TV

It seems like every new technology that comes along gets the blame for that particular generation of children's laziness/unmotivation/shortcomings. This was true when TV first arrived on the American scene and it still resonates today. I very much believe that there are some children who watch too much TV and that it sometimes takes the place of reading, playing outside, spending time with family, and pursuing hobbies and interests. However, Johnson's article really made me think about TV in a different way. I had never thought to compare the shows of 20 years ago with the programming available today. There really some very complex, difficult to follow TV shows on the air. Take "Lost," for example. If you miss one episode, you're literally lost! I like how Johnson compared watching some of these shows to reading a book in the way we have to follow complicated plots and characters, and make inferences and connections. I was, however, really surprised that he suggested that people play the video game Grand Theft Auto, which is arguably the most gratuitously violent game out there. I think that there are plenty more video games that can engage the player in those same "reading" skills that are not nearly as violent and sexual as Grand Theft Auto.

In addition to more quality programming, there are also so many quality stations such as the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, the Science Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and many more. The quality of the TV we watch now certainly does seem to be much higher than that of yesteryear. However, there are still completely mindless, inappropriate shows for children to watch, and I think that just because Johnson is saying that TV might not necessarily make you stupid, he's not saying that parents should just let their children watch anything they want all the time.

I thought Storey's article was also interesting in the way that it explores the emotional connections between viewers and programs. It said that TV wasn't just an escape but an outlet for people's emotions and a way for them to connect emotionally to something in a safe way. I don't enjoy soap operas much myself, but I can see this explanation for why people like them so much.

Thoughts on Lessig

It's a scary thought that only a few mega-companies run most of this country's media. But media is not the only sector that this is happening. Sure, there are still small independently owned businesses scattered around, but the majority of the places we frequent, the materials we buy, the food and entertainment we consume are owned by just a few massive companies. I'm not sure that's how it was envisioned when Jefferson and the rest wrote the constitution. I think this same "take-over" is beginning to happen on the Internet. I hate to see such a wonderful free forum for speech be taken over by corporations, controlled, made to be the same all the way across. I think copyright has much to do with this merging, this "take-over." Perhaps these CEO's, or whomever, sit in their offices and think, "Oh no, look at all this wonderful, free, creative material being shared! Look how it's making people connect and think and come up with new ideas! We must control it and standardize it and make sure that no one uses it without permission!" What a load. This really makes me angry. There shouldn't be any restrictions on use for public domain, such as Alice in Wonderland, even if you buy an e-book version. I liked Lessig's view of copyright. He wasn't saying it was wrong or right, just that we need to revamp it to fit our current circumstances.