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Blog #3 – November 30th, 2017

Humans are a species that will never stop trying to improve or advance their lifestyles as well as the world that surrounds them. Our species has managed to successfully invent things that weren’t even thought of in the past 50 years. The globalization of communication as well as the technology that comes along with this are a few examples of how far we have come as humans. We are able to sit on one side of the world and communicate to someone of the other side of the world when we please. Even our local communities depend on these communication technologies. In order to communicate with your friend, you no longer need to go knock at his/her door, but instead just send them a text. This type of technologic communication seems so convenient and easy within our society. However, there are a few problems in which seem to develop with this type of society, which mainly affect the youth as an audience of this type of technology. Although it can be good for a person to be brought up in a technologically advanced society, there are also problems. With technology surrounding us everywhere we go, we no longer have the need for face-to-face communication. This leads the youth to not develop social skills, unless it is done through technology. This can have implications of its own within our society because our society is dependent on communication through all platforms. The youth growing up in our technology dependent community will have trouble with communication such as interviews or presentations for jobs. This is because they rarely get the chance to communicate face-to-face, because technology is always there and is easier. Along with this, everything put on these technologic platforms are being controlled by companies in which are either bias or they decide to display information that is popular rather than important. This could develop a bias within these youth consumers towards the information being displayed and the actual problems occurring in the world. If the media had been focused on displaying the disasters and problems occurring in the world, the next generation could possibly use their advanced technologies to prevent these problems from recurring and prevent new problems from developing. If poverty was displayed on the media in which is consumed by most of the world, people will likely want to stop it from spreading and maybe even aid the victims of this poverty. This is just one negative aspect of technology running our lives, communities and the media. Although there are negative aspects of our advancing technologies, there are also benefits of these youth using this technology. With the youth being surrounded by this technology now more than ever, they will begin to understand technology and what it has to offer at a young age. With youth developing knowledge of technology at a young age, their generation will likely be even more inventive when it comes to technology and will help advance our society even more. This can lead the world into living a better life through these technological advancements. The rate that we are developing new technology will accelerate and their generation will begin creating things we haven’t even heard or thought of in present day.  The next generation can use their experiences as audiences or consumers of this technology or media, and turn it into something better for society. Although there are both negative and positive aspects about technology shaping our society and youth, our society will never stop advancing technologically meaning these negative aspects against audiences of media wont be fixed either. This could take social skills away from youth individuals, but also offer them great insight into the world of technology as audiences.

The youth who have access to technology can help develop a future that will be better than ever before. “Youth are leading the way with technology” (DeGennaro, 2014) and will continue to through the large population of younger adults or teens that are audiences or consumers of this type of media or technology.  Although, these youth have a lot to gain from the current technology in order to make advances at future technology. Special skills such as social skills, awareness of societal events and awareness of needs within the media are skills that need to be learned through the use of media. Mcleod (2000) stated “contextualized knowledge and cognitive skills” are “learned from news media use”. This means that the youth are gaining knowledge and skills from using media and technology at a young age, helping them adapt faster into the modern world in which we live in.  This type of knowledge drives these youth consumers into the need for more and newer technology as well as media that comes along with it. With the media still practicing media theories such as the dependency theory, the media will display what is most popular to these youth consumers, because they are the leading force of advancing technology. The media targeting these youth audiences, they will become more interested in the development of media and technology, and likely will help with the development or popularity of these new media platforms. Essentially, the youth consumers of media today are targeted because they have the biggest driving force for a society that is dependent on new and improved technology and media platforms. Along with this, because of the amount of media being consumed by these ‘children’ they also have a driving force or impact towards change, not only in technology but also towards what they want. Essentially, this media and the affect the youth population has on it give these youth consumers a say within the media.  

