Post 10: Mainstream Media EOTO

 Mass communication has been around since ancient times and can be traced back as far as 3300 B.C., when Egyptians created hieroglyphics and produced murals, statues, and carvings. This form of communication continued evolving throughout ancient times with kings patronizing writers to write books and dramas. The creation of the alphabet with consonants by the Semites in 1500 B.C followed by the creation of the alphabet with vowels by the Greeks in 800 B.C was a catalyst for news, thoughts, stories, and ideas to be spread. 

Mass communication really took off in 1400 A.D when Johannes Gutenberg, who was a German goldsmith, invented the printing press. This invention allowed books to be printed in large quantities and shared with the masses for reasonable prices. In 1600 A.D the newspaper was developed, but it took a century for this form of mass communication to become an influential form of communication to the masses. 

While forms of mass communication have been around since ancient time periods and developed over time, the term mainstream media didn't enter the scene until the term was "strategically promoted" by Richard Nixon when he was President of the United States in 1969. 

Nowadays mainstream media consists of television, print, radio, and internet sources that provide news and information to large groups of people. Most mainstream media in the United States are owned and operated by a few conglomerates such as CBS, News Corps, Time Warner, and Disney. Since a majority of Americans own televisions and electronic devices like computers and smartphones it is easier now than ever before for mainstream media to reach large audiences. What makes mainstream media different than other media is that it is traditional broadcasting and or a print model of disseminating information and entertainment typically catered towards mass markets that has developed overtime into being leftward leaning in its political stance rather than sources that people self-select to cater to and curate their sources based on their interests and political views. With mainstream media there are select gatekeepers who decide what news and information you need to know whereas other media typically offer more transparency. These days mainstream media is commonly referred to as legacy media, and many people predict that the current media formats used today is on a decline and will be replaced with new media formats within the next decade. 

 A positive impact of mainstream media is that with the click of a button, people can become informed on local, national, and international current affairs. Mainstream media can also provide entertainment and be a relaxing pastime for viewers. Mainstream media can also share heartfelt and inspiring stories and information that can be very motivating and encouraging to viewers. Lastly, mainstream media can be a very good platform for advertising agencies promote products on. Since mainstream media has a large audience, advertising on these platforms can bring in a lot of revenue which helps individual workers and the economy.

A negative impact of mainstream media is that most media has a very biased political stance, so information and news can be manipulated and portrayed in an unfair way. For this reason, it is hard to know if mainstream media sources are being completely transparent and honest with the information and news they share. Mainstream media can also cause division between political parties and pin one party against the other. It is also hard for conservatives to consume content from mainstream media without hearing it from a liberal standpoint since even the media that claims to be conservative such as Fox tends to lean left. Lastly, the mainstream media can have a negative effect on elections by presenting opinions and predictions as if they were facts. For instance, mainstream media has announced that Joe Biden has been declared the next President of the United States when the electoral college hasn't actually announced that he is officially the winner. This causes misinformation to be spread to the masses and soon people take the media's opinions and make them truths. 

Mass communication has evolved so much overtime, and I think it is interesting to see how this evolution has lead to what the mainstream media is today. While the system has many flaws, it is amazing that people can be informed about the news and find entertainment at the touch of a button. 

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/the-end-of-legacy-media-newspapers-magazines-books-tv-networks/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1461670022000019209

https://myessaypoint.com/positive-negative-impact-media

https://simpleask.net/mainstream-media-manipulation-and-its-effects/

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-mainstream-media.htm

https://entertainism.com/history-of-mass-media

https://www.cjr.org/special_report/the-fall-rise-and-fall-of-media-trust.php

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/mainstream-vs-alternative-media-21113.html

https://nightguysnetwork.com/mainstream-media/

Post 9: Privacy in the Digital Age

     I've always been aware of the government and search engines storing some information about people's online footprint but I didn't know the extreme to which they go to have surveillance and information on people until this past class. 

