Analyzing the Media
Ms. Gray 1st block
What I think the “Media” is and what I think it means to be “Media Literate”
Media is defined as the main means of mass communication (especially television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet) regarded collectively. Media today is used in many different ways: there are television channels such as CNN and Fox news that use media to relay news to people, social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, which are used by everyday people use to communicate and relay information to each other, and radio stations that play popular music. As election time is quickly approaching, politicians have started campaigning through various types of media, including: newspaper and magazine advertisements, commercials, interviews, and news coverage on TV and radio, and by creating and managing websites to endorse themselves. The media can be used for good, to inform people, however it can also be used poorly, to spread misinformation and propaganda to people whose only source of information is the media. In order for people to be able to tell the difference between good and bad media, they must be media literate. Being media literate comes with years of being exposed to the various types of media both good and bad. Knowing the difference between good and bad media is not the only key part of being media literate. To be media literate today, you must know how to use social media effectively because it has become such a large part of our lives. This includes things like only sharing personal information with people you trust, and keeping some details private even though our first instinct might be to post them on social media.
News Media
Media
Social Media
24 Hours With or Without Social Media
24 Hours With or Without Social Media
Fact Checking Activity
In a recent interview, Donald Trump claimed that the United States was the highest taxed country in the world. Politifact’s “Truth-O-Meter” rated his statement as false, meaning that it was a blatant lie. Even if they do not always tell lies, politicians always try to bend the truth to make themselves or their party look better, so it is always better to take what they say with a grain of salt. I generally believe most news and facts that are reported by new sources. I do not usually feel the need to double check facts that are given by the news since it is their job to provide credible information, even if it is sometimes biased. I accept most facts that people state as true, which can be dangerous because people may be talking about something they have no idea about, or they could just be flat out lying. Double checking facts is important, but it is impossible to double check every “fact” that we hear.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may/08/donald-trump/donald-trump-us-not-highest-taxed-nation-in-world/
Life of a Prole
Failed Rebellions
These rebellions were powerful and carried meaning for many reasons. One reason they were so powerful is that they were lead by normal people and were started to help the general population and not the one percent or royalty. The ideas and moral behind these rebellions is what lead them to having such a large impact.
People were inspired to act because they were being treated unfairly. The people that started the movements wanted to help others that they saw were being mistreated.
Edward Snowden and Winston/O'Brien
Winston is similar to Edward Snowden because they shared common beliefs and goals. Winston and both worked for secret parts of the government that they believed were corrupt. They both were in charge of something that the general public did not even know existed. While the way they revealed the corruptness of the government was different, they both had the same intentions. O’Brien is not very similar to Snowden because O’Brien does everything the government tells him to do and has no intention to rebel. Winston and Snowden are different in that Snowden was successful in revealing the corruptness of the government and exposing its secrets, while Winston was caught before he could make anything happen.
O'Brien and Winston: Victims or Villains of and for the Government
Reflection One
Reflection Two
Social media has consumed most of the younger generation in today’s society. We spend all of our time worrying about what to post on social media and what other people are posting and we don’t spend enough time enjoying the world around us. To ensure that we don’t become too dependent on social media and technology in general we need to learn to live without our smartphones and laptops and computers. We can control this addiction just like any other addiction. If we slowly wean ourselves off of our reliance on technology, we can become less dependent on it. Doing the activity where we stayed away from social media for twenty four hours was more difficult than it should have been, and I do not consider myself super addicted to social media. This shows just how addicted some of us are to technology. If people do not learn to curb their addictions to social media, we will become even more disconnected as a society. Despite our addiction to it, we can use social media for good. It allows us to be connected with our friends and family even if they live across the globe on another continent. It is also a very good medium for dispersing news and other information. When wielded properly, social media can be a very powerful tool, but by becoming addicted to it, we have limited its effectiveness.