1F25 Do we get the media we want?

The question is, “Do we get the media we want or want the media we get?” and I believe it’s both. Growing up we want the media we get because it is force fed to us. When you grow up in a middle class family you turn on the TV and you see whatever CNN provides. As you get older you start to mature and see everything from a different point of view.  As I got older I realized I wanted a different kind of media such as sports. Still to this day I wish lacrosse was aired on TV more and got more media attention but the media controls what everyone watches. If something is popular in the media they often overplay it to the point that it is all anyone can think about. Olympic commercials are a perfect example because they are overplayed; meanwhile I couldn’t careless that Michael Phelps won another gold medal. “These events…the media build them into something more, into media events, constructing rather than just reflecting them (Wark 1994).” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy. M, Stadler. J, 43) This quote proves that media hypes everything up so that everyone will watch, even people who don’t care take a gander just to be in conversations at work. I personally love to play sports and go to events but I hate watching it on TV because the media gives me the information I don’t need. Going to an event is way more exciting than sitting on your couch watching other people tell you about it. I want to get out and explore the world for myself and experience all that each continent has to offer. “Most of us have, some idea of what the Himalayas are, but this knowledge is most likely to be gained through representations: reading about them” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy. M, Stadler. J, 35) Why not stop listening to the media and find out for yourself what is happening in Korea or Sudan? Take actions into your own hands and provide your own media.