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7659603-student-petition-seeks-tuition-refund-in-college-strike/

For the past 6 weeks, all colleges within Ontario had been on strike due to the professors wanting full time hours rather than part time. Along with this, because the colleges had been on strike, students hadn’t received the education that they had already paid for and had also not received any refund for their missed classes. This had sparked a major outrage within the youth student community because they hadn’t received classes or their money.  These students had turned to an online petition to receive at least a portion of their money. “$30 a day for full time students and $20 a day for part time students” (Hicks, 2017) is what the students are fighting for. In just a six-week period, from the start of the strike to the end of the strike, college students had topped 130,000 signatures of the total 600,000 college students in Ontario demanding reimbursement of college funds.

https://www.change.org/p/college-employer-council-students-demand-a-tuition-refund-for-each-day-missed-in-case-of-an-ontario-college-strike

This is also the reason as to why media outlets target the youth and developing teens. The drive for change or advancement can occur where there’s a whole society who wants the same thing. In this case, students wanted tuition reimbursements and had used media platforms to spread awareness of this issue, which resulted in an enormous amount of people voting one certain thing to occur or change. This media-controlled society allows for these youth students to speak up for what they want, giving them a voice in not just this issue, but with anything they want. Another example is the rise of minimum wage in Ontario.  Many employees in which receive minimum wage are students. With these you media consumers receiving minimum wage, they have used media platforms in order to raise awareness about this problem within our society. They had used media to demonstrate their point of view on the situation in hope of people in similar situations supporting them. In this case, the youth create the media and are leading the way of technology, but are not getting enough money to support them. They used the platform where they would get the most support and relate to the most people in similar situations in order to raise awareness and make a change. They essentially used the platform where they had the most power. Although these media and technology companies are targeting the youth audience in order for them to grow up under the content they are displaying, the youth are using these platforms in order to get what they want in a media dominated society. With the youth having a say in what occurs in our society today, our communities will likely change for the better both technologically and morally because of the awareness of the current youth generation. Although technology and media platforms are displaying what they want the youth to see, the youth use this media against them because they essentially create the media. Furthermore, although media are targeting the youth, and they’re using it in a positive manner to have a say in our society, there are also negative impacts of these media industries targeting these youth audiences.

Certain young audiences of this media are able to use this technology in order to develop into our society. However, some audiences are impacted by the content being displayed through these media outlets, making it harder to adapt into our society. A common issue with media and technology dominating our society or community is “increased anxiety levels and fragile self-esteem of teenagers” (Bailey, 2017) as well as the inability to think critically within society. Another common issue includes antisocialism. “Teens are now spending more time engaging in cyber communications as opposed to sharing and experiencing in-person interactions with others.”(Bailey, 2017). Due to technology and media dominating our society, the youth who are exposed to media tend to communicate through these media platforms instead of in-person. Although it is more convenient and faster than talking to each other in person, these youth need to develop in-person social skills in order to succeed in our society. Although media and technology drive our society, communication on all platforms is necessary to succeed in our society. With technology always being the mode of communication, these people who didn’t develop complete social skills in person will struggle with things like job interviews, speaking in front of crowds or even speaking in front of anyone in general. “increased anxiety levels and fragile self-esteem” (Bailey, 2017) will likely prevent them from further interaction with others and maybe even keep them out of our communication dominated society.  This is an extremely negative aspect because someone who is living within our society should not feel as though they aren’t apart of it. These individuals also have no say in society because of their inability to communicate in person. Although they are still media users and converse through media and technology, their in-person social life is non-existent. These youth media consumers are also dependent on their media platforms. “Teenagers are constantly engaging in cell-phone use throughout the day” (Bailey, 2017). Where ever they are or what they are doing, they have to be in touch with the online media. Although they can’t get away from their phones, these youth are developing other problems that come along with this media. “teens are also starting to feel less confident in their own physical characteristics and abilities due to the high amount of photo comparisons” (Bailey, 2017). Because of the amount of people posting their pictures on social media, these youth media audiences or consumers believe that society wants them to look like models in the pictures. This brings on self-esteem issues and self-confidence issues. Although there are negative affects of media and technology use, our society will never stop advancing or using technology.

