The Media Drought Hits Hard at the McNelly House

The media depravation experiment began over the Thanksgiving weekend. For 24 hours, my girlfriend and I turned off our cell phones, unplugged our television, and turned off our computer. Being the competitive person that I am, I placed a bet that I would make it though the entire day and she couldn’t. The winner would have to cover the bar tab on Saturday. It was by far the most difficult thing that I have ever done. The peace and quiet was killing me, and I actually went jogging for the first time in a long time and started working out again. In the end, my girlfriend couldn’t hold out any longer and I won the bet.

We have become so reliable on technology it’s almost sickening to think that we are so dependent. When I lived with my parents and the power would go out at our house, we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves. We would find our old black and white television and huddle around that trying to find a good reception. Even when we are forced to go without technology by Mother Nature, we still find ways to grab hold of some form of technology. Media, especially when watching movies or getting on My Space, allows us to step out of the norm and into a different reality. Some people who have My Space profiles allow themselves to step out of reality and become “cooler online”. Watching a movie places us the jungle with Rambo, in the boxing ring with Rocky, or in the hospital with our favorite characters on Scrubs. High definition television allows us to be at the big game cheering on our favorite sports teams or at the race track riding along with our favorite NASCAR drivers.

Technology has also allowed us to shop and do research from the safety of our home. We don’t have to stand in line at department stores and go to the library late at night. Who knows who is out there waiting to attack us. Personally, I applaud the advances in technology. Have we become dependent on this phenomenon, of course we have. These technological advances have become a necessity and it’s time we embrace these advances and not reject them like so many others have.

Television vs. Print: The Battle Rages On

It was an unbelievable fight between television and print. Both Pagila and Postman brought up some key points that sent their opponents staggering into the corner. But in the end, after I judged and tallied up the final scores of the fight, I have determined that television is the winner.

Television wins this fights, hands down because print has become a thing of the older generation. The ideas of moving image fascinates us and our way of receiving information, rather than reading word after word, page after page of material until you bore yourself to death, is more appealing. Most children are watching television for their entertainment and most adults are watching the news rather than reading it. Times have changed since the television was invented. Television is a fun, effective way we get all of our information and entertainment. Our generation responds to visual aids rather than reading and coming up with a conclusion. These visual aids work and is celebrated in classrooms with televisions. I know some people that get a lot of enjoyment out of reading and they like to use their imagination. They find it very rewarding knowing that they finished a 500 page book. Who has time for that? I hate reading, but I have to do it if I want to pass my classes. Reading is becoming second nature because it is so dull. Times are changing and people want to see it rather than do it on their own.