Where can the media take us?

As I stated in my introductory post, the media plays a big part in my life. When I'm not playing some game, reading a comic, or watching a show, I'm researching news about my media. I recently got an iPhone, which is useful when I want to check for news while on the go. With this in mind, my media intake is relatively large. It makes me think about the kinds of media I enjoy and how it affects me. I'm not one to believe that the media has major, life changing effects on us, but I do think it makes an impression.

Tycho is pretty level headed and stable. Gabe, on the other hand... |Source|

As a gamer, the rich humor of the comic above makes clear sense to me. For at least a couple of decades, various new sites and the government has been constantly trying to link video games with violence and the acts of several teens across the world. Personal feelings aside, the article Tycho is referring to does have some merit. I do feel that violent video games and movies desensitize us to violence, but I don't think that they are the cause of violent behavior. The people who harm others in these kinds of stories are, to be frank, mentally unstable. These people don't necessarily need to be banned from gaming, but should be getting some attention to make sure they are well enough to play violent video games. If I were to point a finger at a cause, I would say the parents of these certain kids are to blame. From my point of view, if a child commits a violent act, they are clearly mentally elsewhere, but they didn't get that way from nothing. While we look at our parents as role models, we also have to remember that they are human; they can make mistakes. The children who cause violence are simply a product of their environment, which I believe a parent has some control over. I can understand that no parents wants to be told that they are doing a bad job, but I feel that trying to cover up parental mistakes by blaming media isn't going to fix anything. I suppose it's just easier for media to be blamed for affecting us in a bad way.

Nothing's more relaxing than sitting in from of the TV and being worthless for several hours. |Source|

With the media's effects on our view of violence in mind, the media can also be very helpful. Television, in particular, can be very soothing. Millions of people all across the world come home after a long day of work or school ready to take a load off and watch some TV. While some may argue that TV shows aren't as good as they used to be, and perhaps they aren't, but the content that's currently on air is still a very much welcomed escape from reality. Those who detest video games can look at TV as a safe alternative. On the other hand, TV can also desensitize us to violence. However, I think that video games and TV are two completely different entities. With video games, there is interaction. Most of the actions that happen are controlled by the player. The viewer doesn't control anything that happens on the TV. Like a book, TV has no interaction at all. It's up to the viewer to become immersed in the world of his or her favorite show. TV is like an antidepressant or a nice big box of chocolate; it makes you feel better.

Cutting through the web of privacy

In contrast to my previous entry, people enjoy their privacy. While more bloggers and broadcast are making their lives public over the internet, most people still prefer to stay in their shell. I don't blame them, as I'm a more introverted person. However, I believe in balance, so I do try to have some public notoriety while keeping a low profile. That being said, has people's private lives changed?

 

 

 

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I think it has. Before the internet was around, people's lives were more private and the only people who lived public lives were celebrities. These days, even the most underground parties can and usually do make themselves public over the internet. I think the internet has changed the way we see private life. It also blurrs the lines on what should and shouldn't be made public.

The Truman Breakdown

These days, the lives of people are not as private as they used to be. People write blogs and video logs about their lives that they can, and often will, post online. I find it amazing how much we can learn about someone we've never met through their blogs or whatever kind of content that person creates. With that said, the boundary in which one can take privacy too far has been blurred, but what happens when someone goes over the boundary? The Truman Show, a film from 1998 starring comedian Jim Carrey, asks that very question. For those who have never seen it, the film is essentially about a man who's live is broadcasted live as a reality TV show, complete with actors filling in the roles of Truman's neighbors and random product placement.  The Truman Show, in some ways, acts as a thesis statement towards how public people make their lives on the internet. In this entry, I'd like to breakdown what I personally think that thesis would be.

In case I don't see you: good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

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One of the biggest points that the film tries to express is that we care too way too much about the people we see on television. The entire premise of the film is based around the fact that Truman unknowingly starts in a reality show that millions of people watch across America. These millions of people sit in front of their T. V.  and watch the latest episode of Truman's show, regardless of what he's doing. Today, people all over the states watch reality shows about various people that probably don't have any meaning in their viewer's lives. As I stated before, it's amazing to me how so many people basically watch the lives of people they don't even know, both on the internet and on television. A classic example is the show Keeping up with the Kardashians. Most, if not all, of the Kardashians' fans do not know them personally, yet they know so much about their lives and what they do with themselves on a day to day basis. While The Truman Show is a more extreme case, Keeping up with the Kardashians is a similar premise. Even if we don't see every waking moment of the Kardashians, not only do we see a heck of a lot of their daily lives, but the focus is on an entire family instead of one person. The Truman Show represents our strange interest in the lives of strangers.

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Another point I'd like to bring up is the character Christof, played by Ed Harris. Christof is the director of the reality show in the film. From a general viewing perspective, you might say that Christof is the antagonist. In my opinion, Christof represents not only creative passion but also creative cruelty. Christof is clearly very passionate about this project. The project itself is quite ambitious as well. One would need a lot of time and money in order to create a reality show from one man's life from the very beginning of his life. However, such a project also requires closing off that one person from the outside world. If a person were to start a project like this, that person would have to make the moral decision to essentially control someone's life. In this sense, Christoff is showing his passion and how he is willing to step on the necessary people to achieve his goals.

In my opinion, the focus in The Truman Show is more on the people watching Truman rather than Truman himself. The film represents our interest in the media we take in. For some of us, it is a cartoon or sports. For others, it is cooking shows or home improvement programming. For an entire nation, it was The Truman Show.

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Good morning, world!

Howdy! My name is Ryan Burton. I identify as your average nerd. I love video games, cartoons, anime, comic books, action figures, and anything else that would fall under said title. I'm a junior at Reinhardt University working on a creative writing major. What do I hope to do with that major, you might ask? Well, I plan to do exactly what it sounds like: write. Writing is my passion. I feel like I was put on this earth to write and tell stories. I've never published anything before, but I am working on a samurai story that I hope to turn into a novel as well as plenty of ideas in my head waiting to be written down. With that said, I'd like to consider writing to be one of my better skills.

Picture of me with a national hero. Also, despite the name of this blog, my beard is a little more than slightly trimmed.

Media plays a huge role in my life. As I stated above, I identify as a nerd. I love all kinds of nerdy stuff and I make a point to check various news websites for information on the latest video game, comic, or whatever is the next big thing happens to be. Outside of creative writing, I've been considering a minor is journalism. Needless to say, I love nerdy news. I try to stay on top of the latest happenings in the nerd world. Each week, I host a podcast where I get to express my love to both media and the news regarding it. I would love to make writing about the media my career path while I work on writing stories.