Media Agendas

I found the section on Media Agendas to be a particularly vivid reminder of how our media outlets can drive and manipulate our outlook on our country, our current events, and even our overall social climate. As we continue to advance technologically our availability to information continues to speed up creating a demand for immediacy in the messages we receive and also increasing demands on our mediums to control the agendas of what messages will ultimately be conveyed. I think Normal Felsenthal said it well when the text quotes him as saying, “Neither an individual nor a society can give equal attention to everything. We are continually required to determine which problems get our immediate attention and which problems are simply endured or even ignored altogether.” The problem with this is that with the majority of these types of communications being controlled and delivered to us via the media, how am I as an individual ever properly equipped to form a non-biased conclusion in regards to the world and events that are taking place around me when the vast majority of our information channels only provide us with a the portion of the events and messages that they feel are pertinent. And yes, I realize I can research into whatever topic or event I choose to learn more about, however I am still restricted to the information and points of view presented to me by way of any research material I seek out, leaving me to attempt to interpret and discover the truth from partial stories, accounts, and information controlled by the agendas of others.

Is the medium the message?

I would have to agree that Marshall McLuhan’s statement that the medium is the message has shown to be quite true in today’s society. Each different medium that is used, whether it be radio, newspaper, book, magazine, or television, is directed at a different type of audience as well as in a different fashion and format. You even see this in movies where novels must be condensed down drastically in order to continue to demand the attention of the audience throughout the film. In visual formats, such as television and movies, much of the accompanying details that would be normally be spelled out in text are now left up to the viewer to infer from the images presented on screen. This always leads to the idea that the message trying to be conveyed is adapted, altered, or omitted from certain types of mediums due to the fact that it cannot be universally transmitted into the different formats. For instance, a book would not be read aloud on television because it would quickly lose the interest of most viewers, but it could appeal to radio listeners as it fulfills the audio only expectations of the targeted audience. Television being considered a “cool” medium is probably largely due to the extremely large and diverse audience base in which it must appeal to in order to get ratings. Most content displayed through this medium is initially designed to be generally broad in topic, open ended in its idea structures, and targeted towards entertainment. Because you can both see and hear the messages being transmitted they tend to be shorter and rely more on the audience to interpret the message then have it spelled out for them.

Friends ... In Cyberspace

I have made a couple of friendships that existed exclusively in cyberspace. I have also met some of the friends I originally made online in person when they were close to me geographically. I still keep in touch from time to time with one that is located in Australia whom I first starting talking to over 10 years ago. There are advantages and disadvantages to pursuing these types of cyberspace relationships. They do differ from face to face relationships in that they can be a very one dimensional perception of a person’s personality. There is also the fact that realities in cyberspace can differ extremely from everyday life. The larger cyberspace community does allow for a larger demographic to find others that share your interests. The biggest difference I have found between cyberspace and local friendships is that those that I have made in cyberspace can exist solely in cyberspace if I so choose. When I don’t feel like plugging in that part of reality I don’t have any real obligation to do so. Longer gaps between talking and catching up seem to be more accepted in the online reality. The same is not so true of face to face friendships since they exist with our everyday realities I have more of an obligation to be present. I don’t see it as a disadvantage however because many times it’s that obligation to stay present that creates some of the stronger bonds of close friendships. That’s not to say that close friendships do not exist solely in cyberspace just that they can be more difficult to cultivate.

Telecommuting

I found the section on telecommuting be very insightful. I have been in the position where I was afforded the opportunity to telecommute to and from work a few days per week. Many of the advantages and disadvantages pointed out in the book held true in my case. One of the biggest obstacles I faced in working from home was being able to separate my home time from my work time. With always having deadlines looming it consistently made it difficult to walk away from my work at the end of a work day. This was further complicated by my employer who held the expectation that since I could work from home I was not constricted to normal working hours. It was not unusual to find my work day starting at 7am every morning and still be working at midnight on the report that needed to be completed or trying to analyze the business statistics to create presentations for the next meeting. Weekends were not out of the question either and I continually would get reprimanded for turning my phone off after hours. I have found that my experience is not unusual as many other professionals I have spoken to encountered similar working conditions and employer expectations when telecommuting.

Interdependency & Obligations

Organizations are tied to the environment in multiple ways. Farms for instance are located in areas with the best climates to grow certain foods. Manufacturing plants are normally located near the resources they need in order to produce their products. There is also the impact organizations have on the surrounding environment and the organizations that exist solely to protect or rejuvenate the environment around them.

