Kate Murphy
“Why Write for the Masses?”
4-26-12
The media has shaped who we are. In
our day to day lives, we use the media. I have a Facebook, Twitter, Blogger,
Gmail, and LinkedIn account. When I am at home, I read our local newspaper. I
also like to catch up on my celebrity gossip every once in a while with tabloid
magazines. I enjoy having the radio blaring while I have driving down the
street. My friends and I have movie nights, ranging from chick flicks to
dramas. We are inundated with the media. Even if you try to isolate yourself
from these influences, oral tradition and writing will be by your side. The
media shapes who we are and in turn, we use the media to influence. We use the
media to shape our own lives, as well as others. As a result, I think the media
is a way to understand the meaning of human life.
From this lecture, we went onto a
journey of the historical process of writing for the masses. By understanding
and achieving knowledge of this process, I believe it can help us examine the
meaning of life. What is the meaning of life though? Some may say it is to
realize one’s potential. Others may say it is to seek wisdom and knowledge or to
be closer to God. Whatever your own personal meaning of life is, the media can
help us examine it. For me, I think that the meaning of life is to be become
connected with people and to find our potential and reason for being on Earth.
From my own personal belief of the meaning of life, I think that the media has
helped shape and influence who we are.
Why do I think this way? I think
this way because ever since the beginning of time, media has been a part of
human life. Oral tradition transferred information. We can learn where we come
from or who our ancestors were from oral tradition. Oral tradition was how
stories were told, being passed on from generation to generation. From oral
tradition, the concept of written tradition began. Instead of trying to
remember the story or trying to recite everything perfectly, writing the
stories down would help keep them consistent and would be a reference.
Media kept going on, from oral to
written tradition. To have these concepts, words and signs were needed. When
talking to a friend, do we think about where these sounds from our mouth come
from? I know I don’t. Or if I am at a stop sign, I do not ponder why it is a
red octagon with white letters. We are able to understand and talk to people
through the uses of signs and words. Without them, how would we communicate? The
way we communicate started with oral tradition.
From that, the media branched out
into what we know today. Going back to what I think the meaning of life is, I
stated that one part is to be connected with people. The media is our glue for
connecting people together. We read the newspaper to understand what is going
on in the world. We talk to our friends to hear about the latest gossip. The media
is very social; I am connected with hundreds of people on Facebook. The media
and its influences are what keep everyone together. That’s how it was back
during the time of Moses, as well as modern today.
The meaning of life can be a tricky
subject. What is our purpose on this Earth or do we even have a purpose may be
some questions that can arise. It may also depend on whether or not you believe
in free will or fate. With fate, “someone” has written out our story. Free
will, on the other hand, means that we voluntarily choose our decisions and
life. To be honest, I do not know which side to believe. I have encountered
events where I feel that fate was involved; I encountered a near-death
experience this past December, but miraculously, I survived, as if someone was
watching over me and declaring that it was not my time to leave this planet yet.
On the other hand, why should I believe that someone or something has written
out my life? Do I not live in the present moment and decide what I will be
doing five minutes from now? This subject matter puzzled me during lecture in
class; I do not know what to believe. If events that did indeed occur in life
actually didn’t, what would our lives be like? If Garfield was never created,
our lives would probably not be drastically different. What if other “small
pieces” of life didn’t exist and start to build up? Little parts of who we are
and what shapes us would not exist. All these little elements are directly
influenced by and with the media; I know Garfield because of the media. What do
we categorize Jim Davis creating Garfield—fate or free will? Whatever the
answer may be, the media has been a constant thread sewn in our lives. Whether
we believe in fate or free will, the media has started at the beginning of the
human race, and will continue to do so into the future. With all of this
confusion, the meaning of life to me is still becoming connected with people
and to find our own potential and reason for being on this Earth. Fate or free
will—we are connected with people. Through the media, whether written or
spoken, can help us reflect on ourselves and try to find out who we are.
The media will always influence. We
tell stories to influence a point. We read articles that influence a certain
event. The media can influence who we are, an example being pop culture. If the
media influences who we are, doesn’t that mean that who we are as human beings
reflects on our meaning of life? I am who I am today through stories, learning
how to write, pop culture, newspapers, and a bunch of other media sources.
Since I think that one part of the meaning of life is to find our purpose and
reason for being on this Earth, who we are, influences our purpose. I am who I
am, and there isn’t another person out there like me; I have my own purpose and
reason for being alive. Since the media influences who I am, I think that the
media can help us to examine the meaning of life. The media may shape us into
being a successful businessman or an inspiring journalist, both of which is
influenced by the media and needs support from the media. Our own personal
quirks can be influenced by the media as well. What we know and associate with
is who we are. All of this is very complicated and hard to think about but I do
believe that the media can help examine our meaning of life.
For me, the meaning of life is to be
become connected with people and to find our potential and reason for being on
this Earth. In my own life, I am connected with people because of the media: I
talk to people in person, I go on Facebook and chat with my friends, and I
write with a pencil on paper that I will hand in to a professor. All of that is
the media. Whether fate or free will is what our life is, I think we all have a
reason and a purpose for being here. I was allowed to stay on this Earth back
in December for a reason. What is that reason? I do not know yet. I do think
that the person that we are is shaped by the media: stories, computer,
television, and books, just to name a few. The media has been a prevalent part
of everyone’s lives, since the beginning of time. We in turn, are the media,
influencing onto others our beliefs and personal traits. Even though there are
not any definitive answers, the media can be one way to examine the meaning of
life.
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