Grace's Blog

As a teenager growing up in an ever-increasing world of technology, I interact with the media frequently.  I have social media on my phone that I constantly am checking, advertisements are everywhere, I get news alerts on my phone, and with an increase of technology, it is so much easier to interact with the media.  You can go just about anywhere, and still be connected to the media.  We have access to the world, right in our pockets.  After having taken Critical Thinking, I have become so much more aware of my use of the media.  Especially when it comes to commercials.  I was never critical of an advertisement before.  I almost always fell for the advertisers tricks.  I now realize so much more about ads.  I can see how they build up artificial feelings, and give you a false sense of comfort and security.  How advertisers have specific target markets, and how they use certain platforms to convey their message in the most meaningful way....

I'm sure that we have all heard the story of the girls water polo team who put away their phones every night, and were able to go to bed at 9:00 every night with their homework done. I have seen many attempts of people trying to do the same.  They will delete all social media apps from their phones.  They will work on their homework, and in most cases, less than an hour later, the apps will be redownloaded, and they will be scrolling through their instagram feed.  Why is it so hard for us to let go of our phones?  Why is it that we can’t even take and hours break from social media?  Is it because we like to be in the know? Or is it simply because we like the image of others lives?  Are we seeking an escape that only our phones can provide?  I’m sure that I cannot answer any of these questions. But I do find it interesting that though they are so hard to give up, when we let go of social media, we seem to be happier. We seem to do better in school, and ...

Can you remember what television was like before Netflix?  I sure can’t. From what I gather, families would gather together on tuesday nights to watch their 20 minuet show before heading to bed. Sitcoms were the main form of television. If we look way back at The Andy Griffith Show, or more recently, Friends, each episode is not really connected. There are some consistencies, but if you had a meeting scheduled at the same time as the time your favorite show aired, you would not be missing all too much. You would just wait a week and would be back on track. Due to the introduction of Netflix, the whole nature of television shows has changed.  I was watching Pam and Jim’s wedding on the show The Office, and my parents contemplated on when the episode aired. Because they had been watching the show for years rather than a few months, the wedding was so much more exciting and impactful. They had been waiting for so much longer for this to happen, and it was a major event in pop cul...