Chapter Three Questioning the Media

Raised on The Stones

1) Who was your first favorite group or singer? How old were you at the time? What was important to you about this music?

When I was in third grade I first began really listening to music. When my parents asked me my favorite band I shocked them and made my dad proud by saying “The Rolling Stones.” My favorite song at the time was “Jumping Jack Flash.” I was around eight or nine years old when this happened to me. I had been introduced to the music by my parents because that’s what they listened to. I used to take my dads tapes and CD's and listen to them in my room. I enjoyed the Rolling Stones because I liked the sound of them and enjoyed singing the songs. It also gave me a connection to my parents.

My Radio Show

2) If you ran a noncommercial campus radio station, what kind of music would you play and why?

If I ran a noncommercial campus radio station I would play songs that you will not hear on any other radio show and music that I enjoy listening to. I have numerous friends in punk bands so I would try and get them some radio time and exposure. I don’t care for those popular Top 40 radio stations that play the same songs every hour. Those songs and most of the time the artists aren’t even remembered in couple years. That is the main reason I would play less mainstream music along with timeless classic rock like The Rolling Stones, The Cars, The Clash, and Dire Straits.

Chapter Two Questioning the Media

First Encounter with the Internet

1) What was your first encounter with the Internet like? How did it compare with your first encounters with other mass media?
My first encounter with the Internet was surprisingly for schoolwork. I was in fifth grade and was working on a project about the Viking Leif Ericson. I remember when I worked on projects previously I used encyclopedias and books for most of my research but they soon took a backseat in my research methods. The Internet had everything that I needed at my fingertips. I could find a plethora of information and pictures that I could use and all I had to do was use a search engine and print them out. I’d say that my first encounter with the internet differs from my other first encounters with mass media in the aspect that I used the Internet for research rather than entertainment.

The Information Age

5) As we move form a print-orientated Industrial Age to a digitally based Information Age, how do you think individuals, communities, and nations will be affected?

As we move from a print-orientated Industrial Age to a digitally based Information Age I think that individuals, communities, and nations will be affected both positively and negatively. In the past anyone could read a book or a paper and get the information they required, however in the Information Age less fortunate people who cannot afford means of Internet access will not have the same advantage that those who can afford Internet access will have. There will be a large gap between the classes because the Internet will almost give an “unfair advantage” to those who can afford it. Communities will be able to be linked all over the world and families won’t have to write letters or talk on the phone to stay in touch.

Chapter One Questioning the Media

Saturday mornings with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1) Using music or television as an example, identify a performer or program you once liked but began to dislike as you grew older or your tastes changed. Why do you think this happened? Do you think your early interests in popular music or television have had an impact on shaping your identity? Explain?
When I was younger I enjoyed many different things that I no longer really follow or enjoy as much. One TV that comes to mind is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I followed the show religiously and had all the toys and videos. As I grew older I fell out of getting up early on Saturdays and watching Ninja Turtles. I didn’t really choose to stop watching the show or playing with the toys I just grew up and got involved with sports and school that occupied my time. I do kind of feel that Ninja Turtles had an impact on shaping my identity. The Ninja Turtles had that party and gnarly dude attitude that I kind of still have today, and of course I too, like the Ninja Turtles love pizza.

Children on the Internet

3) Pick an example of a popular media product that you think is harmful to children. How would you make your concerns known? Should the product be removed from circulation? Why or why not? If you think the product should be banned, how would you do it?
Many forms of media could potentially be harmful to children. The Internet could be harmful to children if their Internet use is not monitored and regulated. Anything that is not suited for children’s eyes is only a mouse click away. Also anyone can access the Internet, including pedophiles. Numerous others have voiced their concerns about unsuitable content for children on the Internet, and many people have taken steps to make places where children have Internet access less susceptible for inappropriate content to be viewed. The United States government has also stepped in and passed laws regarding the safety of children on the web. As technology advances hopefully the Internet will become a safe place for everyone to use and enjoy.