Media Emotions

              Today, I’m going to discuss whether or not today’s media, such as television, video games, and commercials can compromise or shape our emotions and sense of empathy.  First off, I do not believe, as young adults, that our emotions are noticeably shaped by the media in the world around us.  In my opinion, children are a lot more likely to have their emotions compromised by the media around them.  When I was a child, I was a perfect example of this.  I used to play video games and watch TV all day.  During my freshman year in high school, my cousin Rachael went missing right after the New Year.  My family was in a panic, but for me, it did not impact me emotionally.  It was almost like she was just kind of in the back of my mind.  Then two weeks later, she was found dead and we heard the news.  My dad came to me crying and told me.  At first I was just shocked, but then I felt melancholy.  I was not distraught, but I was saddened.  It did not really hit me how I truly felt until I hugged my cousin Trevor, Rachael’s brother.  I broke down in tears.  My life changed after that day.

                In contrast, my family was again struck by tragedy last year.  My cousin David had been found dead in Philadelphia.  This time I was not with any of my family.  I received a call from my sister.  I will not forget the way she sounded when the first words came out of her mouth, “Leo, can you talk? I have some really bad news.”  I had no idea what she meant, but I was immediately worried about her.  Then she told me and tears immediately streamed down my face.  It is not easy to describe, but all I could think for the next hour was how I just wanted to talk to David one more time.  With that comparison in mind, I do think children these days will in fact be emotionally compromised unless they are unfortunately stricken by tragedy.  Media absolutely influences emotions and actions of kids especially.

                Also, from the assigned reading, I would like to discuss a question that I came up from the first section, how are our lives affected daily by our “electronic mass media environment?”  Any person who is alive today would have no problem answering this question.  When I walk into my house, I take the remote and turn the TV, even if I don’t plan on watching it.  This could bring me to the point of “noise” in our lives, which is in fact just for the noise.  But in regards to media influencing us daily, I am listening to music and watching TV as I’m watching us.  No matter what we do, the majority of us will in fact watch TV, listen to music, or use our cell phone.  If we were to try to give up any of these, as Dr. Mortimore-Smith was saying, we would have a lot of difficulty.  As Culture Jam also states, we have gone from living in a natural world to a manufactured one.  We will watch nature on TV before we actually go outside and experience it.  We have become lazy, wanting, and shrink wrapped.