With youth audiences and consumers being targeted by these large media outlets or companies, certain benefits and issues arise. Some of these youth consumers are able to use that type of media in order to get what they want such as reimbursement of tuition, while others aren’t that lucky. Although certain teen consumers are able to use the media and technology for their advantage, some youth consumers develop issues such as social anxiety, self-esteem issues as well as self-confidence issues. Regardless of the negative and positive impacts of this type of technology and media, our society will go in the direction where the most people are happy with the decision, rather than all. Essentially, our societies will not stop advancing because of the way it is built right now. Targeting youth audiences will lead them into a more technological life, as well as hope for a more technologically advanced society.

References

• Bailey, K. (17, May 4). Negative Effects of Social Media on Teenagers. Retrieved November, 2017, from https://sova.pitt.edu/social-media-guide-negative-effects-social-media-teenagers

• DeGennaro, D. (2014). Learning Designs. Retrieved November, 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15391523.2008.10782520

• Hicks, J. (2017, October 18). Student petition seeks tuition refund in college strike. Retrieved November, 2017, from https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7659603-student-petition-seeks-tuition-refund-in-college-strike/

• Mcleod, J. M. (2000). Media and civic socialization of youth.Journal of Adolescent Health,27(2). doi:10.1016/s1054-139x(00)00131-2

• Media benefits for children and teenagers. Retrieved November, 2017, from http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/media_benefits.html

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Microsoft Word - Blog #2 COMM 3P18.docx

Blog #2 Netflix is one of, if not the most popular movie and TV-show streaming outlet available to consumers today. With millions of people streaming their offered movies and shows, Netflix has to be considerate towards their consumers as well. By using ratings given by Netflix subscribers after every show, Netflix are able to gather numerical data in order to see which of their many movies and TV-shows consumers actually watch. This is an extremely important aspect of customer satisfaction within every business. To give the customer what they want in order for their loyalty towards your business. If Netflix hadn’t introduced this rating system for their offered entertainment, they wouldn’t know what to take off when uploading other movies and shows. For Netflix and other online media businesses such as news outlets, this directly relates to the dependency theory. The dependency theory states that stories or entertainment within these outlets are changed depending on what the consumers want to see. In the case of Netflix, these ratings they offer for each show tell Netflix what shows consumers enjoy watching and what shows should be taken off of the streaming site. This doesn’t always work because not every person watching the show rates the show as well. This could lead to a misrepresentation of the ‘public opinion’ of people who watch a specific show and the show or movie could be removed because of their inaccurate ratings. Although ratings are a good way to gather consumer data, it is not always accurate. This upcoming November, Netflix has decided to end the streaming of famous movies and shows such as “the Matrix trilogy, seasons 1-9 of How I Met Your Mother, and the original twilight film” (Hall, 2017) in order to make room for new and upcoming movies and shows. Although Netflix is replacing these movies and shows with newer ones, Netflix could’ve removed less popular content from their streaming site to further advance their famous movie and TV-show library. However, with dependency theory in mind, Netflix is removing these big-picture films and shows but their additions “include Will Smith-led hits like Men in Black and The Pursuit of Happiness, sci-fi films like Chappie, and the Jackie Robinson biopic 42” (Hall, 2017). Although the ratings weren’t high enough for the Matrix and How I Met Your Mother, Netflix replaced these with other films and show they believe their consumers would enjoy. Another big television show is being taken off as well; House of Cards will find itself on the non-returning list for Netflix. However, not for the same reason as the other popular films being removed. “Actor Anthony Rapp has accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance at him when Rapp was 14” (Park, 2017), leading Netflix to announce “Its political drama House of Cards will end after its upcoming sixth season.” (ABC, 2017). 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/entertainment/kevin-spacey-allegations- anthony-rapp/index.html

