a little of what i have to say about the book, "Media Unlimited"?

Already from the start I was surprised as to how light the read was. Gitlin talks in a way that makes it very opinionated and personal, simultaneously makes you think about our modern day society - in terms of how we - as individuals are affected by 'the media'. I thought to myself, how different it would be if we didn't have any media of any sort - no TV, no Newspapers, Magazines, Advertising, Entertainment, Radio etc. - how people would learn, or grow as individuals without being affected by the media. I do feel that the media plays a huge role in our upbringing and children now growing up, and spending more time dedicated to watching television, then going out and being active. This in turn plays a part in say for instance, obesity, short attention span, or laziness. "...they are victims of a morbid hunger which is never satisfied". (Page 130, Gitlin, 'Media unlimited') 

People are so absorbed in this world of technology that in some respect people are meeting less, talking in person less - hardly anyone writes letters or reads anymore - why would we need to when there is this whole idea of the (quotation marks) Cyber world. I have to say that I am indeed a "Crack-berry whore" - and do check my email and facebook about 20 times a day, because if I don't - I do get an uneasy feeling, a feeling like I am going to miss out on something or another. 

I found it really interesting when Gitlin speaks about the TV having to be on most of the time, as a noise filler. I myself, have not grown up in this environment coming from a bilingual family and growing up in Hong Kong, and Sweden - because my parents wouldn't allow either my brother or I to sit in front of the TV. "...But the ear is less discriminating than the eye" (Gitlin, page 60, 'Media unlimited') This explains why people can have the TV on the whole day, because it acts as noise maker, and if and when the person walking around the house hears something worth listening to - the focus goes back onto the TV. Interesting that Television is also another source to let viewers know how to deal with real-life situations, "We want a burst of feeling, a frisson of commiseration, a flash of delight, a moment of recognition- so that's what its like when your boyfriend sleeps with your sister, when you lose a patient in the emergency room, when you're voted off  the 'survivor' island. We depend on those images to imagine the great 'elsewhere'." 

I don't really know what to say about this quote other than to think about it for a little bit, but i do think this is definitely true, "Teen series do not supply information about society, they supply the emotions around the two main areas a child worries about on becoming an adolescent: friendship and love. Young people don't watch teen series to learn they watch them to experiment with new feelings ... They want to experience how one feels in these romantic scenarios. At that age, role play is very important. Friends gather in the playground at school and reenact the previous day's episode. The roles might be fixed... or t hey might change... but the goal is clear: it is to experiment emotions. "

inter-resting...