Censored Beep Parental Advisory: The world through twelve eyes

       Sometimes I channel surf and feel like I have seen everything or the programs are too similar. Through research I found out it was because of parent companies such as Disney, Viacom, CBS, and Comcast. As far as television goes there is really only six companies that run the networks that viewers have to choose from. Companies like Viacom, Disney, AOL Time Warner, Vivendi, News Corporation, and Bertelsmann have turned television media into an oligopoly. An oligopoly is when a small amount of companies run a certain type of business. Out of all these media moguls I decided to cover the company Viacom. Viacom owns broadcast companies such as MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, and BET. These stations cover a wide span of demographics of viewers which explains why people think they do not have much choice in what they see. I understand how they feel yet at the same time I feel like their is plenty to watch but I think we can solve this problem eventually given the right situations.
       I do like the fact that Viacom has much to choose from such as BET for their black target audience, CMT for their country music lovers target audience, or Nickelodeon for their children and family target audience. I do not think the problem is cable television not having enough options but instead the viewers having an over whelming desire for more and different materials. People want all the information they think they missing because they over heard something else from another source. Audiences in the present day world of media have way more options and know way more information then audiences 25 years ago; however, spectators perceive it as less or insufficient because they are use to constantly receiving more in media. My grandmother constantly reminds me that when television was first popular it only had around three channels and it went off at a certain time. In my whole lifetime I experienced television as a 24 hour, several hundred or more channels, colored source of entertainment that always had something to offer. When I was young I tuned in for educational purposes watching Sesame Street and Arthur. A few years later I found television to be a source of entertainment, so I watched shows such as All That, Kenan and Kel, and Cousin Skeeter. More years went by and as a young teen I felt I was ready for TV14 rated shows such as Degrassi, Family Matters, and Everybody Hates Chris. Now as a young adult I find myself watching more adult shows like The Game, Guy Code, and The Hard Times of RJ Berger. So as far as I was concerned I could always watch what I wanted and sometimes even what I needed. However I do understand why people feel the urge to request more. After all "When you're used to filet Mignon it's hard to go back to hamburger helper" - Jay-Z. Meaning we are conditioned to all these great things why settle for less now?  

        I think what Viacom brings to television is very entertaining and full of options but just like most media fanatics I could use more shows and channels. There is much this world has to offer us but not all of it makes it to television for one reason or another. Viewers believe this is another type of censorship where the media hides the things they do not want us to know or see for what ever reason, and blow up and repeat the things they want us to watch, hear, feel, and remember. Most people consider them conspiracy theorist but I do believe they might be on to something. For instance, moments such as the attack on the world trade center or the Holocaust they always say never forget; however hundreds of years of slavery and the Rodney King beating is something they want people to get over. There is nothing wrong with getting over things but why pick and choose, how do they pick and choose which one is more important than the other, and why don't "we the viewers" get a say, after all it is all for us.


       What should be done about all this is to possibly adding more channels and television shows but that would just make these oligopolies stronger, richer, and have a larger fan base to support them. What can be done is being done but very poorly and has been taking viewers away from television and towards the internet. What can be done is for local stations to allow local broadcasters to show their most recent idea of entertainment and if it does well these media moguls will pick them up and add them as a program on one of their stations. In reality, local stations mostly show news and don't give many people a chance, which is why people take their business to the internet hoping they will get recognized there.

       In conclusion, I believe like many people do. These stations have been curving our media which in turn has been curving our thoughts and view of the world. This got me thinking back to the Truman show. All these shows on a loop and people no matter the age imitating them, and us only knowing what we've been told. With all these smoke and mirrors it's hard to believe your eyes sometimes.

Dun da da Dun da DUNNNNN.. the interweb

       The year was 1998. The computer, which resembled the television in shape, was extremely huge with a very limited amount of icons on the screen. The colors were very over saturated and all programs needed a disc in order to be activated, including the internet. Once I clicked on the AOL icon for the internet I would get this sound of a phone dialing numbers followed by a screeching sound. This let me know that the all mighty internet was coming. On a few occasions it did not work on the first try but back then it was okay because it was faster than anything we have ever known. Not to mention if some one was on the internet you could not use the phone. Little did we know we would come so much farther in the next 10 years. The whole process of how we access the internet and how we live our life would change.

