Does Our Youth Need Censorship?

Many people have different opinions when media and youth are in the same sentence. Who's responsibility is it to censor? Does our youth need to have their entertainment censored and limited? Will censoring lead to a child being naiive?

Personally, I believe that it is the parent's job to censor what children can listen to and watch. Censoring and raising children is subjective on the parent so I don't understand how the media is responsible for censoring the appropriate amount for every family. Some say that commercials and shows that involves violence, drugs, sex, and vulgar language should be aired at later times after children's bedtimes. However, it is proven that between the hours of 5-9 p.m. are when most viewers watch t.v. So, some shows want to air between those times so their ratings will be higher and they can have a larger profit.

I interviewed my coach, Glen Crawford because he has two daughters who are both still in elementary school. He believes that it is a shared responsibility between the media and the parents to censor what their children watch. I asked him that if he limits his children too much does he think they will rebel and when he is not around, they will watch something they are not supposed to be watching. He says that if you explain to younger children why they shouldn't watch something then they will understand that with age and maturity comes more privileges.

He made a metaphor to me that made sense. He said when he takes his first grader to the mall he will point out certain people to her. These certain people will have very short skirts or tattoos covering their entire body, etc. He'll ask his daughter if that girl looks pretty or if that man is cute. If she says no he asks her why and then explains to her that that man/woman could have been more attractive if they wore something appropriate or if they only had a couple tattoos. He says if you explain to your children why they can't do something or what could be better then they will understand and follow your rules.

Is Reality TV Actually Real?

Realism is referred to as thinking something is based on life-like actions or reality. Reality television shows and Hollywood movies are a perfect example of this. The object of both is to entertain the audience as well as make them believe for however long that segment of the show or however long the movie lasts is based upon true events and situations.

I will focus on reality television first:

This clip shows some of the drama that occurred on the reality television show, Jersey Shore. The goal of the producers was to show as much drama that would entertain their audience as well as focus on the character's that have the most dynamic personalities that tend to be the center of problems or start them. In this clip the characters are Mike "The Situation", Vinnie, Pauly D, Ronnie, Angelina, Sammi, Nicole "Snookie", and Jenni "JWOWW". Although some of the cast is not on the show since this season, they still continue to focus on certain characters. One of the characters they tend to focus on is Angelina, because there always seems to be drama or fights that are started because of her.

The media and other people criticize the show even though it is very popular. The characters only focus on GTL (gym, tan, laundry) and partying. If I thought that is really how people live then not only would I be very naiive, but I would also may or may not want to grow up like that.

Now, I will focus on Hollywood movies:

This is a trailer of the movie Avatar. It is supposed to be realistic and it captivates us for the entire movie. We feel as if we are there and we are living in the same world they are. However we know as soon as the screen turns black and the credits roll that most of that movie is not real at all.

Media Conglomerates

What are media conglomerates? Basically, it is a form of media (television, radio, etc.) company that own several smaller media companies. Examples of this include, Comcast Corporation, Viacom, Disney, and Sony.


Of all of these media conglomerates, I want to focus on Sony. Sony makes electronic equipment like stereos, televisions, cameras, cell phones, etc. Even though they are known for the equipment they use, they also own many labels an companies. These would include: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Loews Movie Theaters, and the Columbia, American Epic and Sony recording labels.


Sony's main headquarters is located in Tokyo Japan. They are the world's 5 largest media conglomerate. The revenue is $77.20 billion. It is the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony Corporation is the parent group. Most of the revenue is made off of their Conglomerates such as Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial.


The advantages that Sony has is that they are a leading organization in the world so their name is easily recognized and they stand out within their competition. Also, they have a wide range of electronic equipment that they make so they have more of a market to appeal to. Their conglomerates are all in common since they base their products off the entertainment industry, however they differ between television and radio so again it appeals to more of a market. The disadvantages to Sony is that because they have so many conglomerates that if even one of the many companies they own messes up or has bad publicity it will affect the whole organization and the entire industry will be affected by it.


By researching conglomerates, I now know what they are, and how so many companies make so much revenue. There are lots of ownerships and contracts within businesses and industries, so it is difficult to keep up. I never realized how large Sony was or how large any major corporation really is. All it takes to be successful and powerful is money.

What is "Normal"?

Who gets the right or the privilege to decide who or what is normal? What is normal? Is the girl with pink and blue streaks in her hair, more piercings and tattoos than contacts in her phone, and fishnet stockings considered normal? Or is the guy that is constantly talking into his bluetooth headset instead of spending time with his family, always driving his Lexus, and wearing a business suit normal? Are those examples stereotypical?

Stereotypes are too common and are experienced everyday. They aren't always negative, however, the majority do have a negative connotation. For example, many say that african americans are the best at basketball or that caucasions can't jump. It is also said that women aren't good at math or science and men that are sensitive and talk about their feelings are gay. None of these are necessarily true. It is proven in some cases that if someone is presented with a stereotype that applies to them and a task right before they are about to perform that task, then they will not do as well as they would if they never heard the stereotype.

Here is an example of stereotyping.

Digital Nativity

What is Digital Nativity?

Albert Einstein once said, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." The term digital native refers to someone who has grown up in a world of technology and is very familiar with it all; examples would include someone who is familiar with texting on a cell phone, using the I-pad, or using websites like facebook. 

Typically the younger generation is more of a digital native, but some of the older generation also is because of jobs. I would consider myself a digital native. Although I do not have an I-pad or a blackberry, I still text (probably more than I should) and listen to music on my I-pod while I add to my facebook page (usually instead of doing homework). I recently got a MacBook Pro and it only took me a few hours to understand how to use all the programs and all the shortcuts one can do with the click of the trackpad and the combination of a few buttons. 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," quoted by Arthur C. Clarke. If someone sees technology as magic and not something that is beneficial and something that has purpose than they are probably not a digital native. They are considered a digital immigrant. A digital immigrant is someone who has grown up with limited or no technology and is not familiar at all with it; someone who is intimidated by technology or frustrated easily by it. No one in my family is a digital immigrant because even my grandparents text. They sent me an email about technology that included a video. I do not have a personal connection to someone who is a digital immigrant but I would assume that they do not know the many perks of a cell phone or the internet and I doubt they have a facebook account. 

An example of a digital immigrant is in this video.

An example of a digital native is is this video.

.

What is Media Literacy

What is media literacy and what kind of questions can I ask to better understand it? The definition of media literacy to my understanding is the ability to interpret and use the media in a unique way to deliver a message or express oneself. I feel like this definition can be interpreted more ways than one depending on the person and how they choose to communicate, however, I believe that because it is vague, there are more options one can do to use media as a form of communication. Examples of media literacy include but are not limited to youtube, facebook, twitter, blogging cites, and match.com; in all of these, you make an account with a picture, a small paragraph about yourself, optional details like age, birthday, etc., and you can upload videos or posts about what you like, think, or feel. I have provided a link so that you can see an example of media literacy. This is a facebook profile.