Mass Media

Mass media refers to types of media used to communicate to large groups of people. Mass media is public communication and uses different channels, such as television, newspapers, radio, billboards and the internet, to reach a large number of people. The development of mass media has allowed the public to receive important information easily. Newspapers, television news programs and the radio have allowed our society to receive important information quickly.

The negative aspect of mass media in a place like Toronto is that there are few media outlets so the information that is disseminated to us can be quite controlled. Media outlets are big media conglomerates that control a large part of the press. An example this would be Rogers Communications, because they own many different television networks and radio stations, and they publish a variety of magazines. The people who control Rogers Communications also have a lot of control on the information that we receive on a daily basis.

There are many different newspapers, television stations, internet sites and magazines out there, as well as many other forms of media that are not a part of a big media outlet. I just think that, with the development of mass media, there have been a few big outlets that have been able to take over the media in a certain region. Mass media is great in that it allows the public to get information easily and quickly, but it also allows these media outlets to have a lot of control over what we see and hear.

The Ecology of Media

Media Ecology is the study of media environments and the concept that technology and communication have a large effect on culture.

Technology has a significant cultural impact, so let’s examine this further by looking at text messaging. Its purpose of it is to be able to communicate quickly, easily and at anytime; however, when we look at the function of text messaging, we see it as something that is used mostly by younger people and is more of a pastime or a social activity.

I think that text messaging has had more of a negative than a positive impact on our culture. I recognize the convenience of text messaging, but I think that typing on a cell phone has had a detrimental impact on language. People are often using abbreviations and acronyms, not to mention the many spelling and grammar errors that are overlooked in text messaging. I have taken many writing classes, and I feel that there is never a time or place where it is acceptable to ignore the grammatical rules of language.

It seems like people make exceptions when it comes to technology because the point is to make everything faster and easier for us, so there is no time to check and edit your message. Well I believe that this has become a problem in our culture and that people should be aware of this. Text messaging has brought down our language skills, and we should work to bring them back up.

Academic Blogging

I have never written a blog before, and I have only read a couple blogs in the past. This is a completely new and different experience for me. I do like to write, and I often write a journal in my free time to help express and understand my thoughts, but I have never thought about putting them on the internet for the whole world to read. Perhaps I was a little intimidated by the idea of posting my work in a public place but, now that I have started doing so, this whole idea of blogging seems a lot less intimidating and easier that I had thought.

I am a student at the University of Guelph-Humber and I am writing this blog to reflect on the issues that will be discussed in my Mass Communication class. I am required to write a weekly academic blog as a part of my assignments, but I am also excited to write it. I think this blog will help me to sort through the course material and organize my thoughts better.

If you are not a part of my class and you are reading this blog, don’t be discouraged – this is not only a place where I will ramble on about academic issues. Many of the topics we will be discussing in class are very interesting and this is a place where I can reflect on those topics and express my own thoughts. Who knows, I may come up with some great revelation that will completely blow your mind. I guess you’ll just have to keep checking in and reading to find out.