Modern Media NN 10
Modern Media
It’s hardly possible to imagine life without the media. It’s become an integrated part of every day life for most people. I personally know only one person, an older lady, who has no television. However, she frequently listens to the radio, reads the newspaper and has her own laptop with access to the internet…...and her most recent purchase was a cell phone!!
All these different mediums represent the modern means of communication. Whether we prefer the internet to a television or vice versa, in some form or shape the media imposes itself upon its consumers and perhaps one ought to at least consider ones views on modern media. As a future teacher it appears to me to be even more vitally important. We’re obligated to keep ourselves informed about advances made in this field and furthermore, we’re role models. Pupils rely on us for information and advise and when they refer to some reality show or a conversation they had on the internet, we ought to know what they’re talking about and we ought to be able and prepared to respond and relate to the youth of today. In view of this I’d like to state some of my own views on modern media. I’m basically of a positive mind, but I do have some concerns as I believe every other parent or teacher does too.
Let me just begin by saying I find it very hard to keep up with everything going on in this field. The youth as well as people working with modern media do a much better job at this. However, I do try to keep posted on new reality shows, I have a cell phone and I surf the internet on a frequent basis. I know what it means to chat on the internet and that you can access different chat rooms, but I don’t practice this myself. This is exactly my point. As teachers we don’t need to be experts on computers, write 20 SMS messages a day and watch every reality show on TV in order to relate to or understand what our pupils are talking about. But we can’t ignore these mediums either or oppose the implementation of computers in schools. We need to keep up with the time and progress; otherwise I believe that over time we’ll lack the means necessary to motivate the pupils. We must avoid a generation gap and endorse new methods. After all, our job at hand is to educate the pupils and enable them to succeed in a modern world.
Having said as much, let me proceed to state my view on the internet. I personally consider the internet an excellent means of communication and a great educational tool. On an individual basis or even integrated into a teaching situation, for example in the form of a webquest. I also acknowledge the benefits of chatting, but I must address one particular issue which relates to television and computer games equally so. It concerns the amount of time spent surfing the internet, watching TV or playing computer games. I believe it’s a vital issue to consider and many parents neglect to do so. And I intentionally address the parents in this matter because I genuinely believe it’s their responsibility to limit the amount of time their children spend being all consumed by the media. After all, it’s a real world we live in, not some kind of virtual reality world. In school and in their future these children have to relate to real people and they need to acquire skills so that they can relate to people and solve inter relational problems. I see a danger in the form of this not occurring unless children spend time with each other and fight and quarrel. I know this is a natural part of many children’s lives and then there’s no alarm, but it’s also possible to identify children who succumb to a world separated from ours and I fear the consequences of this. Maybe it’s an escape from a tough reality, but whatever the reason might be I oppose this solitary way of spending ones spare time. The amount of time spent doing so should be limited, but meanwhile parents also need to ensure that their children have an alternative. Friends to hand out with, sport activities etc. I think a lot of children play computer games or watch too much TV because they’re bored.
To be specific about my concerns, I think the media easily limits or even distorts a persons’ perception of him or her self. In comparison with what’s viewed on TV our lives easily seem quite slow, uneventful and bewildering. Additionally, it’s a source of exposure to violence and sex, an issue which according to an article published by The Media in 2003 concerns a lot of television viewers. The survey is done by the Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission and it states the following:
“Asked about five particular possible causes of offence, 61% thought there was too much media intrusion on television, compared with 58% saying there was too much violence, 56% too much swearing and 44% too much sex”[1].
It’s evident that people are concerned about the quality of what’s aired on television, though as parents it might be difficult to control what and how much your children are exposed to.
It’s interesting that 61% thought there was too much media intrusion on television. This probably relates to Reality TV and perhaps in particular to reality shows such as Big Brother, The Bachelor, Temptation Island and similar shows. Indeed the media intrudes upon these people’s privacy, but keep in mind they signed up for it themselves. What’s to gain? Well, how about fame, adventure, love, disappointment and pain - all ingredients of Reality TV. I understand why viewers, children as well as adults, are fascinated by these shows. Some of them are in fact rather entertaining. However, I don’t think Temptation Island, just to give an example, is children or youth material. To me these shows represent a deterioration of values concerning partnership and human relations in general. I think we ought to be very aware of what we teach our children, let alone expose them to as adult role models. We need to set a standard and the moral attitude conveyed in Big Brother or There’s Something About Miriam certainly isn’t much of a standard at all. Therefore I don’t consider it wise to allow children or teens to watch just any reality show. I would want to seriously make up my mind beforehand.
I would like to bring this debate to a close by just stating that I as a consumer appreciate the Modern media of today. It’s here to stay and I see no reason why we shouldn’t allow it to. I only claim my right to choose what I personally indulge in and allow my children to be influenced by. I hope you claim that right as well.
B2: The Story and its Reader
The short story suggested by a listener today is called “crusoe.com”. Our listener has chosen to just briefly introduce the short story beforehand. Hear what she has to say:
Imagine stranding on a deserted island somewhere. You find within your reach the necessities of life: food, shelter and a laptop computer…. You heard it right. A laptop computer. Perhaps you wouldn’t consider your laptop to be a life necessity. Neither do I. However, I’m aware that some people feel very different about this object. To them a computer is life itself. No life without it. Well, I find it obscure, but lack the will to argue against them, however much I wonder though, how they turned out this way?
What to do with a computer on a deserted Island I think to myself. No power supply, limited battery life and unfortunately no modem and thus no connection to the world around. By now I would have already tossed this useless object away. Far away. Perhaps into the sea. Well, how fortunate that the main character in the short story didn’t.
Wouldn’t you know it. Another man aboard the ship now wrecked turns out to be alive and stranded on the same Island as he. He’s a computer expert and has managed to erect crucial components from the shipwreck and has even constructed some sort of solar panel. What subsequently unfolds is beyond my wildest dreams. Without revealing too much I’ll tell you that they gain access to the internet and you might think they’re rescued. Well, they’re not. Just think about it. What could possibly be the cause that nobody comes for them?
I can’t reveal any more at this time, but I’ll tell you this. Some people are so consumed by a virtual reality that they are somehow separated from the real world. Everything that is, isn’t. And everything that isn’t, is. A complex I would never strive to understand. I’m too attached to the real world and I believe just about anything people say. Even if they try convince me they’re stuck on some island. From reading this story I’ve come to realize that not all people take things literally. They read another meaning into as clear a message as:
Help! We’re stranded on an island.
Can’t get off :o(
Wonder how man’s mind got so distorted. To make matters worse, some people even make a very nice living for themselves by exploiting other helpless people. No grudges, just hard core business.
The short story you’re about to hear amazes me.
It makes me feel disappointed in mankind.
[1] Text 9: ”The Public’s View”. In Craig Donnellan (series ed.), The Media, ISSUES, vol.69, Independence, 2003.