This past week, we turned our attention to two important critics and their work. Neil Postman’s Technopoly: the surrender of culture to technology and Todd Gitlin’s Media Unlimited offered differing views of technology’s impact on society. Our discussions of Postman touched on his ideas of tool-using cultures, technocracies, and technolopies. Gitlin’s work , on the other hand, takes a look at why we spend so much time with media. “In a society that fancies itself the freest ever, spending time with communications machinery is the main use to which we have put our freedom (Gitlin, 2001, pg. 6).” Gitlin (2001) goes on to say, “To an unprecedented degree, the torrent of images, songs, and stories streaming has become our familiar world (pg. 6).” Early on, Gitlin’s ideas touched on the impact of media on our kids. It is here I would like to focus my attention and your time.
As a child, I spent time playing outside with my sisters and friends. I also drowned my imagination at the movie theater and with television. I admit, I probably watched more than I should have and even snuck a few sick days to just spend time watching movies on the VCR. It was what I now call a mental health day. Now, as a parent of an impressionable toddler and kindergartner, I find myself questioning my behavior and how television viewing habits can impact their development.
Gitlin (2001) suggests “watching TV is the dominant leisure activity of Americans, consuming 40 percent of the average person’s free time as a primary activity (pg.16).” What I found alarming in his work was that he noted “the average child spent six hours and thirty-two minutes per day exposed to media of all kinds, of which the time spent reading books and magazines-not counting schoolwork-averaged about forty-five minutes (pg.18).” “For ages two to seven, the average for total media was four hours and seventeen minutes (pg. 18).” This category identifies my household. Do I really want my children exposed to that much media?
So how does TV, in particular, affect my children? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day- even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming (Gavin, 2005).” Kids under 2 should have no TV time as this time is particularly important for the development of the child. In moderation, TV can be good. “TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer (Gavin, 2005).” Anyone watch Sesame Street as a child?
Too much television, however, is now linked to obesity in our youth. This is a growing concern in the United States, especially for children watching more than four hours of TV per day (Gavin, 2005). “Research also indicates that TV consistently reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes” and “kids who view violent events, such as kidnapping and murder, are more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them (Gavin, 2005).”
With this information, now I know I need to make sure we limit the amount of time my children watch TV. If we choose to allow time in front of the television, we will ensure the program is appropriate for their viewing and will take the time to sit with them. No matter the program, it is a great opportunity to ask questions and encourage discussion. Of course, the best option is to sit down as a family and read a book or play a game. Family time doesn’t have to include a television, VCR, or DVD. This is the kind of time they fondly remember. I know my husband and I will.
REFERENCES
Gavin, M. (February 2005) How TV Affects Your Child. Retrieved on April 26, 2008, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html
Gitlin, T. (2001). Media Unlimited: How the torrent of images and sounds overwhelms our lives. New York: Metropolitan Books.
Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Your source for evening news
As a young child, I use to sit down and watch the evening news with my parents after dinner. This was a tradition. In fact, this tradition was passed on by my grandparents. Whether we sat and watched Dan Rather or Tom Brokaw (whom I preferred), at 6 p.m. our time was taken for the next half hour.This love for news continued to grow as a young adult. Now I find I can get it when I want, wherever I want it. With that said, the Internet allows me to explore online news without having to sift through pages and get black ink smudged on my fingertips. I cannot recall the last time I purchased a newspaper. Does it still cost 50 cents? Online, I can read headlines from all major networks too include cable stations and decide which one to read. I determine my time commitment.
With so much available, how does one pick a channel? What is one to choose? Better yet, how does one know all the information is accurate considering information is posted as events occur?
According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, your political affiliation may determine which channel you prefer and if you believe the information provided.
The Pew Research Center’s June 2004 report stated, “CNN has been the dominant cable news channel since its inception in 1980. But since 2002 the Fox News Channel has pulled into a statistical heat as its audience has continued to grow.”
Fox News Effect?
More and more Republicans are turning to Fox News. Because of this, political pundits may be able to predict elections by monitoring news coverage. What does this mean?
On October 29, 2006, the Toronto Star ran a lively article, Foxing the Elephant: Are republicans gaining votes because of Fox News? A study says that's likely. Here reporter Andrew Chung discusses this notion. He captures an intriguing study. Stefano DellaVigna, professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley, released this study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. He says, “Fox News’s’ overt conservative-Republican bias actually influenced people to vote for the Repulican Party in 2000, and to turn out in greater numbers to do so.” DellaVigna goes on to say, “Fox changed their (Republicans) ideological beliefs.”
One other point to mention here is noted by Andre` Turcotte, Carleton University communications profession. “The real impact of Fox News is not so much its inability to change peoples’ minds,” Turcotte says, “but to increase the mobilization effect, to convince and embolden the conservative base to show up at the polls and vote Republican. This can have a real impact on the outcome, because if you can change voter turnout by even, say, five per cent, you can decide an election. (Chung, 2006)”
Fair and balanced?
As the the Fox News Channel slogan proclaims, news is "Fair and Balanced." Are you a regular of Fox News? What about CNN? Do you lean left or right? Whatever your preference, it might be best to not stick with just one channel. Today many channels offer a variety of views. No longer is news just reported. Journalists are sliding in their opinions like it is a common practice. Sources do not need checking. For instance, during Outfoxed, they show Fox reporters saying "some say" instead of noting whom the source was. Maybe the best practice today as we flip channels is to go by Fox News Channels' other slogan, "We report. You decide."
REFERENCES
Chung, Andrew. (2006). Foxing the Elephant: Are republicans gaining votes because of Fox News? A study says it's likely. Toronto Star. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1728126/posts
DellaVigna, S. and Kaplan, E. (2006). The Fox News effect: Media bias and voting. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~sdellavi/wp/foxvote06-03-30.pdf
The Pew Research Center. (June 8, 2004). News Audiences Increasingly Politicized Online News Audience Larger, More Diverse. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from
Vester, L., Doocy, S, Colmes, A. & Jennings, P.(2004). Outfoxed:Rupert Murdoch's war on Journalism. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from http://www.outfoxed.org/
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