 However, with Netflix using agenda-setting theory within these situations, many Netflix consumers are now focused on the allegations toward Kevin Spacey shifting the focus away from the removal of these famous films from Netflix. Through not only Netflix displaying their opinions on the Spacey allegations but other outlets as well, this news seems more important than the changes occurring to Netflix. Although it is a more serious topic that is being discussed, it is also a more popular topic because of the coverage the story is getting. With sexuality being discussed constantly in America, these news outlets give the public sphere an opportunity to gain knowledge on topics they would never be able to before. But, are these new news topics necessary for media outlets such as Netflix? As an avid Netflix user, I am more concerned with the content being displayed on the streaming site rather than what occurs within the actors’ personal lives. With Netflix adding and removing these films, they could also be trying to target a different or ‘extended’ audience. By removing movies such as “The Matrix trilogy” (Hall, 2017) and “the original Twilight” (Hall, 2017) and adding films such as “The Pursuit of Happiness” (Hall, 2017), Netflix seems to be targeting more of a family audience rather than action- thriller audience. With switching to family-friendly films and Television shows and removing these action movies, Netflix is hoping to gain viewership from whole families rather than just one person within the family. This could encourage other families to start enjoying the entertainment Netflix has to offer, giving Netflix more and more subscriptions. With subscriptions in mind, will these new television shows affect the pricing of the subscription even if they are removing other films? In an article posted by Bowman (2017), Netflix stated “Netflix plans and pricing are adjusted as we add more exclusive TV shows and movies, introduce new product features and improve the overall Netflix experience to help members find something great to watch even faster." With more famous shows being displayed, the consumers of these shows and movies will be getting the entertainment they want, but at a higher cost. Although Netflix will introduce a higher cost of subscription, “The $12 that the average Netflix subscriber will pay for a year of the service is less than a single children's ticket at my local multiplex” (Bowman, 2017). The cost of unlimited streaming on your couch at home monthly is the same cost as a single movie ticket at the theatre. With this being said, Hollywood and the cinema industry is struggling because people prefer to stream shows or movies rather than actually go out to the movies and pay way more. Furthermore, because Netflix is gaining viewership over cinemas or theatres, more famous shows will be more expensive for them to upload in order to benefit the producers and actors within that film. This is what leads Netflix prices to rise, especially since “Netflix viewers on average watched about 600 hours of the streaming service” (Bowman, 2017) last year. With Netflix subscribers watching for “roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes a day” (Bowman, 2017) many film producers will want to try and display their work on Netflix. Again, these shows will be displayed depending on what the viewers will want to see, making competition a big aspect of this topic. According to Good (2017) “The individual selects different types of media in order to satisfy a particular need or desire”. In this case people choose to watch Netflix over going to the theatre in order to satisfy one of their needs. Perhaps comfort, money as well as convenience of home streaming are all aspects of why people are beginning to choose Netflix over not only the theatre, but other streaming websites and applications as well. Going back to the allegations portrayed on Kevin Spacey, The Media effect that Netflix has on audiences is phenomenal. With Trump being president and creating a ‘fragile’ nation towards any hatred or wrongdoing, if Netflix hadn’t removed House of Cards they would’ve been framed negatively within the media for supporting the works of a sex offender. This could’ve given them a bad reputation resulting in the loss of future subscribers as well as current. At the time of Netflix uprising, they cannot afford to give up a bad reputation because of the starring actors movements in one of their famous shows. Their current dominant position in film streaming will be hard to maintain if more of these hugely streamed shows such as House of Cards get removed. If this continues it will be hard for Netflix to gain new users especially with new competition. This is similar to the case of Apple music and their contenders. Although Apple music and Spotify are the most common music streaming applications at the moment, they support the works of artists who have been known to be affiliated with the law at least one point in their life. The artist “XXXTentacion has faced allegations of domestic abuse by strangulation, false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman as well as charges of witness-tempering” (Josephs, 2017), but his music has not been removed from these big name music-streaming applications. Although, the music app has given users the option to listen to his music regardless of his actions, Netflix hasn’t given their users the option to watch House of Cards because of “a sexual advance” (ABC, 2017). Although this is part of their personal lives, Apple music and other media streaming applications should remove content created by criminal artists, not removal of content for what could be false allegations. Both Kevin Spacey and XXXtentacion are currently seen as criminals, but only one of their content is being removed from media outlets. Although there are many options of music offered on Apple music and Spotify, XXXtentacion fans should be lucky to still have access to his content after his actions towards his girlfriend. Furthermore, because of the popularity that XXXtentacion brings towards these streaming sites, Apple music and Spotify obligated to continue offering their content. Along with this, many hip-hop songs nowadays are full of violence, guns and drugs, which are all considered criminal behaviours or substances. Luckily for Apple music and Spotify, this allows them to continue to offer these ‘criminal’ artists content without gaining a negative reputation, unlike Netflix.  

