Contemporary Media Analysis

1. What does the media say about the world we live in?

Media says a lot of things about the world we live in. It highlights many common stereotypes that society revolves around while also ridiculing our society. It tells us about our own world and also reflects on it. An example is the issue of racial prejudice and racism throughout media although the issue has been less and less common in the recent decades. Many comedic cartoons and television shows often poke fun at different stereotypes and this is a reflection on the growing issue of racial conflicts. It does, however, make people laugh and entertain them and there is no intention of harming anyone at all. This image below is a good way to add humor to the cartoon show Family Guy and the jokes, even the racist ones, are pretty funny in general.

2. Do you notice any one trend that keeps resurfacing through multiple media forms?

One trend that keeps resurfacing in multiple forms of media is homosexuality. This has become a largely controversial topic in our society and media had definitely been a large part of it. A good show to talk about here is Glee. Glee is a show with a positive vibe that portrays the lives of homosexual kids and it depicts the problems they face whether it is at home or at school. There are many messages conveyed through the television series such as never giving up or letting others control who you really are on the inside. The show speaks a lot about love and how love is really blind and that anyone can love anyone else. The characters are not used for an entirely comedic purpose but instead they are there to help other people who are dealing with the same issues with their own problems.

3. What do you see as the best and worst of what media portrays?

The best parts of media, in my opinion, is the access to information and important news events around the world. We can learn about daily issues in our world such as political issues and natural disasters that have a large impact on the people. Also, another significant aspect of media is the entertainment part through movies and television shows. Being a Netflix user, I watch multiple series at a time and its a large part of where I spend my leisure time. However, there are many negative aspects of what media portrays. The worst of what media portrays are tabloids and celebrity drama because it is not relevant to most of our lives. It does not usually affect us directly and really has no significance instead of creating more drama and pulling attention to these celebrities that is not needed.

4. Where do you see yourself contributing to the conversation?

I think we can all contribute towards using media for better purposes than it already is. There are many negative aspects to media and we can help make it more positive. Media criticizes society and almost ridicules it like in the comedies mentioned but we also have to take into consideration the underlying meaning behind everything that is portrayed. Sometimes this can help us in resolving our problems and making better decisions about the future.