Personal Engagement with Media - Essay Example

Critical Reflective Essay: Your Personal Engagement with Media In today’s world, media has become the ‘elephant in the room’ by taking over the leading role in almost all aspects of life. Therefore, it is right to say that media rules over the world in the sense that it has become an extremely powerful global phenomenon whose potential cannot be overlooked. The extensive success and popularity of media can be attributed to the dynamics of a fast changing world such as information explosion, technological advancements, modernization, and globalization among other factors. Nowadays, the world has been reduced to a tiny village due to the high interconnectivity and interactivity that has been made possible through the media (Karachi). The influence of media has grown over the past few years especially with the advent of computers, the internet, smart phones and tablets. All these technological advancements have given an impetus to the global information communication systems; in the modern media-driven world, new information, only a click away, travels faster and widely than ever before. In this respect, media offers a platform for socialization to people without the need of having to travel in search of news and information. Since time immemorial, the media has always been an important part of society and it is here to stay; however, things have now gone to the extreme because nowadays, I am constantly surrounded by different forms of media. The three main forms of news media in existence include the print media, the broadcast media, the internet, the print media is the oldest and most credible form of news media, and it comprises newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters and all other forms of printed material (“Working with the Media”). Even though, just like everybody else, I do not read many print media, I still find it more reliable, comprehensive and up to date than all other forms of news media. The topmost newspapers such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post in America are always ahead of other news sources in terms of newness and credibility. The Print media enables me to have a very comprehensive outlook on issues because it gives an in depth coverage of news items. In this respect, I am able to have a deeper understanding of issues by examining and evaluating in detail the facts of news as presented in the print media, and drawing my own conclusions there afterwards. Broadcast media encompasses all the news reports that are transmitted over radio and television, thanks to the many broadcast networks in the world such as CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC in America. These broadcast networks offer a range of programs that are informative and entertaining, apart from the news reports that are also broadcast from time to time. The broadcast media is a very popular source of news because it offers a live experience both in real time and in the past. The news items on broadcast media are collected from all corners of the world and thoroughly assessed to determine their newsworthiness to the recipients before being transmitted. In most cases, broadcast media provides me with an opportunity of following up on the development of stories that have already been reported in the print media. I find the broadcast media very influential compared to other forms of news media; its combination of audio-visual techniques is very effective in communicating messages. For instance, strong pictures and video effects on TV have a strong effect on my perception of news more than text information in print media. In this respect, broadcast media leaves a close to permanent impression on me because of the strong emotional impact that is aroused through audio-visual effects. The internet news media comprises all the online news sources such as websites, social sites (Facebook and Twitter) and web blogs; the internet is quickly revolutionizing the news media experience by offering a wide range of news forms, unlike the traditional print and broadcast media sources. For instance, websites offer a mixture of text and audio-visual information, all of which are used by the traditional media sources. The internet is one of my major news media source because it provides me with a more interactive and personalized news experience; I have been able to personalize the news I receive over the internet by subscribing to specific web portals, news groups and newsfeeds. Web blogs have been a great source of diverse opinions on hot topics of discussion because they allow different readers to post feedback on posts by bloggers. Web blogs therefore provide me with a critical outlook on issues because they provide popular criticism on the news from other traditional news media. However, most web blogs often express partisan opinions and therefore their credibility as news sources can never be verified with certainty. On a whole scale, the internet provides a platform for sharing and amplifying news from other traditional news media (Malik). Certainly, media is a very powerful and influential tool in the modern world that heavily relies on information communication systems; the need for information makes media unavoidable, without which life suddenly halts. While there are some positives to the use of media such as always being available and aware, there are some drawbacks to this as well. In order to reduce media influences, it is imperative that one regulates their exposure to media as a precautionary measure. I have learned to limit my use of media by placing controls that ensure I am not overexposed to media influences through the various forms of news media. This has proven to be quite difficult because we live in a modern world now that makes use of all forms of technology that are on offer. In order to try to steer clear off too much media, I have attempted to limit my exposure to the various forms of news media and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. One way in which I have avoided overexposure to media is by limiting the amount of news sources out of the various forms of news media. This can be hard because there are many sources of news available to choose from; I have tried to get my news from no more than two to three main news sources. I could have chosen to reduce the number of my news sources to one, but I felt that this would not give me a well-balanced view on all of the daily issues. By gathering news from multiple sources, I can make better-informed decisions about what I find and then I can develop my own clear opinion on certain matters. Secondly, I have tried to avoid too much media by reducing the amount of television that I watch. This has been easier to do than I expected, but I probably never watched that much television anyway. Still, television can be harder to control than other forms of media because news programs are shown at a regular interval. This means that if I choose to watch a certain program then I have to make a long-term commitment to sitting down and watching it. In today's age, time is scarce and precious; I do not have enough time sit down and watch television. Finally, social networks like Facebook and Twitter can become addictive, especially when the access to news and information is so instant. I have tried to limit my exposure to media by using the social network moderately; even though I have both Facebook and Twitter accounts, I do not overindulge in them. I would also say that for someone my age it is very hard to avoid social networking bug because almost everyone is involved in it. However, on Facebook, I only accept friend requests from people that I know; I do not fancy the idea of interacting with multiple strangers because it would take up much of my time. Ultimately, that the media has been with us for a long time and is certainly here to stay; the various forms of media continue to impact on society in various profound ways (Karachi). Despite its drawbacks like negative influences, the importance of media cannot be overlooked in today’s world; this makes it unavoidable. The only thing that I can possibly do is trying to regulate my exposure to media and the accompanying media influences accordingly. References “Working with the Media: The Different Types of Media”.Legacy.kctcs.edu. (n.d).Web. 13 Feb 2013. Karachi, Shakeel M. “The Role of Media in Today’s World”. Hamariweb.com. (n.d).Web. 13 Feb 2013. Malik Om. “Amplification and the Changing Role of Media”.Gigaom.com. 13 Oct 2012. Web. 13 Feb 2013. Read More