Post 4: Radio

Technology helped shape radio in the 1920s as well as today by the developing new ways of listening to radio. I think that without technology advancement in radio, music genres and artists would not have been able to evolve, and people would not be able to listen to music whenever they wanted to.

According to Media Now, Radio was the first wireless communication medium. Radio waves were born in Hertz, and are now digitally mastered through internet radio sites such as Pandora. An example of technological advancement within internet radio today would be what Pandora uses to make a personalized radio station for their listeners. The algorithms that Pandora uses to set up your playlist are a great example for technology advancement. Pandora also lets the listener choose whether or not they like the song, which goes with making the radio experience more personal thanks to technology.

Another way that radio has advanced is how it is listened to. In the 1920s, most families were lucky to afford one radio “box” and today, we are surrounded by music everywhere we go. While we are walking to our car, we can be listening to a downloaded Podcast on our mp3 player. As we enter our car, we turn on the radio to listen to our local station, and we have radio on the road. Then we mobilize that radio even more by being able to download radio apps onto our cell phones and listen to internet sites such as Pandora while we work or exercise.

In the movie Radio Days we see the family listening to radio in the form of a “box” and also in the car. The main character explains how radio helped him to remember certain artists. Thanks to technology, I for one have discovered many new artists through the technological innovation of Pandora. I also feel like Internet radio helps to blend my favorite artists by grouping them into my favorite genres.

Radio has developed into a more personal level by personalizing music to one’s particular taste. Just like when people in the 1920s had their favorite radio show, today people have their favorite playlist.  

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Post #3: Social Learning bridges societies

 The show The Secret Life of The American Teenager helps me to understand the meaning of the term social learning by giving an example of a teenage girl's life in American society according to the media. Social learning is a way to teach audiences about social issues. It gives a visual representation of the issue looks like within society, and helps to give an example to others where they can see that it should not be ignored. The media helps to teach others those social issues through the term social learning. This show airs on ABC Family and is shown to give other teenage girls how to deal with teenage pregnancy and sex issues. As times have changed, this show covers every possible taboo concerning sex to the conservative society. The image on the left shows the character's fears in bringing a baby into a teenage world. The show also incorporates public service announcements concerning parents and teenagers talking about sex. I think that this show is a perfect example of social learning because not only does it teach, but it bridges the conservative and modern societies to talk about an important subject in a modern teenager's life. Below is one of the service announcements broadcasted during their show segments.



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Video provided by: YouTube

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVWipOKzQiA

Post #2: Hegemony made healthy

A simple apple helps me to undertand the meaning of hegemony. A symbolic snack that used to be given to a teacher on the first day of school, has now morphed into society as their computer model, mp3 player, and music store. With this company, I believe that society is accepting their agenda setting by chosing to help drive this logo into a media machine. The Apple Company is framing thier success on cosumer popularity. The saying of "Everybody's doing it" has been turned into "Everybody's got an apple." This logo is recognized  everywhere, and has given a culture icon to society. While media continues to grow and tries to catch up with Apple, the basic symbol still sticks to its core. Maybe Apple is simple just trying to show the world that they are better than Microsoft, but to me it seems like more and more people recognize Apple as the new status quo for their personal state of  media.

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Artilce on Apple possibly becoming a monopoly: http://www.applematters.com/article/has_apple_finally_become_a_monopoly_like_microsoft/