As an audience or consumer of Netflix, Apple music and Spotify I am both disappointed and happy. With a certain show being cancelled because of allegations towards a starring actor, I am unable to enjoy that show through their streaming service anymore. Furthermore, if Netflix had decided to not remove the content starring Spacey, they could’ve been framed into displaying the content of a criminal, which could end in a negative effect in the media. However, Apple music and Spotify allow popular criminal artists content to be streamed off their service giving me the option to listen to it or not and the public sphere seems to not have any problem with it. These music-streaming apps likely keep these artists because of their popularity and the amount of streams they bring, resulting in the dependency theory. Much like Netflix’s additions and removals of shows and movies, they are based on popularity or target audiences. Adding, “Will Smith led hits” (Hall, 2017) to the library offered on Netflix could possibly get them the subscribers that Netflix targets. These target audiences could also lead into more subscriptions by spreading the word themselves. By targeting the right audience, they have the ability to spread popularity through the media and have a major effect on the media overall. 

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References:

Bowman, J. (2017, October 06). Netflix Is Raising Prices, but Subscribers

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/10/06/netflix-is-raising-prices-but-

subscribers-should-s.aspx

Hall, P. (2017, October 23). What’s new on Netflix and what’s leaving in

November 2017. Retrieved October, 2017,from

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/whats-new-on-netflix-shows-

movies/

Josephs, B. (2017, September 08). XXXTentacion’s Alleged Domestic Abuse

Detailed in Graphic Testimony. Retrieved October, 2017, from

https://www.spin.com/2017/09/xxxtentacion-domestic-abuse-testimony/

Netflix pulls plug on House of Cards, says it's 'troubled' by Spacey allegation.

(2017, October 30). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-31/kevin-spacey-netflix-pulls-the-

plug-on-house-of-cards/9102082

Park, M. (2017, October 30). Kevin Spacey apologizes after accusation of

sexual misconduct. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/entertainment/kevin-spacey-

allegations-anthony-rapp/index.html

Sullivan, J. (2013). Media Audiences: Effects, users, institutions and power. Sage Publications Inc., New York, NY.

Good, J. (2017) PowerPoint Lecture October 19th. Brock University., St. Catherine’s.

THIS CONCLUDES MY 2ND BLOG

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References:  

1: (2016, September 13). Retrieved September 25, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNEby1Nv1Kc

2: Clark Mindock New York. (2017, September 25). Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/taking-a-knee-national-anthem-nfl-trump-why-meaning-origins-racism-us-colin-kaepernick-a7966961.html

3.  Sullivan, J. L. (2013). Media audiences: effects, users, institutions, and power. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

4. Trump, D. J. (2017, September 26). ...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars.... Retrieved September 25, 2017 from https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/912479500511965184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2017%2F09%2Fdonald- trump-tweet-puerto-rico-broken-infrastructure-massive-debt-1202176860%2F

5.  Microsoft Word - 3P18 Blog #1.docx Trump, D. J. (2017, September 26). ...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA. Retrieved September 25, 2017, from https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/912481556127780865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2017%2F09%2Fdonald- trump-tweet-puerto-rico-broken-infrastructure-massive-debt-1202176860%2F

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Microsoft Word - 3P18 Blog #1.docx

Blog #1 The NFL is one of if not the most watched sports leagues in North America.

With thousands of viewers at the game as well as watching football on their television, one person’s movements and messages are able to spread quickly throughout the mainstream media. These movements have an overall impact on the player’s reputation and status, as well as the coaches and teams status as well. Their voices speak for much more than their own views. Because of mainstream media these movements are spoken by millions of people who stand for the same cause. To begin a movement on a stage such as this takes a lot of courage and pride. Although it doesn’t happen often, when it does it always creates a buzz in the world of social media. This buzz has a lot to do with the impact that pressed upon these players, teams and coaches.

