Critical Thinking Media Blog

1/15/18 Competition. It inspires and pushes people, but also crushes, defeats, and hurts others. There is a difference between healthy and unhealthy competition. in addition to this, people take competition in different ways whether it be positive or negative. However, I feel that lately the amount of unhealthy competition leading to psychological problems has only grown. I can’t help but feel that the media yet again plays a big role in this issue. One of the most played and common genres of television shows is reality television and competitive shows such as Survivor or Masterchef . We have been entertained by competition all through history from the Romans with the Colosseum to the status quo. I think that now, everything has been a competition. From good grades, colleges, looks, personality, talent, athleticism, build, etc, everyone just wants to win or be the best. Through reality TV shows like The Bachelor this idea is only heightened. Women fight for attention and make gos...

1/10/19 I am a girl living in this messed up society. One where I feel compared or pressured to feel or be perfect in a world of imperfections. Many of my friends and other teenage girls in general feel this expectation that weighs down on their life and makes them feel worthless of like they are less of a human. In "Miss Representation Gavin Newsom talked about how when women are looked at a certain way or when opportunities are withheld from them, women are dehumanized. Second class citizens. Objects to look at, but not to have much more meaning than that. I am certainly not generalizing men saying that they are all misogynistic and disrespectful of women. Some men have a certain image of a woman, some preconceived standards per say. Men too have their insecurities, but the level to which it has progressed for women is very concerning.  People recognize this concept and know it is prevalent, people make movements and activity, but barely anything ever changes. Even in my Wor...

1/8/19 Television. The way many of us unwind and relax. It is a source of entertainment, but what is the real effect of this on our youngest generation? I have read many different sources in which it is believed that television has very negative qualities that can shape a child's thoughts or feelings. However, as I have been exploring, are there any positives to this exposure?  I don't mean to use my brother as examples so often, but I noticed something extremely interesting with him. Over winter break when we were exploring Washington D.C. when my grandmother pointed out a building unfamiliar to me and asked what it was. My brother told her that it was Ford's Theatre and that it was where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. I was so surprised at his extensive knowledge and it turns out he learned about it from a cartoon TV show called Teen Titans Go! So the question is how much usable or important information is being shown in TV shows. Wh...

1/5/19 Recently, I have been noticing an increase in anti-smoking commercials. What I have wondered is how this influx of smoking ads is affecting the teenage population. At first I thought they may work in turning our population away from smoking which some researchers believe is the case, however IFLScience conducted a study that expressed otherwise. The way this was done was by taking 441 kids from the ages of 11-17 and sent them into a fake store. In this store for some was anti-smoking advertisements. For others there was none. When asked before and then after the visit into the store, the survey results showed that those who were already at risk for smoking were more likely to smoke after seeing the advertisements. I thought this was strange at first, however I know now how it makes sense. When looking at the current habits and characteristics of a teenager we can explain many consumer patterns. Teenagers are engulfed in this idea of scandalous activity. Of wanting to do wha...

12/17/18 Rap music has been a very controversial topic for a long time now. It has both positive and negative impacts that I think must be more seriously looked at. I wonder how it affects the younger generation and how it shapes their views or beliefs. Could people's values be changing due to some of this rather vulgar music? I do admit that I listen to it often just as many people in our generation do. But I wonder how far the affect has gone. I do believe there are benefits to rap music. These are that it is a form of expression and free speech. Many rappers share the struggles, hard times, social issues, or problems in the system in the form of a more accessible and entertaining piece. I think that many pieces have the ability to educate all populations of the social or political issues that are happening now. Rap has the ability to bring together many people and unify them through a song. I am not saying in any way that rap cannot be negative. Although I know many...

12/10/18 We all know the power of social media. The ability to pull in users and not let them go. We as a society have been sucked into a whole other world where our life simply disappears, and all that matters is what we see on a screen. Snapchat, a billion dollar company truly has expert tactics and techniques to pull teens specifically into their world and keep them captive. One tool that snapchat uses, are snapstreaks. "Streaks" are essentially a number beside a name of a person who you snapchat everyday. The number increases every day you snapchat them, and if you don't snapchat the person, then you lose it. Although these streaks really are just a number on a screen, people have become so engulfed in them, thinking they are important, myself included. The point of social media including snapchat should be to talk to people and show them what you are doing or have a more interactive conversation with using your face instead of just texting with no vis...