Technological Change and Radio

Technology is progressing everyday and determines how we see, view and control the media. Technological change is ultimately the cause of radio and why it keeps evolving. As technology advances, so does the techniques and the ways of the radio industry. This is evident from the evolution of Marconi’s radio to Pandora radio today, there have been many technological changes, big and small, that has helped the radio evolve.


As technology advances and new ways of performing tasks and new equipment are developed, they are applied to other mechanisms to make things easier. Technological change applies to almost everything in our lives. Of course we have made a big leap from riding in horse carriages to riding in cars or from switching tapes in cassette players to downloading applications on our iPod Touch. All these changes make an impact on society. Technological change is the cause of many progressions on the modern world as well as in the media.

In 1896 Marconi developed a radio transmitter that allowed radio waves to carry Morse code to other places. Ten years later, De Forest invented the vacuum tube that amplified and carried voice, sounds and music to be broadcasted. These technological changes ultimately led to major broadcasts and thus started the evolution of radio broadcasting. In the early 1920s broadcasting stations like NBC were created and the rise of radio began. The technology of radio emerged and merchants began advertising on the radio, shows were created for entertainment and news was available to all with a radio. Without technological change, we would still be listening to a radio instead of surfing the internet, or watching broadcasting on TV.

 

Social Learning: Teen Pregnancies

The media has a direct effect on teens, girls especially, in portraying teen pregnancy. Shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom show an almost glamorous side of being jobless, unmarried and with child. Often, these girls have to deal with familly, money, and relationship problems all while having to take care of a child and going to school. Of course these girls always overcome thier problems but let’s face it, reality shows are far from reality. Solutions aren’t so simple with real life teen pregnancies. Many if not all reality shows are scripted in some way or premeditated. Majority of viewers have no idea that these shows are planned and therefore think that a happy ending is guaranteed. Unfortunatley, teens soak in everything that is thrown at them on TV and don't realize that it's fiction. This sets up many girls for a let down when they discover that having a child at a ripe age is definitely a struggle. Teen pregnancy in the media is portrayed as having fairy-tale endings and answers to all of your problems when in real life it is the opposite.

 US weekly features Farrah and Maci from the show Teen Mom along with thier children Bentley and Sophia. Does this show girls that getting pregnant and a young age will bring you to stardom? Or at least get you on the cover of a highly read gossip magazine.

People Magazine Article on Mtv's Teen Mom




Another US Weekly Magazine cover with Maci from Teen Mom, advertising her newest love affair and of course her child, Bentley.

Blog Assignment 1: Hegemony

Hegemony influences our culture by playing a substantial role in the media; it is used in advertisements to create an image that is the ideal yet unattainable. A good example of this would be company ads in fashion magazines “framing” the woman we all should be. The media and hegemony market the image of the perfect body or woman that no one is, but can be if you dress like or buy the products the women are using in the advertisements. Below is an example of the "ideal" woman in our culture in a Ralph Lauren advertisement.

Photoshop skinny!!