Discussion #2

I feel that the ability for all people to create their own media is good thing, because then more people will understand the influences of media on their perceptions, beliefs, and actions. This ability would be a positive influence on our democratic society, even though the U.S.A. is a republic and society treats it as a democracy, which is a negative attribute of Americans. The ability of the people to create their own media does not mean that they will. If all people of our society were to create media an broadcast it, then there would be a visual overload and congestion in media formats. "The explosive growth of internet mediums have further underscored the increased relevance of the visual messages in comparison to audible messages (that is the internet, in its present form, is primarily a visual domain). It is an advanced illustration of how “the eyes have it.” (Schnell, 2008)

Schnell states, "We experience continued growth of the new communication technologies via the growth of the internet (which is a visual platform for meaning conveyance often at the expense of our aural sense)." (Schnell, 2008) A visual culture is a good thing, but I can see that a visual-only culture can lead to a dissociation of verbal-aural interpretation skills to discern meaning and ideas from the spoken language. We should be teaching all students how to create, manage, and interpret all forms of media.

I am a critical consumer of visual images. I am often attracted to new ideas or products by the visual media, but I will then look for critical commentary or reviews of products or systems before I purchase said product or enact said principles in my life. I have learned to be very critical of the media and their influence, because most people are out to get your money in one way or another. I will not be swayed to relinquish my earnings and time on a wasteful product or an unrealistic philosophy.

I will start to teach more media literacy in my classroom, especially after the morning news section of the day. Educators do not teach enough media literacy and our students are at a disadvantage as a result. "We need to learn to consistently see ourselves as consumers of images we are exposed to via mass mediated channels." (Schnell, 2008) The schools are a great place to teach media literacy and should be required in all courses of study, because I often find my students are easily swayed by advertisements and celebrities.

Schnell, J. (2008). Suggestions for Addressing the Increased Emphasis on Visual Imagery over Aural Messages.  Media Psychology Review. Vol. 1(1)