Ever notice that the news thrives on the fear of its viewers?  Just stop and notice a newscast next time and see if you can observe the following pattern.  In metropolitan areas, it may be differnt, but the news segments usually goes like this:

Big Stories:
Murders
Corruption in government
Arrests/Indictments/Trials of Prominent Figures
Occasionally devastating weather conditions or snow storms

Secondary Stories:
Murders, robberies, muggings
New ways to make you afraid
New increases in costs to everyday items (i.e., gas, energy, oil, etc.)

Other Segments:
Sports
Weather
Human Interest

Also, note that many of the 10 second ads you see for the evening news are fear-based as well.  Just take stock and observe about how the networks rotate through the following items to get you interested:

Gas Prices on the rise
Airline Travel
Bird Flu
Hotel Germs and Bacteria
Restaurant Hygene
Day Care/School Problems
Crucial nutritional news about foods we eat everyday

I think they must have it on a dart board and just rotate through it Monday through Friday.

One thing I have observed which is admirably insidious about the media is that any media outlet has the capability of speaking about itself in the third person, thereby isolating itself from unwanted behavior.  In other words, the media can run stories that are often critical of the media and its practices.  It is a fantastic situation in which, (my personal observation) the media can isolate itself from wrong-doing and irresponsibility be pointing a finger at itself, without accepting responsibility or culpability.  Couple that with the fact that media conglomerates are now purchasing each other at an alarming rate and that we will soon hear, see and read our news from the same corporate source, it is definitely a time to start noticing these societal undertones and how the media is exploiting them.

 

With that said, my view is that freedom of speech (and perhaps by proxy press or information) is one of our most sacred rights.  My measure of a media organization is how responsible they are in exercising that right.

Just watched the Daily Show which had a big spot on Blogging and the Blogshpere.  In it, they did a great job of coalescing the “legitimate” media reaction to bloggers “scooping” the traditional media.  In traditional humorous style, the Daily Show correspondents attempted to encapsulate the anger felt by the media as blogs become a reliable source of information and news.  The basis of the bit was that bloggers don’t have any credentials or formal training in “journalism” (or sensationalism if you’re a media critic).   I think it’s an interesting dynamic.  Like anything new, you are going to see some media outlets discrediting the blog phenomenon, while at the same time trying to capitalize on it by adopting it in certain corners of their operations. 

Are Politics the new Religion?
It seems that in recent history, very deep political lines have been drawn in the country (the US).  It’s to the point that discussing politics over dinner or with friends can turn into a heated debate.  It’s gotten to the point that my political belief system is a closely guarded secret.  I also refrain from discussing politics at work and will refuse to comment on an election, its results or my political beliefs regarding the outcome of an election.  Look, I’m even doing it here in this post.  I’m remaining totally agnostic to the two party system here in the US.  It feels an awful like religious beliefs.  So I tell people at work, “there are two things I’ll never discuss:  Religion and Politics.”  However, it seems the two are merging with regard to how we socialize with each other about them in the workplace.

This link:  http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=178841

 

Goes to an article which details how Fox decided to blur the rear-end of a cartoon character on Family Guy, even though it was shown on the network 5 years ago. I don’t usually make bold and opinionated statements, but I’ve had it with the post ’04 Super Bowl, Puritanical cult of decency/ censorship which has arisen here in the US. We hare become a society of extremes and the pendulum is swinging again.

In college, they used to say in Advertising class that ad campaigns, television and print spots offer social value because they often depict the attitude of the population to which they target.  As such, they offer interesting social commentary.  Now, it seems that a logical extension of this would be a search engine.  The search terms that people are looking for might indicate the attitudes and values of a nation/world in which informational records are kept on what people are searching on.

 

Check this out to confirm the interesting truth

 

http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

 

 

This seemed weird at first, but having a popular frame of reference might be able to bridge the gap between the uninitiated psychology novice and understanding what truly motivates people.  Internal motivation of others is a hobby of mine because it’s like reading the tea leaves of another person and determining the best ways to interface with them and have a productive relationship.

 

In this instance, this medical journal is dissecting Gollum of Lord of the Rings:

 

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/19/how_nuts_is_gollum.html