What Have We Learned?

In this class, I have discovered many facets about the mass media around me. For the most part, I focused on the news found on the internet. The many things that can be learned about the internet are so vast and would take so long to discover everything. The news can be accessed from nearly anywhere in the world since wireless interrnet became available, and the availability of the internet has affected many other businesses such as the newspaper and television news. The news found on the internet focuses not only on a national level, but also a international level. We can learn about events happening in China or Europe and any other part of the world. The impact of the news can have a strong effect on our decision making. We can learn about events that will be life changing such as the 9/11 attacks, or about the state of the stock market. For many, the news is a need to know thing, but other stories may not be so necessary. Some stories just are fun facts and have no real impact on our lives. The news keeps us updated to the changing world around us. Internet news is updated very often whereas newspapers or TV news comes out at certain times of the day. The news is always changing, and it is good to know about what is happening so that you can stay safe and be prepared for events to come.

From Book to Movie

How many of us read the books before we go to see the movie? I can't say that I do. One book that I read after I saw the movie was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I watched the movie a few times before I read the book. I found that there were quite a few things left out of the movie. It would be very difficult to cram everything in the book into the movie. The movie lasted three hours and only had maybe half of the stuff in the book. Another book I read after I saw the movie was the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This movie had more than what was in the book.
In both of these cases, I enjoyed the movies more than the books. I think this is true for many today. I've noticed that no too many people read for pleasure anymore. Movies have become more popular than books. I know this is not true of everyone, but I noticed that it is becoming a trend. Do you enjoy movies more than books, or books more than movies?

What Kind of Movies Do You Watch?

What genre of movies do most people go to see? According to boxoffice, most movies seen by people around the world are rated PG-13. Twenty of the top thirty one movies watched are PG-13. These movies were rated according the gross earnings the movie made. The top two movies of all time according to this list were Titanic and the Dark Knight. Many of the rated G movies had a tough time making the top 50 (only 5 made it). If these numbers are true, this shows that people in general like to go and see movies packed with action and some violence. The list mentioned above only shows the money that was made on these movies, which shows how popular the movie was but not necessarily their thoughts about what they just saw on the screen. To warn people of the content that is contained in these movies, the Motion Picture Association of America designed a rating system.

The ratings on these movies do not tell whether the movies are good or bad, they give guidance to those who may want to see these movies. Many movies on the Box Office list that are PG-13, I would say, are good movies to see, but may not be appropriate for younger children to see. This also does not mean that G rated movies are for kids only, nor Rated R movies for adults only. The ratings allow people to form a general idea of what the movie may contain so that they can form their own judgements. What category do most movies that you view fall under? What limits do you set for yourself when it comes to movies you are willing to watch? Do you consider the ratings before watching?