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It only took seven years for the Internet
to reach fifty million users whereas it took twenty years for the television to
reach that many users and roughly fifty years for the telephone to reach that
number (Towse, R. Picard, R.G.; & Kung, L. 2008). Our desire to connect and communicate
differently has driven the growth of the Internet and subsequent
technologies. We are attracted to the Internet
because of what it offers us the freedom to choose what interests us, and to
have our own individual experiences.
According to Justin Healey, the Internet enables creativity, provides
endless entertainments, can change politics and offers us the opportunity to
shop online (2011). These are attractive
options because they allow us to accomplish more in a shorter period of time,
which increases our productivity. With
the internet providing us with unlimited access to news and entertainment, we
are so invested that you would be hard pressed to find a person who does not
have a device that provides them access at all times. We have grown as the Internet has grown (Towse,
R. Picard, R.G.; & Kung, L. 2008); because of this, we are now utilizing
computers and tablets in schools as methods for teaching. We are teaching the next generations how to
connect and utilize mass media in an effort to best prepare them for the
future. Our dependability on technology
to provide us with endless opportunities to consume mass media leaves us
wanting more and searching for the “next big thing” constantly.
The video, Social Media Revolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8,
further explains the phenomenon that is mass
media, as well as our dependability on it.
We are more connected because of technological advances, but at times,
it feels as it we have become more disconnected. Media has provided us with new ways to
connect but it has also decreased traditional methods of connecting with those
in our lives. As technology continues to
grow and change the way in which we view the world, we will have the opportunity
to study it to determine how it continues to alter the way we interact.
Healey, J. (2011). Social Impacts of Digital Media.
Thirroul, N.S.W.: Spinney Press.
Towse, R., Picard, R. G., & Küng, L. (2008). The Internet
and the Mass Media. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd.
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