Media literacy is an essential topic that offers a better understanding of digital content presented by the various forms of media. Media literacy equips people with the necessary skills to evaluate media content, understand its meaning, and consume it appropriately and fully. With the rapid advancement of various forms of media, there is a need to create awareness among people to ensure that they can identify appropriate content and disregard misleading content. I think media literacy is necessary to protect people from being victims of fake content by interrogating why the motive of the content. Additionally, media literacy enables people to spend a considerable amount of time on media such as television and social media, thus preventing media addiction.
Demographic and psychographic media content analysis is another interesting topic that provides insight into understanding the different media target groups. Media consumers are diverse and have different tests and preferences based on various factors. To effectively understand how media companies design their products to meet the needs of specific target groups is essential to establish the demographic composition of the target group and the psychographic needs. I find this topic interesting because it enables one to understand that people’s preferences vary according to their age. The needs of a young person differ greatly from those of an older person. Besides, an explorer’s psychographic needs vary significantly from a reformer’s expectations. Therefore, to fully determine the audience of media content, I think it is necessary to employ both methods to narrow it down to specific groups rather than general ones.
Another topic that I find interesting is the evolution of recorded music. This topic provides essential information on the various technologies that have been involved in the development of recorded music, from the wax cylinder to online streaming. This topic enables one to recognize that technology is constantly evolving and that as new challenges concerning a particular music record emerge, another technology is created to address such challenges. Besides, consumers’ needs and preferences are constantly changing, thus creating an opportunity for new technology to develop and thrive. With increased piracy and other challenges that music streaming faces, new technology will emerge to increase the security of music content. I believe that the constant changing of technology is slowly taking us further from enjoying the original versions of music I experience when I listen to vintage songs.
The topic of why TV shows appear familiar is an interesting subject that reveals the specific criteria many shows employ when creating captivating episodes that the audience can easily follow. The vital steps that many show use include: introducing the protagonist’s main goal, introducing the main obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals and initiating a plan to overcome them. Another strategy is usually presented in case the first plan fails to address the obstacles. The protagonist then gives the final shot, determining their success or failure in achieving their primary goals. Lastly, the protagonist experiences the long-term effects of their success or failure. By understanding this topic, I find it easier to follow television shows and predict the next possible events that are likely to happen in the show. This formula makes analyzing and interpreting movies and shows easier.
The topic of Stewart Hall’s representation theory is interesting to understand how media producers play a major in influencing the perception of society towards different subjects. Media producers have the power to fix the meaning of a particular issue by presenting that subject to the audience according to how they want it to be perceived. This theory explains why various stereotypes exist, not because society encourages them but because the media perpetuates them. I find Stewart Hall’s representation theory relevant in understanding why a common subject can be perceived differently by society. I think it is because the media has the power to influence its target audience and uses that power to make people believe what the media wants them to think.
I find the topic of the medium and the message interesting in understanding the symbiotic relationship between the media and the message it passes to the audience. I think the medium used to convey a message significantly determines how the audience perceives the message. A medium that requires adequate attention and focus will make the message appear more powerful than a less engaging medium. For instance, when I read a book, the message tends to be more compelling than watching a television show about the same message. I think this is the case because the medium used to convey a message plays a critical role in creating an environment that absorbs the audience’s senses. For instance, watching a horror film at a movie theater may appear scarier than watching the same movie at the house. This is because all the senses are involved in the theater, and a specific focus is given to the film. On the contrary, the home environment creates a lot of distractions that undermine the attention given to the movie.
The topic of fake television shows was one of the subjects that I found least interesting. Fake shows tend to create unrealistic scenes to attract the audience and generate profits rather than articulating societal issues, which I believe should be the main role of the media. Besides, fake shows tend to exert unnecessary pressure on the target audience to adopt a certain behavior or lifestyle, which in most cases is often based on poorly scripted scenarios. Additionally, scripted reality shows tend to glorify social evils such as crime and promiscuity to make the presentations more dramatic and inviting to the audience. Many characters on reality shows are often untalented, thus undermining the entertainment nature of the television show. Furthermore, reality shows undermine the expertise and precision needed to create quality content that targets a specific audience. Many of these shows lack moral lessons, thus having little impact on our culture. The fakeness of these shows makes me uninterested in topics that concern them.
Another topic that I consider least interesting is media ownership and the corporation of thought. This topic is uninteresting because it demonstrates how media owners tend to violate media ethics and the broadcasting of news. Many stations have become channels to perpetuate the private thoughts and agendas of their owners to the detriment of the listeners. The credibility of news sources has been greatly undermined by some select media stations that intend to influence the public opinion of their audience in favor of their agendas. This subject has negatively impacted the main objectives that news stations owe to the audience. As a result, the public is slowly losing its trust in news stations due to the high degree of prejudice that many news stations have resorted to supporting the opinions and beliefs of their owners.