The relationship that exists between a student and the city in which the school is located is one of interdependency. The student is reliant upon the school to provide them with the knowledge and understanding to be a contributing member of society. The cities and towns in which the school is located are depending on the school to provide a knowledgeable work force to fill the needs of the surrounding community. The school has an ethical obligation to both the town and the student to provide pertinent knowledge and classes to meet the needs of the community while assisting to prepare the student for the growing demands.

Electronic Etiquette

The rules of etiquette discussed by the book display a one sided view on what should be an acceptable use of electronic communications. Although I can agree with the majority of these supposed rules I have to point out that they do not account for a majority of working conditions that are becoming more and more common in our society.

Cell phones for instance are becoming a requirement of business for employees to carry and have on at all times. The normal work week is all but gone in today’s society for many jobs. A lot of employees have to be on-call outside of their “normal” working hours. If you are at the movies, have it on vibrate and step out if you have to take the call. There should be no talking in a movie theater, cell phone or not, and the same goes for church. I don’t however see how it’s rude to talk on the cell phone while in a restaurant. Is the book saying that I should be upset and offended that my privacy has been intruded upon because the people at the table next to me are having a conversation? Most people talk amongst themselves when going out to eat. If you feel that you should not have to listen to others while dining simply stay home.

With answering machines if it’s a business machine the rules apply and are normally mandated by the company in which you are employed. However if it is my own personal machine at home where I don’t conduct business I can have whatever annoying, short, music riddled message I desire. If you don’t like it, don’t call me.

Conference calls are the bane of everyone’s existence in the corporate world. Always identify yourself and don’t say anything unless addressing the group.

Faxes are, and should be, becoming a thing of the past with the ability to scan and email information. They are a means of public communication and should be treated as such. Calling the recipient beforehand ensures they actually receive it.

Timing your communications can be important. Depending on your reason for calling you may need to reach individuals after “normal” business hours and most people conduct business calls while driving by means of a cell phone with a hands-free headset. Again if you don’t own one, don’t talk on the phone while driving.

Your ringtones for work phones should be as unobtrusive as possible, if not on vibrate, and most screen names are mandated by the company.

I will say that you should make sure that when needing to use your personal email and phone for business, such as applying for work, ensure that your email address, voicemail, or answering machine messages are presenting you in a professional manner.

Electronic Communications

I found the section concerned with mediated relationships and communicating through computer-mediated channels to be one of the most interesting sections in the chapter, mostly due to how it changes and adapts the regular norms of interpersonal communication. The sense of anonymity that it can provide or the ability to empower even the shyest of people to be more social allows for a much freer exchange of ideas and larger availability to expand a person’s cultural horizons. The freedom electronic communication affords us does not always lead to positive outcomes of course and it is important to remember that it can be hard to discover the truth in these types of communications. With these types of communication channels became more and more dominant in our society I feel it is very important to understand how to participate and interpret how these channels effect how people communicate, as well as understanding the benefits they can provide, for instance, my ability to share my personal thoughts with others via this blog.

Attraction Filters

In many ways Duck’s theory does make sense that there is a subconscious, or for some conscious, filtering system people use to qualify a potential partner. However, I do not subscribe to the idea that his theory is universal. There are many people who meet and although they may live many, many miles away from each other they are committed to keeping a long distance relationship. Technology has also increased the ability to interact long distance on a regular basis, decreasing the importance of physical proximity in Duck’s theory. Physical beauty is in the eye of the beholder but a person’s personality is the true measure of attractiveness in my opinion. I try not to judge a person before I have a chance to get to know them even if my first impression of them may not have been favorable I do try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, it can take time to truly get to know a person and overlooking some behaviors can be the same as ignoring warning signs. I had made this mistake with one of my ex-boyfriends. The first time I met him I did not get a great first impression. Giving him the benefit of the doubt I choose to overlook some of the behaviors I would not normally. It was a mistake I hope to never make again as it was extremely poor judgment on my part and ended very badly.

Comparing Dysfunctional Patterns

The patterns of rigid complementary, competitive symmetry and submissive symmetry are all categorized as dysfunctional patterns due to the unbalanced nature they exhibit. As with most habitual patterns attempting to break free of any one of them can be very difficult. As for which is most difficult I would have to lean towards the submissive symmetry pattern. Because both partners are habitually submissive one of them would have to force themselves to become the assertive member to break the pattern. Since most willful submission is a reflection of a person’s personality characteristic it could be extremely difficult to bring about that change. It wouldn’t be the most damaging to a relationship however, because it would ultimately help to regain balance to the relationship while still feeding into the desire of the other partner’s submissive nature. I would think the most damaging pattern to a relationship would be competitive symmetry due to the constant struggle that exists between the partners, whereas the rigid complementary pattern would potentially be the most damaging to an individual’s self-esteem.