Hey guys! My name is Yesenia and I’m in my third year at njcu as a psych major :)
My role in media consumption, like most in my generation, focuses on social platforms like instagram and snapchat, as well as google. I would say my knowledge of our current events relies solely on these sources. I know that’s not great and I should probably start watching the news, but social media allows you to do more with the information they provide. We are given the opportunity to share with our community and advocate for the issues that we feel important.
I’m on instagram everyday and I share images, videos, and news on my story constantly. Whether it be about the climate change crisis, our awesome democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, new shows/movies on netflix, protests in Puerto Rico, the never ending school shootings, funny videos/pictures, etc. The media is important in today’s world, especially as it connects us all in our experiences. Monumental events that have taken place, like 9/11, hurricane katrina, Barack Obama’s inauguration, and the Boston marathon bombing, to name a few, have all been captured in mass media. Those images, videos, and stories are what allow the whole world to experience these events.
There are definitely positives and negatives to media and how they cover activists, acts of resistance, and protests. You can see this in the types of news coverage we receive from outlets like Fox, CNN, and MSNBC. Context is important. For example in speaking of Donald Trump, at Fox, the words most associated with ‘Trump’ are president and resident, at CNN they’re campaign and political, and at MSNBC gop and Russia. Fox itself focuses on Trump's presidential title, while the others discuss his policies and controversies. It’s important which news outlets we watch because they all provide different context and views. Fox has been described as providing biased reporting in favor of conservative political positions.
On a positive note, media gives activists exposure. For example, the protests that took place as a result of new anti-abortion laws. In May, Alabama’s governor Kay Ivey passed the most aggressively anti-abortion laws in recent American history. Soon after, several states including Georgia, Missuori, and Louisiana began pursuing “heartbeat” bills, which would ban abortion as soon as a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat. It honestly blows my mind that a woman could sign this law into effect. A law that strips women of the rights to THEIR own body. The protests as a result are necessary and the media gives these protesters a platform that reaches millions, if not billions. It allows for others to become apart of the cause and hopefully make a change.
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