Chapter 6, Questioning the Media

1. How many cable channels do you watch regularly? What programs do you watch? What attracts you to a certain channel?

On a daily basis, I probably watch close to five different cable channels. I watch The Learning Channel, MTV, ABC Family, TBS, and USA. There are some interesting shows that come on the TLC channel. Recently I have seen "My Strange Addiction" where people choose to consume non-edible items. It's very strange. On the MTV channel I like to watch music videos in the morning. I don't usually watch them but I listen to the music. On ABC Family they play a lot of movies I watched growing up so I enjoy watching them sometimes. TBS is the same way, they play a lot of movies also. Lastly, on the USA channel they play a lot of Law and Order, criminal shows. Those shows really pull me in and I enjoy seeing the bad guys/people get busted. I think what attracts me to a certain channel depends on the time of day and the amount of time I have at that moment to watch television.

4. CNN and MTV have changed our society as well as the global culture. Have these changes been positive or negative? Explain.

I think that CNN and MTV have both a positive and negative impact on our society. In the positive sense, I think that these two networks have shown people to be more aware of what is going on in this generation. The generations are beginning to change quicker and quicker. There are young kids getting involved in older activities and MTV is beginning to broadcast them. Shows like "Teen Mom" are showing older generations of the things that are going on in this era and I think by allowing older people to see what is happening, this may be a way to help the teens. By making parents aware of things, it can help young people. These networks are creating a negative impact on society also though. I think when you are broadcasting sixteen year old moms on television, you are giving teens the idea that it is "cool" or "okay" for this to happen. I think the show "Teen Mom" should teach young teens the importance of knowing the consequences for their actions. It should be a more of a learning tool than a reality series, in my opinion.