Upon reading the blogs written by my classmates, I’ve come to the conclusion that we have a very diverse and intelligent group of minds within our class. This being said, it can also be concluded that there are varying opinions about the media that we as a society receive. While there are some people that agree with my point of view and some that don’t, there were a few that had a completely different opinion. The blogs that I’m going to bring up later in this post argue that both standpoints are correct in certain aspects. This is a viewpoint that I considered, but I had decided didn’t have enough evidence to support it. These blogs proved me wrong and changed my perspective on the media.

Wes Kewley argued that “as you get older you start to mature and see everything form a different point of view.” He argues that you want different things at different stages of your life, and therefore you grow from wanting the media you get to getting the media you want. This is very interesting to me, as I am currently studying some aspects of child development in CHYS 1F90. There are many theories that support Wes’ view of the media, considering the fact that there are different worries and perspectives of the world with each stage in a person’s life, from birth to death.

Another opinion was that it varies depending on the person who is receiving the media, shared by two of my classmates. Justus Duntsch says it varies more upon the basis of “how conscious he or she is in their reception of the media and how willing one is to give up certain entertainment, tools and services to keep themselves isolated from intrusive media.” She takes a very cynical standpoint in which one has to, in a way, protect themselves from what the media feeds us. I agree with this opinion in that a person has to be aware of what they are watching. However, I don’t believe people need to isolate themselves in order to do so. The media is a part of our socialization in Western culture, and although it is damaging in someways it is an integral part of life.

Linnea Davis says that “people perceive the media in different ways so what you want someone else may not want, or even understand.” She goes on to talk about how different young girls may have different tastes in music. I, however, thought about culture gaps. In Canadian culture we may see Japanese shows as completely ridiculous, but in Japan it could be the complete opposite. There are vast differences between trends and norms in other cultures, and I think this contributes greatly to the media we want/media we get debate.

The blogs that I read changed my opinion on the matter greatly. This demonstrates how the media help society grow in everyday situations. This also demonstrates how while I do believe some of the cynical viewpoints on the media, I also believe that they are a vast and wonderful group of ways that make us grow as people.