Reflection Paper

What did you learn about the media?

One thing I learned about the media was that how ever the media portrays reality and what happens in the world is how we as individuals view it. I thought it was very interesting when I heard the idea that people view the world as “pictures” as Walter Lippman had suggested. I definitely believe that there is some truth to this statement.
I also learned that different media have different success rates. Some messages are best delivered through certain types of media, whereas others through other types of media. One message may be better suited for one medium while a different message might be communicated better through another.

What were your expectations and were they met?

My expectations for this class coming in were that the class would be very basic and for the most part strictly informative. I was expecting to go over different types of media and how they are used to communicate in today’s world. My expectation were definitely met as well as exceeded. I really enjoyed this class. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I learned about the history and theories of various media. One example is the history of the television. This was very interesting to learn about. Also, the theories about mass communication made me think about things in a different light, which I see as a good thing.

How does the world see the media compared to how you see the media?

The world in general typically sees the media as being unbiased and reliably informative. They see it as a means of information, entertainment, and sometimes relaxation. I must admit, my perception is very similar to that of the world. The main difference is that I realize the imperfections of those that run the media. I realize that some media outlets allow fabrication and some allow things to be communicated that may not be true. I guess you could say that I view the media in a similar light to the world, only with added skepticism. I believe that many forms of media and many media outlets and channels truly try to communicate honest messages, but I believe that sometimes, they deliver misinformed messages. This does not question they’re ethics, merely, I question the credibility. As far as being a means of entertainment and relaxation, I enjoy watching a good movie or show as much as the next man. My only complaint is that I would like to see higher ethical standards portrayed.

How does all of this fit into the Lord’s plan for us?

I believe that media can be used for very good things. Media can be used to further the work of the Lord and build the kingdom of God. Communication is such a vital part of life and of being connected with other people. Every individual wants to communicate and be heard. The Lord wants people to communicate and interact. There is certain truth to the statement in the Bible, “it is not good for man to be alone.” To live in this world but not communicate with others is to be alone. I believe that it is vital to the Lord’s plan for us to communicate by whatever means are available to us.

Ethics

If I were hired to work with CBS and choose things that should be edited in prime-time, here are the 5 things that I would choose.

1. The F word
2. Nudity
3. Limit sexual content
4. Staunch religious degrading
5. Racial slurs

I would choose these things because I think that any show in the absence of these 5 things would not be any less popular. On the contrary, I would think that with some good ethical guidlines like these, that a broader audience could be reached.

Law

One situation where I think that personal and public expression went too far was when protestors against Proposition 8 in California were protesting outside of the LA temple. First of all, it was wrong to single out a single organization, but the part where they really crossed the line is when they vandalized church property and offered up threats to LDS members. To remedy this situation, I believe that such individuals should be promptly dealt with and should be helped to understand their rights to freedom of speech and how far is crossing the line.

PR

I believe that Public Relations like image consulting can be ethical as long as it is done truthfully. If it is done truthfully, PR can be a very good thing as long as the goal is to show the truth of a company.

Like PT Barnum and his extraordinary claims, these kinds of things certainly happen today. It is what is referred to as puffery, which is a perfectly legal means of building up the reputation of your product or service. One example of puffery would be the channel TBS which is self proclaimed as the "Number one cable network." This does not need to be true, because it is simple puffery. Often, puffery is not true, but presented as if it was true.

Advertising

The reason I don't think this ad is good is because I do not recognize the brand or what the product is exactly. Its clever, but I'm not sure whether it is detergent or something like Shout or stain remover.

This advertisement is too cluttered. The writing is too small and it is not clear what the benefit of this game is over others.

I like this ad because it catches the eye and is very memorable. Also, the message it portrays is clear. Clear message + Memorable = Good Ad


I like this one because I like Legos. Also, the message is clear and memorable, and the product being advertised is very clear. Eveyone knows what legos look like.

I definitely think that advertising is effective. Think of how many buying decisions are based on what we've seen in advertising. One example of when I was influenced by an advertisement was when I saw the 5 dollar foot long ad from Subway. I went out and bought a sub the very next day. Advertisements, however, are less effective when an individual is not in the target market. For example, whenever I see ads on TV for medications for heart burn, I would never go out and buy it because I don't get heart burn.

TV

I tracked my television viewing for a week and found some good results. The programs that I watch prodominately have to do with sports, especially basketball. On almost everyday of the week that I tracked, I watched an NBA basketball game as well as spent time watching highlights on SportsCenter. The week that I tracked also was the week of the Presidential election. I watched programs leading up to it to hear any political news. I also watched Simpsons and Seinfeld through out the week.

From this, I learned that TV provides me with entertainment with regards to sports and half hour shows, as well as political news. This fulfills the need for relaxing entertainment and well as the need for information about politics.

As far as networks tending to provide shows for the LCD, I pretty much agree that that is the case. In the case of shows like Simpsons, Seinfeld (both on FOX), these are shows that would really appeal to anyone, but especially the lower to middle class. These shows protray individuals that live in apartments, or small homes with their families.

I definitely agree that the TV has had a greater impact on society than any other media. Look at how much TV the average American watches. I think a close second would be the internet, and a very good argument could be made in its case, but to this date, the TV still remains a big part of 99% of homes in the nation. Think about how your living room is set up. To face the TV.

Movies

The amount of sex and violence is increasing in motion pictures I think based on both the fact the Hollywood is giving what most of the public wants as well as being based on society's acceptance of what we are given. Personally, if people truly did not want that kind of content in a movie, they would not put it in there. The fact remains that a lot of people do want that kind of content and those that don't typically just accept it. One example is the movie Ocean's 11. I know a lot of people that really like the movie, but are apposed to some of the content in it. These people are just accepting what is given. I have heard other people comment on the movie that do not hold to the same standards that really like seeing that kind of content.

Personally, if I were a movie producer, and I was to make a box office hit, I would completely avoid having sex in the movie. Even though, I know that most box office movies have that kind of content, I would not do it. I would look to make a movie based on a true and inspiring story or something. I do not think I would look to make a comedy, because what the majority of people seem to think is funny these days are sexual, violent, or sacrilegious jokes.