The media institutions Essay Example for Free

The media institutions Essay Media is the method and organisation used by specialist groups to convey messages to large socially mixed and widely dispersed. It can be defined as a means of public communication, which is open to all audiences of people living under different conditions in widely different cultures, therefore reaching a great and wider audience. It establishes contact with people at a distance from the media source and from each other. If we are referring to a single form of communication such as T. V or radio than we use the term medium. The audience for mass communications is unique to modern society and the main form of mass media is Television, Internet, Radio, and Newspapers. Its obvious that the mass institution has increased as individuals are spending an overwhelming amount of physical time with different media forms. This is known as centrality of the media. Analysing sociologist arguments and reports will successfully assist me to complete this essay. Throughout this essay I aim to discuss and analyse the following media institutions: Internet, Video games and Television. The first media institution to be mentioned in this essay is the Internet. The Internet is the largest WAN (wide area network) in the world. It was developed by the United States Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency in the 1960s and was initially known as ARPANET. As the Internet became more established thus having a positive aspect on its popularity many people obtained access to the Internet and the number of people who use it is growing considerably. The main reason being that it now contains user friendly software, which has packages that help people use the Internet easily e. g. Netscape, AOL. The Internet has now become cheaper as companies realise that they can make a great deal of profit if the majority of the society have the Internet e. g. If consumers join the NTL phone line they get the Internet free therefore encouraging a lot of people to get it. There are many deals that means anyone who has a phone line, a computer and modem can be connected for as little as i 12-i 15 a month. In addition it now has a faster communication telephone line, which means that communication can reach top speeds, visuals images and sound can be quickly downloaded. Digital communications across ISDN lines allow greater amounts of information to be accessed. Again the Internet has become part of the civilisation, as an individual if you dont have access to the Internet you are seen as not being up to date. A statistics illustrate the Internets popularity has increased as it now reaches 146 countries, and involves 3 million computers and 40,000 sub networks. The Internet has become such an established form of media institution that its is often seen as a valuable tool to sell things over the web which is called the e-commerce. There are also 500 million users worldwide and the numbers is still immensely growing. In addition as computers are becoming cheaper, society is realising that you need to be computer literate to cope with the heavy demands of the business world. As more economically developed countries revolve around the computer. Michio Kaku a sociologists state that in the past decade, more scientific knowledge has been created that in all human history. Computer power is doubling every eighteen months and the Internet is doubling every year. Gilroy proclaims the Internet is still continuously growing he used California as an example of his Internet popularity research. He illustrates that California has dramatically expanded its share of high tech jobs in the US. In 1997 2000 thousands a month was being created. By 1996 there were 355 Internet hosts per 1,000 people in Silicon Valley a far higher ratio than anywhere else in the US. Charles leadbeater states that Internet usage is multiplying as five times the rate that television spread in the 1980s. Users of the Internet are now beginning to chat, shop, and entertain themselves through the comfort of their home. However sociologists believe that the Internet has a threat to society as it begin to restrict people from socialisation they state that people will become unhealthy and mentally depressed. Tele working such as shopping, going to school will be replaced by computer links. People will be able to invade private lives through broad-catching as they can pick any information they want such as radio and T. V programmes. The Internet will force a downward spiral in the economy as people will no longer need to purchase products such as music from the stores but instead download e. g. Kazza. Older generations worry that the Internet will have a negative impact on young people in society due to the fact that the Internets reputation is known for its quick reliable response 24/7. They explain that the younger generations live in an impatient and permanently depth less present, in which there is no sense of perspective and little sense of obligation. On the contrary they is also many advantages of using the Internet for example the disabled tele-working would be more convenient. If you live under the pressure of the world then it also saves time as you can carry out daily tasks from the comfort of your home. Broad catching makes people access and pick any information they need at a quick and reliable speed and includes free downloads which save money. You will be able to communicate with people world wide at a free or cheap cost this is known as asynchronous communication. Society will soon be able to obtain a wide variety of information. Serial delivery will broaden peoples knowledge and we will be entertained quite easily. Copyright will become a thing of the past. Information will be the property of everyone and we will have access to everything. Most importantly it will reduce the importance of characteristic skin colour, gender physical attraction and sexual orientation will no longer be important in the virtual would of the Internet. Everyone will be viewed as equal. The second media institution is video games. Video games can be played on several types of platforms: home consoles used with TV sets, computers, and computers with access to the Internet, coin-operated arcade machines, and handheld devices including games systems, cell phones and Palm Pilots. In the past these electronically products were not available highlighting the fact that they have become developed and more poplar. Atari introduced video games in 1972; this was a ping pong game. Nintendo introduced hardware in 1986 and it is estimated that over 4 billion pounds has been created through them selling games. Other companies that are involved in producing games are Sony, Microsoft and Saga. As fashion and taste changes, so does the video games, and many companies try to change the correct theme of their games e. g. at the beginning of the football season a football game becomes popular e. g. Fifa 2004. This re-emphasises the idea that games are extremely popular. Computer and video game sales in the United States are a $6. 