Colin Kaepernick is a great example of how you can see mainstream media affecting more than just his own status and reputation. He was the first player in the NFL to kneel down during the playing of the national anthem in order to support the black lives matter movement. Many people, for “disrespecting the flag”, ridiculed him. Very few players joined the star quarter back that year in kneeling during the anthem; those who did also faced scrutiny. Organizations began to shy away from players who were participating in this movement due to the negative feedback they would get from the media. Kaepernick did not get re-signed after his contract expired at the end of the season; the question is raised as to whether or not this was because of this display of activism. If the media didn’t surround this issue would he have been offered a contract? Here’s what the media has to say about it in the past NFL season. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNEby1Nv1Kc

Colin Kapernick’s efforts to reduce racial inequality had bounced back in this present NFL season. Despite his absence on the field, Kaepernick’s presence had remained in many NFL stadiums. In this 2017 season it is seen that many players are now taking a knee in showing their support for black lives matter. This has started wide spread controversy throughout the league. This is seen through media outlets on a global scale and the topic doesn’t seem like it is losing headway. There are many people opposed to this act because of the supposed “disrespect to the flag, but players don’t seem to be changing their stance. In turn the teams and organizations representing the teams are receiving backlash from the media as well. Supporters, fans and media outlets want answers that they are opposed to giving because they can’t control what the players do on the field, in fact some of these players aren’t even entering the field for the anthem all together. Players are paid to play, otherwise they don’t have to be on the field. These media sources have different approaches in displaying these stories, each having their own focus and viewpoint, usually tailored towards their audience. It is clear that the tone of this story is much different than that of Kaepernick’s, it’s important question what other factors have an effect on this change in focus. Here’s a video that demonstrates that change in focus. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us- politics/taking-a-knee-national-anthem-nfl-trump-why-meaning-origins-racism-us- colin-kaepernick-a7966961.html

There is more than just one factor that made this change in focus occur. The solidarity of the NFL players themselves as well as Donald Trump’s misinterpretation of the players protests. Ever since last season when Kaepernick had introduced kneeling during the national anthem, other player had continued to support him. This NFL season more than ever. Starting just from one NFL player protesting, many other players had begun to support him. In present day, entire NFL teams such as the Baltimore Ravens as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers (except 1 player) are protesting the same way as Colin Kaepernick had last year. This directly addresses a key aspect of the Agenda setting theory. The Agenda setting theory discusses how the media has the ability to display ‘more popular’ rather than ‘more serious’ matters. This effect also addresses that the more coverage on a certain topic, the more serious or popular the content will become. In this case a different key topic has taken place. The amount of NFL players as well as fans that have supported Kaepernick’s movement for racial equality represents the “bandwagon effect” (Sullivan, 2013). The Bandwagon effect occurs when individuals change their side to the majority when first they were the minority. In present day other players for kneeling during the anthem are recognizing what Kaepernick had started. In the media, when one person began kneeling there had been an outrage. But because of the coverage that the media has been providing on players kneeling this NFL season, it has become bigger than ever. Although there is another aspect in which fuels this protest. Another great example of this is Donald Trump. Unfortunately in most cases, the bigger the public figure the bigger the media boom. Donald Trump is on of the most powerful men in the world in one of the most media congested nations in the world. Because of this, what Trump says usually has the biggest impact on people’s opinions and also draws in more of the general public to weigh in because of his relevance and the power of his voice. Usually the media can either agree or disagree with what Trump has to say about this movement. The stir in the media actually draws the attention away from the main purpose of this movement which is for black lives matter. The media blends the idea of players disrespecting the flag, and the players support for black lives matter into a war of content in terms of distribution between competing media sources with different views. In turn this battle of content overall determines what is displayed on the media due to viewer interest. Media begins to only shine light on the stories and sides to stories that are most desirable to the viewers. Again resulting in the Agenda setting effect. Donald Trump’s comments on the protest not only encourage players to protest even more, but also create a divisive nation between protestors and non- protestors. The President of the United States will always have people who support him because of his position of power. This is what further divides societies in which the NFL players themselves as well as fans live in when these types of comments are mentioned. Along with this, the dependency theory plays a role in this specific situation as well. Because this protest has become a divided debate between the President and these famous NFL teams, media outlets are more likely to show this situation because of the coverage it’ll get. Also, the consumer of this media and news have no other way of accessing the information being provided other than by being there first-hand, forcing us to consume their information whether it be true or not. This induces an overall impact on the media industry. Viewers who agree with the

