Me and the Media

I think that it is painfully obvious that as a part of this society, and especially with as much privelage as we have, it is almost impossible to escape mass media. It is definitely a part of my life that I would not willingly give up anytime soon. Although, a lot of times the way I consume the media is a waste of time, especially when it comes to spending hours in front of the computer, a lot of times times mass media is keeping me informed and connected with people. I also won't deny some of the incredible entertainment value in the mass media. However, one of the main reasons I wanted to take a class on Mass Media and society is that in the past I have often found myself wondering what I were to find if I was to look under the surface of what was actually being presented to me. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Even in the short few weeks since I've been here at BC it's interesting to see how some of my habits have changed concerning mass media. Living in Egypt I never watched much TV. We didn't get any of the channels I would really want to watch and my family just didn't watch all that much TV. So, I would only watch some of my favorite shows that I happened to have on DVD or that I could borrow from friends. At the time most of the news I got was from listening to NPR every morning on the internet. My mom, who is an avid NPR fan, would play for all of us. Now, being back in the States I prefer to actually watch the news on TV or read it from my subcriptions to the Economist and the New Yorker, which have been having trouble finding their way to my mailbox at BC. Also, I have been going a little TV crazy. There is a TV actually in my room that is easily accessible and there is always something on and in my dorm room we have it playing in the background. Sometimes when I'm bored I find myself watching something I might not even enjoy just because it's on. I think the novelty of it will wear off soon. I hope.

Besides the internet another part of mass media that is a huge part of my life is recorded music. However, I don't really follow much mainstream music so I don't really listen to the radio or watch MTV, if they even have music on MTV anymore. But, I don't know what I would do without my ipod or if I somehow lost all the music I have on their.

I'm really hoping this class will help me open eyes a little more to the actual role mass media plays in society.