As our class discussed how the immersive experience of going to a movie theatre is not yet a reality that is commonly manipulated, I started to wonder how long it would be before society did reach that point. It's a little crazy to think that only a few decades ago, many people didn't even have television in their homes, much less cell phones. While I recognize that still many, many people still do not have easy access to these commodities, it is also crazy to think about what it will be like just a few decades in the future. Will our grandchildren marvel over the fact that we didn't have home cinemas? Will they not know a world without autonomous cars? Do we need to shift our focus on making basic needs more widespread in less developed countries before moving on to futuristic innovations? Maybe, the fact that movies have prevailed as a popular attraction and communication resource despite the internet, pop music, etc. suggests that they will continue to do so through dozens more of technological advancements. Learning about the history of media excites me for the future, but we must live in the moment, because we are creating history for the generations to come.
When I read Desiree's blog entry regarding mass communication, I was thoroughly impressed. There was specifically one part that really stood out to me as not only interesting, but very insightful. The third paragraph clearly details a common misunderstanding pertaining to this concept-that the communication type is classified by how many people access, decode, and internalize the message. The truth is, the number of viewers is completely irrelevant when distinguishing a message as mass or group communication. "... it's not uncommon for an individual to misinterpret the message as mass communication equaling more viewers and group communication being equated to less viewers," she wrote. She is completely correct. Simplifying it, mass communication is partly defined by the amount of people it has to potential to reach; not the amount of people it actually reaches. This then got me thinking about potential, and what a powerful concept it really is. Potential is such a ...
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