Blog Post 3- October

     The chapter that was most intriguing to me in this month's lectures was Chapter 9, Mediated Cultures. My favorite quote that made everything make sense to me was, "putting images inside your head is just like eating." by Thich Nhat Hanh.
     If you think about this quote, it ties everything together on what the media is like today. The media likes to feed you "the dessert" instead of "your vegetables". They feed you information and news that will make you come back for more. This action can be both good and bad for you. If you keep going back to the news and stay informed on top headlines like elections and war, you are going to be very informed on those subjects. The bad part is, if you choose to get your information from the wrong sources, or even just biased sources, you can either have a biased opinion on the subject itself or intake false information.
     Another problem in today's society is our extreme reliance on getting information from social media. This information includes our news also. Scrolling through Facebook, you might come across an article with a headline that reads, "Woman sets house on fire after seeing a spider". Even if you just read the headline, giggle, and continue with your day, it's going to stick in your head. The next day, you might be talking to your friend about her fear of spiders and all of a sudden, you remember the "news article" and tell her about it. Little does she know that it was fake news and you didn't even read the article. We always need to be checking our sources before we believe a news article that we saw on social media. Even if it isn't fake news, it can be leaning toward a biased opinion and not give you all of the facts.
     Pop culture, another form of media, is a very big influence in our society. Some movie stars and singers use that popularity to get some points across or to even stir the pot a little bit. Rap artists use their popularity to write songs about African-American culture, bullying, and even suicide prevention. Some pop stars even go against the norm such as Lady Gaga to make themselves known and create a positive influence in society.
     There's several types of media in today's society. Some are good and some are bad for our societal growth. It's just a matter of checking our sources.