35 billion industry, with estimates of $16. 9 billion by 2003. The major studies indicate that children ages 2-18 spend, on average, between 20-33 minutes a day playing video games. The amount of time spent playing video games varies by age. On average, 2-7 years old spend 8 minutes a day, 8-13 year olds spend 32 minutes a day, and 14-18 years old spend 20 minutes a day playing video games. Boys spend substantially more time playing video games than do girls, regardless of age. On any given day, 44% of boys report playing video games compared to 17% of girls. Another piece of evidence that shows that video games are becoming more popular is Media technology in the home. In 1986 10% had video games, 1989 11% had video games, 1991 12% had video games, 1992 17% had video games and in 1993 20% had video games. Overall these statistics accentuate that video games are becoming more popular. The Sociologist SKIRROW quoted that: Video games are unattractive to women since they are apart of a technology which is identified with male power, and they usually involve male characters acting in aggressive way. Women also state that games are sexist because they tend to have no main role in the video game e. g. they are being rescued or need saving by the main character. Women characters in the game are also not identified by their name but for example someones girlfriend. Most games are targeted towards the males so most games examine boxing, racing, football and fighting. Overall most games are based on real life situations, this means that they put real life situations into the game e. g. Sims. Its not the producers fault but the nations fault, as this is how the society operates. Provenzo states that There does seem to be a significant relationships between aggressive behaviour and subjects playing video games. Provenzo also quoted that women tend to have no action in video games, women have no names, and many video games are masculine. The fact that the invisible culture is increasing illustrates that children enjoy being in controlled of something, but are they really in control or are they being influenced negatively. Many games are become extremely realistic reflecting real life situations where too much exposure to a premature mind such as a child can affect them permanently. Video games have been evaluated and its been concluded that they are not just entertaining but also have effects which can be positive and negative. The positive aspect of gaming is that it has an education impact as it provides individuals with detailed insight on computer literacy, the design feature in the most popular interactive games are extremely detailed, which sociologist believe improve skills such as visualisation, visual attention and concentration. Playing violent games allows them to explore their feelings, master their rage, improve strategically thinking and empower themselves against life challenges. The negative aspect of participating in playing games is that it sometimes interferes with homework and academic performance. It increases verbal aggression and physical aggression. People that spend time playing violent games are probably more likely to be in fights than people that dont play at all. Television is also known a media institution, in 1922 the first public broadcasting began by a private company. Other companies joined in the business and they set up their own channels which was to be presented on T. V. These were the BBC (1935), Channel 4 (1982), Sky (1984) and Channel 5 (1995). Television has definitely increased it occupies a large, and often the largest, part of most peoples leisure time, to the extent that entertainment and social life in general is sometimes organised around the television (mass media). Statistics and facts show this. 99% of the population have a TV set. More people have a TV than own a phone. Television popularity has increased over the years as in 1986 the daily viewing was 78 hours, 1991 was 79 hours and in 1993 was 82 hours. These statistics illustrates a positive correlation meaning that its obvious that the hours have increased in 2003. Since Television was becoming more popular, politicians scrutinised the TV and this lead them to set up the Peacock Committee. This was set up by Professor Peacock. The disadvantage of TV is that research has confirmed that the roles are allocated to the sexes on television are highly distorted. The stereotypical role of man portrayed on T. V is that they tend to be assertive, tough and dynamic. On the contrary the female role is that women tend to be soft, deferential and, whenever possible, physically attractive. This can be emphasised by an important factor in T. V, commercials (advertising). Women have the traditional domestic role in the household, as they tend to show how to use the vacuum cleaner or what kitchen appliance the consumer should purchase e. g. cooker. This is significantly clear that this would be targeted towards the female audience, as this is how western society operates, women tend to do most of the domestic duties. Products aimed at men involve women as being sex objects e. g. Lynx the Lynx effect. The advantage of TV is that we can get a wider perspective of the knowledge world wide society learns about different cultures such as religion music, food, clothing etc. Also we are quickly entertained from the comfort of our homes In conclusion, I believe that the media institution is gaining power and will come to eventually directing and determining the culture of society rather than respond to or reflect society culture. Overall sociologist believe that the mass media is increasingly becoming more popular as the term meditation describes this process of mass recognition. The media has begun to replace our local knowledge and awareness. This suggests that the media has become very popular and important in society lives due to the fact that they have replaced community-based forms of social and cultural life.

