media transforms these individuals’ stories from personal issues into public discussions, where broad social norms regarding sexuality have the potential to be greatly influenced.  This influence comes not only by the celebrities and organizations that have endorsed the project, but from the depersonalization of private issues from the people uploading their stories.


 

TV, News....Don't Tell Me What to Do!

Submitted by C. Bell

"Corporate media giants are abandoning quality journalism, silencing diverse voices, and eliminating local content. It’s time to stand up for better media." Those are the words used at savethenews.org to describe media consolidation. Consolidation in terms of debt is hopefully a great thing but consolidation is often used in the context of companies, jobs or schools consolidation where people will be out of jobs and students sometimes go without much needed academic materials. Seeing as how Americans are said to be greedy and always want more, wouldn't you want more avenues as to how you get your media/news or should I said from whom you receive this information that we carry throughout our lives? Even as a growing child you wanted to form your own opinions and explore the world for yourself, so why let the few people/corporations limit your views? Below is a video to show how and why diversity and opinions in the media, or lack there of, have changed over the years.

Our professor briefly spoke about media in the sense of how we are bombarded with advertisements and other propaganda too many times, in a single day to count. To think its all controlled by about 5 different companies, seems like a lot of work for them but not if they only show you what they want to show you. This video shows who has the control, gives an easy description with lots of graphics on how things have changed, and why we should want to stand up against "Big Media". This is exactly an example of non material culture being resistant to change because even though our patterns of communication have changed but I'm not sure if its for the better. 


This is a subject that I am personally concerned about because I like to know the full story or big picture in all things, especially when its handed out for all to see. For the people who would like more in depth information about "Big Media" and media consolidation follow this link http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/main. All comments, beliefs, and ideas are welcome.

Who runs the world?

Submitted by: Maurice C.

Media and Technology as we see it runs the world that we live in. We live in a society that revolves around both of these. It's not a day that goes by  that we are not seeing things from media television or being provided through technology. Technology has evolved so enormous that it truly shuns people away from their social norms by which Intels , face-to- face interactions with ones family and friends. This take over has disabled us as people to have direct connections with our loved ones and  stating that we sadly lack. The evolution of Technology has replaced the ideas of having to actually leave your home to see a movie through to such things as "Netflix", and many online outsourced sites where you can obtain televisions shows of the past and of the present. Through this evolving legacy movie rental stores such as " Blockbusters" and "Hollywood videos" have gone out of business due too evolving technology. Technology has caused an isolation amongst people, people are overtly consumed in technology and what it has to offer. As i can recall, "I've never lived in a time where people text messaged as much as they talked." What amazes me is the social networks in which we are ever so bonded to."Facebook", "Myspace", "Twitter" has taken over our airways and continuing to surface.


We must realize that everything is being converted into digital technology, channels and so forth. Any and every thing you need and want is being provided through via internet. It's becoming a technology world order. Let me ask you this, "What ever happened to social meetings?" Nowadays all you have to do is simply go on the internet to one these multi-million dollar social networks.We are becoming this technological world and it is consumes lots of us. Moreover, technology consumes our education, so furthermore you don't have  to sit in a class room and interact with classmates and your teachers, you can simply take classes from home while being  isolated  from socializing. We are getting lost in this technological world. 

Then we also have media. Media is  another outsource where people can find media television appealing because it focuses on any and everything all around us in our everyday lives. One can turn the television to  news stations or entertainment stations and get updates of celebrities, athletes, entertainers,etc. All these are publicized through media by way of television. It appears that no one is safe from the media. Media and Technology runs hand and hand , you can't have one without the other. At the current times we live in media and technology  highhandedly is 95 percent if not more of  our entertainment.