Children and the Media

The psy-function is a shifting field of knowledge and power. It makes dual claims, that it can both describe and manage the mind, in this article it seems like a dangerous thing. I believe that there is a way to describe and manage the mind and it had been done. If it was not possible I would argue that advertisers would need to find new means of advertising.

"Juvenation" is the way John Hartley describes the version aimed at younger people similar to the effects model which offers analysis and critique of education and civic order. In this analysis they found that children could be affected by certain images and messages they see in media. Media has power to do things and I believe this it is not a secret; we underestimate the power of media.

I know children and even some adults today would not believe that the art of sexting has been around for a long time. People labeled books, with no pictures, offensive and "Evil Reading." These people are only reading about sex and it is frowned upon... how is that any different then today when we claim that there is too much sex in the media? The more and more they view sex as a problem is seems as though less and less clothing is being worn to push the envelope.

This article touches upon suicide which is an all too real reality. Over winter break a friend of mine fell victum to suicide. It is a weird feeling because one emerses onself in a pool of questions and dries off with a towel of guilt because the questions can no longer be answered.

Since the break there has been two more known suicides in the Amherst area.

Propaganda is as Sut Jhally would say 'the man in the bushes' the problem is always out "there" never present in your world. Many people think of Hitler and death when they hear propaganda but have we done that on purpose? We seem to even brand our history, wrap it up with emotion and sell it to people as the truth.

An interesting fact the article touched upon was the fact that the newer generations are the least Religious, which seems to actually help us out because they do not conform as easily; they have become more skeptical.

The article states that the youth's grand paradox is to be simultaneously " the most silenced population in society" and "the noisiest"... since these younger generations are less involved in religion it seems to me they are able to use more common sense. Common sense says to be skeptical about things you do not understand; atleast in my dictionary. Maybe it is not the religion but rather the shear complexity of what we don't understand.