Further explanation of a concept-prejudice

This textbook gave a lot of meaningful insight into the world of communication. Out of all the concepts that we covered, I feel like the idea of prejudice and stereotypes could have been elaborated on. In the chapters covering intercultural and multicultural communication, there was often a lack of explanation of where prejudice comes from. I would like to learn more about the stages of prejudice and ways to avoid it. I do, however, like that the book touched on culture so much I guess I was just looking for a bit more explanation or theory research. I know that a lot of prejudice and bias comes from the upbringing of a person. Maybe more examples would also be helpful in trying to understand cultural diversity. Coming from a multicultural background, I feel like this information would have appealed to me and caused me to learn more about this subject.

Interesting Concept-Cultivation Theory

I found the chapters on Mass Media the most interesting. I am very media-oriented person and I like connecting communication concepts to the media. This chapter explained many media effects and how the media can cultivate us. I really enjoyed learning more about cultivation theory. I am a strong believer that the media is a major influence for how we perceive the world. This theory makes complete sense to me because I can easily relate personal examples to how the media or a T.V show in particular has shaped a thought or belief in a person. Media effects research is a very special area to focus on-it explains many of the preconceived notions and bias that individuals hold. This is also a major contributor to acculturation. Acculturation is the idea of adapting yourself and submerging yourself into a new culture. When people watch American T.V shows, they receive a stereotypical idea of what our culture is like and therefore passes down prejudices.

Likes and Dislikes about Comm. 105P

Participating in an online class always has its positives and negatives. This class in particular was great in a few ways. First, we had the opportunity to experience a cultural event outside of the classroom. This was fun for me because I got to learn more about the German culture and I had a lot of fun while doing it. Another positive thing about this class was approachability of the Professor. She was always available to talk about questions or concerns, which makes things easier, especially in an online class. I did not like how we had to wait 12 hours in between blog posts. This is difficult for people with a constantly changing schedule. I think it would be much easier and effective to allow the blog posts at any time within the week. Overall, the class was a different experience, it was not terribly difficult although I think it could have been more mentally stimulating.

Cultivation Theory

I first learned of Cultivation Theory in my Quantitative communication research class. My professor described cultivation as the way heavy viewers of T.V see the “real world”. I began to do research on this theory and found that I could relate. I, myself, am a heavy viewer of T.V and movies. I especially enjoy watching crime drama shows. I noticed that if I would watch a show with a lot of murders or violence in it I would become uneasy at night. Cultivation shows that many heavy viewers of T.V start to believe the “real world” is how it appears on their favorite shows. For example, a person who is cultivated might think that seeing because most of the criminals on television are African-America or Latino, they should fear or stereotype them. I think it is important for people to detach from T.V and realize that it is not made for facts but it is made for entertainment.

Television..the "cool" medium

I do agree with Marshall McLuhan when he says that the medium is just as important as the message. When he explains the inner logic of the medium it reminds me if what I unknowingly do while listening to the radio or reading the newspaper; at times I will ignore certain factors in an ad or commercial because it is too ‘”slow for me”. I am more of a television person so I expect the information to be presented visually as well as quickly and directly. I also agree that the television is a “cool” medium. I believe this to be true because television not only gives you content visually but it also stimulates your auditory system as well. Television is simple and requires us to fill in the missing information and make judgments based on it. It also requires less from the audience while other mediums such as radio or newspapers require the reader or listener to participate more in order to gain information.

Cyber buddies

When I was in my pre teens Silicon Valley was in the midst of the dotcom boom. The Internet was growing rapidly and there were so many new ways to entertain yourself-one way being chat rooms. I can say that when I was younger I did chat in all sorts of chat rooms using AOL and teen chat websites. I did not form any lasting relationships online but I did have a “buddy list” that held any contacts that I had previously chatted with. These online relationships are different that face-to-face relationships because they allow for convenience. You are able to talk to these “buddies” when you are both available and willing to communicate. You can log on or off at your discretion. There is also opportunity to be friends with someone who lives across the world and even do business via chatting. When dealing with face-to-face relationships you tend to have a bit more intimacy with the other person; you can also see non-verbal cues, which make it easier to understand how the other person is feeling.

Self Disclosure

I chose to write about the topic of self-disclosure. This section of the text was particularly interesting because I have been around people in social settings who were very eager to divulge personal information to complete strangers. The text says that you should match up your level of disclosure with the level of the relationship. It is not appropriate to divulge your intimate and personal information to strangers or even acquaintances. It is appropriate, however, to discuss that sort of information with romantic partner or close friends. The book also says that you should be careful when disclosing certain personal information because it can place an unwanted burden on others. I have had this experience; I have a friend who is extremely out spoken and she tends to tell anyone she can about her menstrual problems. To me, it is extremely embarrassing to be around her when she is speaking about her private parts in public! Overall, I think it is important to understand the content and the context before disclosing certain personal information. Especially because it might affect someone else other than yourself.