information they hear that may not be true may steer from watching NFL programming, thus directing their attention to the buzzing media story. People actually seem to be more interested in the heated debates rather than the sport. Its difficult for these black lives matter movement supports to complain though, the idea of their movement was to spark public discussion and use the media to spread awareness through the power they obtain as well. They are definitely getting the media attention they wanted, just not in the exact light they expected. It is important to understand why people get so much more interested in these debates. In terms of sports, it is fair to say it is because of the national identity carried with football. Prior to events like this media sources such as the NFL begin to carry a national identity and depicts what it means to be American. When the thought of questioning hegemonic ideologies occurs national identity is questioned as well and this is not a topic appreciated by many Americans. Those opposed to this movement feel as though these athletes are only in the position they are because of the great opportunities America has to offer them. However the focus of the activism is not to oppose America but to spread awareness about unfair treatment to African- Americans. At this point it’s difficult to say whether or not this form of protest has been beneficial in gaining support from the public. It does however, speak numbers for those who do support the movement in seeing that the players are willing to risk their million dollar careers for the cause.

The allocation of money in terms of the NFL is not the only place where Trump is concerned. Unfortunately in any public affair economic always plays a factor. Coincidently being Trumps main concern, are his comments only because of

the economics behind sport media in the US. Recently Trump made it clear that he was only interested in the economic concerns of political affairs when addressing Puerto Rico after being hit by a devastating hurricane. As seen here Trump states “Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.” (Trump, 2017) completely dismissing the extent the disaster impacted the country. The US as a world has to be concerned about economics at all times, however Trump does so to another extent. Power is also embedded in the national identity of Americans and as we all know money is power. This could be why Trump is able to reach so many people in taking his views. He uses national pride to cater to Americans. In terms of the NFL, those opposed are concerned with two risks to national identity, first the sport itself being tainted, and second the loss in revenue and power which are both nationally admired. Along with that, the media broadcasters are encouraged to display national and cultural programs. Since this is so nationally relevant, these broadcasters jobs are made easy in just being able to throw the same information at you while adding small details, over an extend period of time to keep you tied into the story. This is always fresh on the mind of viewers because what it means to be American can be defined as simply as being up to date on national news, and how America is doing globally. Many of these Americans don’t take into consideration how Donald Trump is more likely to make a decision based on the monetary loss or gain versus the moral decision when looking at the NFL protests. Trump wants these players to stop protesting because of the money being lost through these players and the fan-base that follows or contradicts the protest as well. That being said, just like this article, every news source takes a side or has a focus in their stories. It’s important for viewers to note the author and the credibility of the article. Major news stories develop overtime it is also important that all the information on a topic I retained before taking a stance. Often times going through multiple news sources are beneficial in getting a whole picture of the story. However this affects us personally because the media paints a picture that society wants to see, often limiting the critical thinkers accessibility to resources. With media being as wide spread as it is today, viewers should not struggle to find all the information to inform a full opinion on political issues. Unfortunately due to more powerful influences such as Trump and dominant discourse in American society, viewers are neglected. It is required by public Broadcasting Corporation to air cultural, social, economic and politically enriching programs that encourage the development of their culture. By advertising stories such as this, these new stations are being counterproductive in conforming to this mandate. All of these aspects such as power in society and media, Bandwagon effects and other media theories affect the way an audience interprets stories being told through these media outlets.

This concludes my first blog.

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