Media Seen/Unseen
Although there are endless amounts of issues and events that are a part of our time, I find it to be incredibly true that the defining issue of our time is the media. In our world today, we are simply overloaded with different forms of media. I suppose it’s a good thing that we so much available to us practically at our fingertips. However, we can probably all agree that with so many different choices of media in our lives, we don’t get a very broad viewpoint; we only watch and hear what we choose. This is why there is so much “media unseen”. It is virtually impossible to be aware and/or have access to every single form of media because there is an infinite amount.
I could go weeks without being informed of any news. If I don’t choose to put on Fox 5 News or some other news channel, then I am never aware of the news for that day. I can feel pretty confident saying that a large amount of college students, myself included, get most of their news by word of mouth. If something is happening in the world, one of my professors will often bring it up in class and that will how I first hear of it.
Unfortunately, I do choose to turn to E! Entertainment Network and get my “E! News” mostly everyday. I know it’s sad that stupid meaningless celebrity gossip is more exciting to me than news that is actually important and affecting the world, but for some reason that is what I choose. It is this “choice” that we are given as a society as to which media we tune into that is damaging and shrinking our perspectives.
As I stated previously, it has become impossible to be aware of every single form of media around us, even those that may be right in front of our faces. A form of media in which I was never before aware of is Second Life. I think it’s incredible that I’ve been in our classroom before and the program was right on the desktop in front of me and yet I never even noticed it or took the time to wonder what it was. I don’t think I could have even imagined what it is now that I know. What I find so crazy is that Second Life itself is a form of media, but then has so many other forms of media inside of its virtual world.
Another aspect of Second Life that I just can’t get over is how one can create an entire new life for themselves and can live it all inside this program. Unlike the Sims games where people make up this pretend world, Second Life is basically as real as a computer program could get. One can create a new image, personality, and an entire new life for themselves if they are unsatisfied with the one they are currently living. They could spend their entire day “working” in Second Life and could actually produce an income.