Reverse Discrimination: The Case of Allan Bakke Essay -- History Race

Reverse Discrimination In 1973 a thirty-three year-old Caucasian male named Allan Bakke applied to and was denied admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis. In 1974 he filed another application and was once again rejected, even though his test scores were considerably higher than various minorities that were admitted under a special program. This special program specified that 16 out of 100 possible spaces for the students in the medical program were set aside solely for minorities, while the other 84 slots were for anyone who qualified, including minorities. What happened to Bakke is known as reverse discrimination. Bakke felt his rejections to be violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment, so he took the University of California Regents to the Superior Court of California. It was ruled that "the admissions program violated his rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment"1 The clause reads as follows:"...No state shall make or enforce any l aw which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor without due process of the law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."2 The court ruled that race could not be a factor in admissions. However, they did not force the admittance of Bakke because the court could not know if he would have been admitted if the special admissions program for minorities did not exist. Bakke disagreed with the court on this issue and he brought it before the California Supreme Court.The California Supreme Court held that it was the University's burden to prove that Bakke would not have been admitted if the special program was not in effect. The school could not meet this requirement, and Bakke was admitted by court orde r. However, the University appealed to the Supreme Court for "certiorari", which was granted, and the order to admit Bakke was suspended pending thCourt's decision.3 The Issues and Arguments for Each Side"Bakke was the most significant civil rights case to reach the United States Supreme Court since Brown v. Board the Education of Topeka, Kansas."4 The special admissions program at Davis tried to further integrate the higher education system because merely removing the barriers, as the Brown case did, did not always work. In short, Bakke was questioning how far the Universi... ...erm, the Supreme Court will turn towards desegregation and Affirmative Action. The Freeman v. Pitts case is another recent case dealing with whether bussing is still needed to curb past discrimination.Another case that the court has accepted for this term will examine whether colleges should eliminate racial preference systems in admissions or whether quotas are still needed to further curtail the use of affirmative action. The name of this case and the specific facts, however, were unavailable at this time.9 Obviously affirmative action and reverse discrimination are still heavily debated issues. This is because they affect all people of all races and ethnicities. Conclusion Allan Bakke was denied his fourteenth amendment right to equal protection of the laws. In addition the University of California at Davis violated Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. By order of the Supreme Court Bakke was admitted and th e numerical quotas of the special admissions program were deemed unconstitutional. Justice was served to Bakke, but future generations who are not minorities may be plagued by the other half of the decision: That race may still be used as a "plus" on an application.

