When you look at me... Do you really see me?

Stereotypes are generalizations or judgments (positive or negative) our society makes towards a group of people based on broad similarities that we perceive all members of that particular social group to possess. What we want to see is what we base stereotypes on, because our society can not handle what the world really is.

In Chapter 6 of Walter Lippman’s Public Opinion he states: “…we pick out what our culture has already defined for us, and we tend to perceive that which we have picked out in the form stereotyped for us by our culture.” This quote proves to me that Lippman was a brilliant man. Due to our society labeling various social groups according to their “similarities” or “personalities” or where they have come from. For example, my hometown is very close to a city that has been labeled as one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States. When people hear the name of the city they shutter in fear of the people that live there and the apparent “danger.” However, what they do not see is that there is violence in every city, and right now the mayor of the particular city near me is working hard to change things, and has. For example, friends of mine had a hockey game in that city a few weekends ago. All they have heard of the city is bad things so when they talked to me about it, they told me they were a bit afraid of going there without really knowing where they were going. I told them they would be surprised at how clean and how wonderful parts of the city were, and how beautiful the convention center is. When they returned to school that afternoon they were in amazement of the arena they had just played hockey in and the city around it, stating that it was like nothing they had pictured. They, like other people often do, perceived the city by what they heard about it. Mostly, rather than finding out about people or places, our society fears the stereotype.

America Online & Time Warner

My favorite medium is the Internet. I chose to investigate Time Warner, the result of the merger between America Online (the original Internet Service Provider) and Time Warner (the magazine/movie/cable giant of the 1980s). Hanson wrote about the synergy of these two companies on pages 42 – 46 of his book, Mass Communications: Living in a Media World.

The idea of synergy, as Hansen writes, is for the different components of the combined company to promote the company itself and the other mediums it provides. Time Warner spans over a number of different mediums today; books, magazines, recording labels, cable networks, cable television operations, broadcast television networks, and movie studios. With the number of various mediums the audience has to choose from it is obvious why Time Warner, as of 2005, is the largest corporation in control of media and why the combining of AOL and Time Warner was so successful for the merged company. Hanson writes “the combination of AOL and Time Warner gave the new company a huge pool of material to offer customers and multiple methods of delivering it – from printed magazines to television networks to online services.”

The idea is -- past vs. future.

I found this in a 7th grade history textbook during my Field Experience for Child Development Psychology over winter break. I believe it was in the section about JFK, however, I am not sure about that or who wrote it.

I feel that it is very true and that it relates to what we have been talking about in class. While our past is a part of our history and a part of our culture, it does not bind us to those ways. We have the ability to mold our world and our future.


"Only to a limited extent are we prisoners of the past -- the future sets us free."

A lesson well learned

(If you click on the picture it will come up in a different window much larger so you can read what it says)



My mom sent me this image in an email today and I feel that it in a way relates to what we have been talking about in class. This is what it read...

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way!

The pictures in my head...

1. How does your media usage function with the pictures in your head?

The people (gatekeepers) that govern what we, the public (society) see provide us with a contaminated view of the truth. What they want us to know and hear is what is provided to us. The pictures I have in my head and what my media usage conveys to me coincide with each other, although only to a certain extent; I find myself angry at the media when all that is presented are the negatives when there are so many positives in our society.

2. How is your reality limited?

I believe that the media dictates to us how we are supposed to live and gives us a certain though corrupted view of things that we have not yet experienced or that happen in a culture other than our own. Our reality is limited because the things that are unfamiliar to us we do not research or attempt to find more information on before making judgments and all we know is what we see or hear through the mass.

3. What happens if you engage more media?

I believe that engaging in more media is like a liberal arts education; you can receive a full spectrum of ideas about a subject (while learning a little something along the way) and perhaps grasp a little bit more of a the “big picture.”

4. What happens if you analyze message, the medium, and gatekeepers critically?

By analyzing messages, the medium, and gatekeepers critically, a person will encounter sources that do not agree with his/her views. Our society constantly searches for information that will confirm ones thoughts/biases. One can get more facts and receive a better understanding before making judgments by analyzing these three things.

5. What are the stereotypes in your head that help you navigate media and the world?

I was a bit stumped by this question and really had to do some thinking about what stereotypes I have in my head. I finally came to the realization that there are some things that I care to hear and talk about and there are some things that I could really care less about. The pictures in my head dictate that to me and also dictate what sources of media I use. Since I don’t care much about hearing the death toll of the War in Iraq, I choose not to watch the news because I believe the media is a big reason why there are such a large number of war protests. On the other hand, when a subject interests me, I will use various mediums to know more about it (i.e. medicine and Discovery Health/Internet).HoHo

What would I do without my favorite media source?

My favorite media source is the Internet. I don't use it to get the latest gossip, but I do enjoy receiving emails, having Facebook and Myspace, and being able to look up picture or information with the click of a button. If the Internet were taken away from me, I would more than likely get school work done in a timely fashion, and I would probably watch more TV. I don't let the Internet take me away from personal interaction with people, I enjoy being in the presence of my friends rather than talking to them through a computer and I don't spend hours upon hours doing nothing online. I do, however, use the computer very often for research, for pictures I need to complete presentations, and to keep in touch with friends and family across the U.S. and in Iraq. Although I would enjoy not having the urge to check my email every 30 seconds, if this luxury were taken away from me, I would not know what to do.

Media Checklist

1. I only use the telephone when I am at home but I tend to use my cell phone a lot. More than likely the person that I call the most is my boyfriend Garrett Horvath, however, I do call my parents and brother quite a bit as well.

2. The last public speaking event that I attended was in early December; Christmas Vespers is always one of my favorite holiday events.

3. I'm not in my room a lot so therefore I don't IM a lot. When I get on the computer to check my email I only usually IM people when I have a question or if my friends IM me. I most often chat with Bridget or my aunt on IM.

4. I use my email quite a bit. I find that it is an easy and quick way to communicate with others and to receive information that I may need to know.

5. I bought a CD this past summer and also went to a concert in Pittsburgh.

6. The most recent thing I watched on TV was the news yesterday. I only occasionally turn on the TV when I am in my room, I like to listen to music more. When I do turn it on, I don't always pay attention to it, so whatever is on, is on.

7. During fall semester, I had to miss an episode of Grey's Anatomy and my friend recorded it for me.

8. Today my sorority got together to watch the DVD "Step Up" in Mueller Theater.

9. Last night while my sisters and I were driving to Sheetz, we listened to 103.9 (Rock 104) because one of our favorite songs was playing.

10. I am in the midst of reading the original story of Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. My parents bought it for me for Christmas because the 100th Anniversary edition was just put out on the shelves and I love the movies Peter Pan and Hook.

11. I read the NCAA newspaper on Thursday morning. I was wasting time waiting to get into the weight room and I like to talk with the trainers, while they were busy with someone else I took a look at the paper to see what new and interesting things were going on in college sports, particularly my sport -- soccer.

12. The most recent magazine that I read was Fitness magazine. I was walking through the grocery store and caught a glimpse of it. Since I love to workout I thought it would be a good read.

13. I had to write a letter for my Educational Psychology class fall semester, I believe it was in the beginning of October that I sent it.

14. I have both Facebook and Myspace bookmarked on my computer. I don't spend a lot of time on them, but I do check them everyday just to see if someone posted something or sent me a message.

15. I do not have a Facebook or Myspace blog. I really am not too big of a fan of blogs because I like to keep information personal, however, this class will give me the opportunity to explore the blogging world.