Mass Media are the forms “through which we amplify, accelerate, and prosthecially extend our bodies in process of communication” geared toward the broad audience that makes up the modern world. Mass media was created through the rise of industrialization and cannot be completely neutral but instead biased in it’s presentation.
Public sphere originates from the biased and “traditional definitions of gender, race, and class.” These definitions determined that men made up the public sphere where debate over important matters within a society could take place. Today due to our ever changing definitions of gender, race, and class, the public sphere is a much more inclusive arena. “A public sphere is ideally a space—a physical place, social setting, or media arena—in which citizens come together to debate and discuss the pressing issues of their society.” It is within the public sphere where one might find discussion and critique of many subjects.
Critique is the way in which someone judges something based on their analysis of the many parts which make up the critiqued object/thing. Critique takes thoughtfulness and is not a rash reaction to the given object/thing.
Media convergence is when many forms of media such as film, television, print, etc. are collaboratively put together. A good example of convergence is the ever popular youtube. Youtube is an Internet website where one can find movie clips, as well as videos submitted by the general public. Within the frame of youtube one can also find advertisements and many other elements that come together in convergence.
Today, mass culture, is being changed through the invention and availability digital technology. Digital technology, especially the Internet, provides an arena where regular joes can coauthor in the mass media production. Individuals are able to use digital technology to create a public sphere that is less influenced by the mass media and more open to the rest of the public. In this way, the media paradigm is changing in that it is not exclusive to media conglomerates. However this does not mean that one can escape the influence of the mass media because the two constantly converge and intersect one another.
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