    Since discussing Facebook and Google's invasion of privacy in particular, I have begun to feel very uncomfortable using these platforms. In fact, as soon as the class was over, I added a more private search engine called DuckDuckGo on my laptop so that Google can't track all of my searches. I am very uncomfortable with the idea that my whole online footprint can be stored and surveyed. Not only do I think that it's a horrible invasion of privacy, but I also think that it's easy for people to make assumptions about you based on your online footprint that might not be an accurate representation of who you really are. 

I was especially shocked when I watched a Ted talk about how phones have been created for surveillance, so it is easy for governments, hackers, and other people who have no business listening to your calls and reading your texts to intercept your communication and calls with others. This makes me feel like I have to be extremely cautious about what I type and say because it could so easily be taken out of context and used against me. Overall, this situation makes me feel very violated and vulnerable. I'm mad that so many people and organizations think it's acceptable to listen in on people's conversations and keep tabs on everything they do on the internet.

    I am especially upset by the fact that this happens so much in America where freedom and privacy are seemingly promoted. The whole concept seems very hypocritical and goes against what we are supposed to stand for as a country. After learning about the lack of privacy online and from using technology, I am going to take as many precautions as possible to limit the amount of information that can be stored about me. In this day and age it is impossible to try to get along without using a phone or laptop, but I am going to stop these organizations from taking as much privacy away from me as possible.

https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_soghoian_how_to_avoid_surveillance_with_the_phone_in_your_pocket#t-6440

https://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_your_online_life_permanent_as_a_tattoo

Post 8: Roger's Diffusion of Innovations Theory Applied to Netflix

     

       

    Roger's Diffusion of Innovations theory can track innovations from their earliest stages of adoption to it's height of popularity and then their decline. This theory can be applied to the adoption and rise of Netflix throughout the years. In 1997, Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings pioneered Netflix as a solution to the high late rental fees at Blockbuster. Early adopters patronized Netflix in 1998 when it was a website selling and renting DVDs. Between 1999 and 2002 the early majority started using Netflix because there was a monthly subscription service and a recommendations system which used ratings to introduce new shows and movies to people based on their preferences. In addition, the company went public during this time which helped them to steadily gain followers. By 2013 late adopters began using Netflix when the streaming service began producing their own original content. Since these shows and movies could only be watched on Netflix, late adopters joined so that they could watch the exclusive content. By 2018 Netflix began its maturation stage with a slight decline due to the popularity of other streaming services such as Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime. The slight decline can also be attributed to the loss of many fan favorite shows and movies in order to make room for more of Netflix's original content. While the popularity of Netflix has decreased a bit, the company is yet to reach a state of saturation. An estimated 28% of American adults have a Netflix account which means that in the US alone there are still 60 million subscribers. While Netflix hasn't penetrated to 85% of the US population as Roger's Diffusion of Innovations theory suggests, there is still a significant amount of people championing the streaming service. I think it will take at least another decade before Netflix might see a saturation period. As a result of Covid-19 and months of quarantining inside the house, there has been an resurgence in using streaming services such as Netflix. It is very interesting to see how the company has changed from its early beginnings and how many people have bought subscriptions to it over the years. Over the years, Netflix has changed the way people access entertainment and consume content. 

http://www.edinboronow.com/article/netflix-the-good-the-bad-the-addictive

https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=12&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=11&docId=GALE%7CA461002064&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZEAI-MOD1&prodId=GPS&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA461002064&searchId=R2&userGroupName=hpu_main&inPS=true

https://www.thestreet.com/technology/history-of-netflix-15091518

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/553418/summary

https://search.proquest.com/central/docview/2290497056/257EFEFA66064A6FPQ/3?accountid=11411

https://medium.com/@10805833/netflix-and-its-impact-on-society-8357bcb96a22

https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/02/19/what-is-the-netflix-effect/#27e6da315640

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2019/07/netflix-atttributes-declining-subscriptions-to-its-content-slate

https://marketrealist.com/2019/09/an-overview-of-the-streaming-services-industry/

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/click/netflix-batting-average-for-quality-original-shows-declining/

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/netflix-statistics-facts-figures/