Assessment of Supersaturation, or The Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling Article by Todd Gitlin - Essay Example

I completely agree with Gitlin’s idea that media has its impact on our lives through several means and its component have gradually immersed in our daily. We can easily observe the number of movies and TV shows being watched and the number of CDs and cameras being used in today’s modern world.

Gitlin states that the extensive use of the internet has not diminished the use of media but has affected the flow of unlimited media. I do support the fact presented by Gitlin that the Internet has revolutionized the use of media. Our hyper-mediated world is affected by the internet to a great extent converting us from media users to media producers (Gitlin). Gitlin’s article to some extent downplays the massive influence that the internet had on society at the time it was penned. Despite of this fact many of the points suggested by Gitlin are still valid in today’s world.

The emergence of the social networking website “Facebook” is an example of the actualization of Gitlin’s observation. This website is known for providing its users with a hyper-mediated experience as it allows them to upload photos, videos, and texts and provides them with a variety of ways through which they are allowed to express themselves. Facebook media is different from the inherent media as on this social networking website a mass population is acting or watching other people’s activities. 600 million Facebook users actively participate in this process of acting and watching.

They create their replicas through their profiles. People become kings, queens, demons, and angels and adopt the character of their choice, which is far away from reality. These websites have created a virtual world that is far from reality. Gitlin has also stated that individuals today have the authority to create their content. This proposition of Gitlin can be easily implied to the communicative quality of Facebook where individuals develop their original content and portray it in a way different from reality.