My Grub Box

When Vivian Johnson decided to pursue a college education, it was not because her parents didn’t attend college, it was because she wanted to be in a position of control. She knew that college was her ticket to getting the qualifications needed for the career she envisioned. In â€Å"My Grub Box,† Vivian Johnson recalls her college experience moving from Emmonak, Alaska to the East Coast Ivy League School Dartmouth. Taken completely out of her native environment of the Yup’ik Eskimos, she details a certain adaptation to gain understanding of her perspective.Vivian Johnson’s â€Å"grub box† created a signpost for her way of life through the realization that culture is inseparable from being native. The main aspect that set Vivian Johnson apart from other students at Dartmouth is her experiences as a member of a native Eskimo family. Johnson begins her memoir with a description of the function of a grub box and what it has meant for members of her fam ily. On hunting and camping trips she would use her grub box to pack food and supplies to survive, but her grub box that helped her through college contained much more than physical items.She used intangible things that were passed on from her parents, like a sense of identity and how to survive in different surroundings. (Johnson, 201) Another reason that Johnson didn’t fit into the â€Å"normal† student population at Dartmouth, was the fact that she didn’t come from a socially advantaged family compared to many of the other students. She could not relate to many of the other students experiences simply because her family didn’t take exotic trips or have fancy clothing, jewels, and cars.Not only was Johnson different from other students because of her possessions and experiences, but she also had a different perspective and was used to a different way of thinking. She found it difficult to understand her government professor because she had not been expo sed to that way of thinking before. Also, she at first had trouble discussing certain topics with her classmates such as the â€Å"concepts of land, substinence hunting, and fishing. † Eventually, she had began to anticipate questions about why she didn’t fit in so she formulated answers to better describe her way of life. Johnson, 207) Upon her arrival at Dartmouth, Vivian Johnson realized that she was completely out of her environment. Her grub box helped her transition allowing her to adapt to college life and enabled her to slowly orient herself on her new landscape. She was outside her environment both physically and intellectually. Everything was foreign to her, from the smell and type of trees, wildlife on campus, and formation of the stars, to riding in a taxi for the first time, Vivian needed to adapt to her surroundings in order to survive.The food she received from her grandpa helped her physically because she wasn’t used to the type of food served at Dartmouth, but the intangible qualities served a greater purpose. Those qualities formed a type of support system for Vivian that connected her to her roots as a way to remind her of her culture and heritage in order to combat the overwhelming pressures she faced in this cultural submersion. While Johnson described many of the hardships she had during her time at Dartmouth, she did manage to find a place where she was accepted for who she was and where she came from.When she joined Native American at Dartmouth, Vivian was helped not only academically, but also with small tasks that made her life easier, such as mail, food, and housing. She became part of a social network that appreciated her and considered her to be one in their group, even though she wasn’t Native American. By finding similarities between herself and the other members of Native Americans at Dartmouth, Johnson was able to connect with them because they had similar life experiences. She valued this support gr oup of friends so much, that she credits them for her graduation from Dartmouth. (Johnson, 209)Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Johnson describes her exit â€Å"just as perplexing as her entrance. † (Johnson, 209) Adaptation plays a huge role in Johnson’s survival attending college with different cultures. In the end, Vivian Johnson’s experiences she gained at Dartmouth from adapting further adds to her â€Å"grub box† enabling her to branch out to individuals in her adult life. The adaptation in Vivian Johnson’s memoir made it easy for me to relate to her story of going away to college. When I arrived at the University of Wisconsin-Madison there was a sudden sense of culture shock. Also, being on our own when your parents were the ones to feed you, take you places, and lend you money when needed, definitely leaves you to fend for yourself. Adapting to my new environment was no fun but is definitely an experience of having to adapt in order to accom plish new goals and â€Å"fit in. † I realized that everyone has a different set of tools in their â€Å"grub box† from adapting to new experiences and when exchanged, form a more global perspective of race in the Unites States. Therefore, Vivian Johnson’s adaptation to reality serves as a launching pad for individuals to engage in difficult conversations about race.

Teenagers Are Irresponsible, Emotional, Narcissistic And...

A widespread opinion in the United States today is that teenagers are irresponsible, emotional, narcissistic and ungrateful. While it may not necessarily be the fault of the teenagers themselves, rather their parents instead, the opinion is still there. Along with this opinion is the assumption that you cannot trust teenagers with big, cumbersome responsibilities, they can’t handle it. While teenagers can be emotional and at times irresponsible, that doesn’t mean they cannot make a difference or have an effect on history. In some places in the world teenagers and even preteens are forced into marriages and responsibilities that teenagers of the western world just wouldn’t be able to handle. Therefore, teenagers, given the opportunity and just the right circumstances, can make a difference, they can be given large responsibilities and hold to them. It’s all about upbringing and the situation at hand. Raised in part by a wildly conservative stepmother in a time when women having an education in and of itself was taboo, Mary Shelley is a prime example of a young adult that overcame challenges to do something so extraordinary that it still has an effect nearly 200 years later. Her stepmother was so stringently conservative that she was forced to teach herself to read and write from her father s immense library. Both her father and biological mother were both some of the most renowned authors and political philosophers. Believing fervently in female independence and equality,Show MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSelf-Awareness 46 Self-Awareness Assessment 46 Emotional Intelligence Assessment 47 The Defining Issues Test 48 v Cognitive Style Indicator 52 Locus of Control Scale 52 Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale 54 Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES) 56 SKILL LEARNING 57 Key Dimensions of Self-Awareness 57 The Enigma of Self-Awareness 58 The Sensitive Line 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making