How TV defines us

Arguably, TV is the biggest medium. Broadcasting ideas, messages, advertisements,  social norms, and much more. Every channel broadcasted connects us to all different mediums and messages that we allow ourselves to be defined by when watching them. However, the channels we choose to watch can separate us into groups and stereo types. For example, like everyone else, I enjoy watching TV with friends. When I am watching TV with my friends, I am almost always watching ESPN. When watching ESPN, I feel connected to everyone in the room regardless of the sports knowledge because I know that sports captures a large part of our interests. Watching this channel connects me to a wide level media group which is probably predominately male sports fans. However, channels separate people by there interests. An interesting experiment that tried for kicks when I was watching TV with friends was changing the channel to something I was  was interested in but knew I would get teased for. This happened to be the cooking channel with Paula Deen.  My friend all started making fun of the show and myself immediately after realizing that I intended to watch the channel and that I did not mess up while pushing the buttons. This is an extreme example however, It really made me think about how the things we watched defined us. And we are connected to our friends in this day in age through so many different mediums.

RED SOX NATION

The Red Sox nation is one of the greatest sports mediums in our culture today. Its long history of successes and heartbreaks unites fans of all ages. At a personal level, it allowed me to become extremely close to my grandfather. Some of my favorite times this summer was spent talking about how the Red Sox were going to win a world series! 

Red Sox nation is such a great fan club because it brings together a extremely large and diverse group of people that stretches across the world. When Japanese all star pitcher Dice K transferred into the American Major League Baseball to play for the Red Sox, the Red Sox fan nation grew to new heights as thousands of new Japanese fans fallowed the Red Sox. 

Being a Red Sox fan defines me and also attaches all of there followers with many stereo types. When meeting people and explaining my loyalty to the Red Sox, some people feel as if the already have a good understanding of me. For example, being a loud mouth fan who stubbornly hates the Yankees.

Define Media

Peter Crowley

DEFINITION OF MEDIA 

Professor Xinghua

Media surrounds us with everything that we do in our lives. In our daily lives it is hard not to become involved or just come across some type of medium for any single minute of the day. The media we consciously and subconsciously choose to involve ourselves in shapes our identity and our decisions. What is interesting is how little we know or understand media even though it plays such a large part in our lives. The definition of the word media has many vague interpretations. However, I see it as being byproduct of three requirement or simply; Media is everything or anything that fills a concrete purpose while uniting people and projects and idea or “message”.

The first requirement of a medium is that it must fill some purpose. It does not matter how important, basic, or unnecessary of a purpose it satisfies, just as long as it does. Take a look at some common mediums used in society today. When people use phone as a medium they use it for purpose of communicating. When people use the internet they are usually using it for the purpose of gathering information. When people play video games on X-BOX and Play Station, they usually do it to have fun or counter boredom. The reason media must have some purpose to fill is because human beings are machines of reason. Humans naturally try to seek out purpose and reason. Therefore, everything we do is for a reason. One could say, I watched TV because I was board. I did my homework because I want good grades, and a job. Each action and decision has some reason behind no matter how big or small, right or wrong it is.

Fulfilling a reason goes hand in hand with the second requirement of media, which is that the mediums purpose must unite people.  Reasons are what unite and bring people together. People who come together with reasons are defined as having a cause. Something cannot define as a medium if it does not reach or affect anyone. The online Encarta World English Dictionary defines media as, “the various means of mass communication considered as a whole”. The stronger the cause a medium the more of a chance of uniting people to will then be “considered as a whole.”

Media must have an underlining message or idea behind it. Having underlining messages is different from my first media definition requirement of having purpose. The underlining messages are what create mediums. They are the reason why media is personalized to you. Drinking water because you are thirsty does not make a medium. It does have a purpose and it could unite people. But, drinking Gatorade Perform or Poland Springs water could be considered mediums. They both fill a purpose, unite people into groups, and  both Poland Springs and Gatorade have underlining messages imbedded into their products and company. Gatorades underlining messages could be that athlete’s drink their product or that if you dehydrated Gatorade has the best or most electrolytes to help your body. Marshal McLuhan defined medium as, “The medium is the message.”  

I personally believe that media can be interpreted many different ways because there are so many different mediums and they all connect together. However, for something to be considered it must fulfill three requirements. It must have a purpose, it must unite people, and it must have at least one underlining message. These three vague requirements allow media to appear with all sorts of ways and continue to reinvent and revolutionize it’s self like it has over the years.