       The internet was suppose to be the new wave of business, media, and education. When the internet became available to the masses its image was a family oriented vehicle for information. The place where everyone in the family could get the information they needed faster than any other available source. Dad could get his sport updates, mom could find read the news, the children could

play learning games, and the young upcoming business man can communicate his business. All the necessities were there without the distractions, inappropriateness, and dangers of the real world.
       What the internet became was a vehicle for all entertainment, information, and communication. The internet is no longer just for leisure and convenience, now it is a necessity. Majority job applications, all colleges, and memberships require an email. Social media and other internet post determine whether or not you get a certain job. Young children use it for education and gaming purposes. I even have to have a blog for class. There are now being books made just for the internet. Newspapers are being printed less because the major ones have websites. The internet is starting to monopolize the way people live they're daily life. People shop, talk, learn, inform, entertain, watch, and do business all on the internet. I worry about what this means for the future of mankind.
     In the future there might not be a reason to leave the house. If a person can go to grade school, college, and get a job all through the internet they are no longer legally forced to leave the house. A

person can find a date, new friends, and new clothes so there is no social reason for them to leave the house. You can even buy houses, furnishings, and appliances so it is possible to find a location outside your parents house to live.
       We went from large boxes and dialing tones to 5 inch screens with the internet at the tap of a finger. No more loud noises or waiting for your internet to literally dial up. No the instant you type in something the image can appear in front of you. Everything you want and need you van obtain online with out a desktop or wires. I just hope we don't get carried away.

This is Private

       Recently, in class, we read and talked about privacy. It was mostly about privacy on the internet and how we do not really have much of it. Privacy to me is the choice on whether or not you want to share information, pictures, etc. of yourself or moments in your life. It also means choosing how much attention you want to receive.  In this post I will cover 3 points of privacy in the media; such as social networking affecting business, possessions of post, and privacy contracts.

 

       A constant complaint over the internet is that people the websites privacy settings and guidelines are not private enough. Some accounts were just made for personal life which usually includes friends and family who are not judging your actions on the internet because they know you. However, when a person applies for jobs all their personals become visible in any standard background check. I find this unfair because then whatever you post or were tagged in becomes a factor on whether or not you can get or keep a job. It is true that you can choose what you post and currently most people know to choose wisely but people still don't have control of what pictures or other information about them may get posted by another person. Not to mention social networks were made just so friends can have an update on your life and what you do on your free time. I feel that if I was an employer as long as you do not connect your business profile with your personal profile and you don't have anything in the name of your business on your personal profile, then it should not affect my decision on whether to hire someone or not. I understand companies saying that it looks bad for the company if a person of importance see's your other profile but that person must also understand that this is your personal profile to show that you have a life too. Maybe their friends do not take pictures at every event or outing but common people do because it makes the best memories.

       Though we are constantly being filmed and shot by our friends does not mean we want our moments shown to everyone in the world. Social networks were made to share things to your family and friends so why do these corporations think its acceptable for them to use these photos and post however they please? Many people can argue that people knew when they were signing nothing was ever really private so they should have been aware that to only post things they do not care if their job sees. I feel like that ruins the whole freedom aspect of social media. Another argument is that this is all written in the privacy contract.

       Although they make sure you agree to the privacy contract, the contract is usually unnecessarily long full of legal terms that the common user may not understand. Not to mention once you sign on its really hard to find. Most people click it with out a second thought because of past experiences with other programs and long contracts. So I do not think they really made these contracts for anyone to read or understand. If they really wanted someone to read it, the contract would be in laymen terms and much shorter or at least an page that covers all the main points.
         In conclusion, I think we lost all privacy and in the not so distant future these things you post on social media may in fact only affect your social life. However, until then we, the people of the internet, have to post like our boss is reading. Contrary to what most people are forced to post, I believe no matter how educated the person is in legal contracts we all should have a fair shot at privacy.