Censorship is the removal and withholding of information, which is considered objectionable, from the public. It usually done by government bodies, sometimes the mass media and even religious groups. The term “censorship” tends to give the impression that some secret is being withheld. Censorship is necessary in some circumstances while in others it is perceived as violating human rights, especially in that of freedom of speech. Although I do not agree that censorship can never be justified, I think there are some cases in which censorship in not justifiable.
Firstly, I will present the situation in which censorship can be justified. Moral censorship refers to the censoring of materials deemed to be morally incorrect. For example, pornography is usually censored under this rationale. Pornography can cause harm to women by degrading their social standing. Since its contents can be found on the Internet and the Internet has thousands of users that include children, the encountering of pornography can corrupt the minds of little ones. Pornography censorship can also come under religious censorship as it is insulting to certain religious values. Therefore, I think it is legitimate to disallow the viewing of pornography, in other words, censoring it.
Another situation would be that of enforcing censorship to protect children against violence. Images they see on television often influence kids and those deeply influenced also act like what they see on TV. Video games are getting more violent thus, giving children ideas to carry out violent behaviour and acts. In the case of violent movies, the influence of it also applies to adults. Censorship of these kind of movies limits the danger of destructive cinema without exceedingly limiting the freedom of speech. Hence, even in this case I think it is acceptable to allow censorship.
Democratic countries often boast of promoting their belief on freedom of speech. Hence, it is surprising to know that the people of that country have to fight for the right to free speech. One such organization that originated in the US is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, whose most recent campaign involves the rights of bloggers and citizen journalists. In this case censorship is said to be not justifiable because it does not allow for freedom of speech. They believe that everyone has the right to Blog anonymously, keep sources confidential, make comments without fear, freely Blog about elections and so forth. A quote by William O. Douglas, “Restriction on free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us”, seems to indicate that censorship confines ones thinking. It also limits the power of the press to communicate issues, problems, and the agendas of those holding political power. In such events censorship is not justifiable.
In conclusion, censorship can be justified in incidents where it is harmful or insulting. Anyhow it should not be to the extent of limiting the flow of ideas and opinions, and forbidding the human right of free speech.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pornography-censorship/
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Censorship/
http://www.eff.org/br/
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Impacts of New Media
New media refers to any interactive media and communication methods usually developed in electronic forms, such as the Internet and Blogs. The impact of new media is evident in the fields of technology, economics and politics. Some impacts are positive while others are negative.
New media constantly changes at a rapid rate as it can be changed from any number of sources. Hence, it can be hard to keep up with the pace and may be difficult for companies to remain competitive in today’s digital markets. Major television channels such as BBC1 and 2 have seen increasing trends of attracting a much larger audience compared to other channels because of the switchover from analogue to digital television. According to a Professor Gunter, “In the future, TV reception will become increasingly available in other technologies such as personal computers linked to the internet and mobile telephones. TV sets themselves will become increasingly computerized and develop enhanced functions meaning the sets will be used more interactively.”
Another disadvantage of new media is the cost. As new media forms are almost entirely digital in nature, the cost of initial establishment and then the maintenance of the equipment, resources and manpower needed may pose a consequential problem for smaller businesses.
However there are many positive impacts of new media as well. Firstly, it is extremely convenient to buy products on the web from the comforts of your home. For example buying movie or concert tickets can be as easy as a few clicks away. Online auctioning is also very popular through websites such as Napster and eBay. All this is so common now, when just some time back the concepts and technology behind them did not even exist.
The new media also allows for freedom of speech through blogs or online diaries. It ensures that there are multiple sources of truth and hence a benefit of this media reformation is the flow of creativity. For example, the media coverage of American politics includes bloggers providing information to readers together with reporters from typical media. This illustrates new communications technology emerging as a medium through which such news is brought to readers which was formerly only accessible to the primary provider.
So, we can see that because of the progress new media has made, it is increasingly being used due to globalization. Thus, the impacts it has on technology, economics and politics are mostly positive with exceptions here and there.
http://www.24dash.com/education/20374.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/forums/new_media_old_politics.html
New media constantly changes at a rapid rate as it can be changed from any number of sources. Hence, it can be hard to keep up with the pace and may be difficult for companies to remain competitive in today’s digital markets. Major television channels such as BBC1 and 2 have seen increasing trends of attracting a much larger audience compared to other channels because of the switchover from analogue to digital television. According to a Professor Gunter, “In the future, TV reception will become increasingly available in other technologies such as personal computers linked to the internet and mobile telephones. TV sets themselves will become increasingly computerized and develop enhanced functions meaning the sets will be used more interactively.”
Another disadvantage of new media is the cost. As new media forms are almost entirely digital in nature, the cost of initial establishment and then the maintenance of the equipment, resources and manpower needed may pose a consequential problem for smaller businesses.
However there are many positive impacts of new media as well. Firstly, it is extremely convenient to buy products on the web from the comforts of your home. For example buying movie or concert tickets can be as easy as a few clicks away. Online auctioning is also very popular through websites such as Napster and eBay. All this is so common now, when just some time back the concepts and technology behind them did not even exist.
The new media also allows for freedom of speech through blogs or online diaries. It ensures that there are multiple sources of truth and hence a benefit of this media reformation is the flow of creativity. For example, the media coverage of American politics includes bloggers providing information to readers together with reporters from typical media. This illustrates new communications technology emerging as a medium through which such news is brought to readers which was formerly only accessible to the primary provider.
So, we can see that because of the progress new media has made, it is increasingly being used due to globalization. Thus, the impacts it has on technology, economics and politics are mostly positive with exceptions here and there.
http://www.24dash.com/education/20374.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/forums/new_media_old_politics.html
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The media Is corrupting our society. Do you agree?
Media influence refers to the theories about the ways in which the mass media affect how their audiences think and behave. I agree that the media is corrupting our society. The negative influence is caused by the showcasing of harmful images that tends to lure the audience into following by example. The media, the medium through which these images are shown to the world, comprises of old media and new media. Old media refers to newspapers, magazines, television and the radio, while new media refers to the World Wide Web and even blogs.
One major concern, that has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, is that of the increasing cases of eating disorders among women of ages as young as 9. The media has painted the image of the perfect woman through advertisements on TV, such as those of food products warning the dangers of women’s appetites, and through magazines by publishing pictures of very thin models and actresses. This is one reason why beauty endorsements have become an increasing trend lately. Even in beauty pageants it has been seen that over the years, the contestants’ weights and body measurements have decreased significantly. This leads women to become more conscious of their body and start dieting. Some starve themselves to the extent of contracting diseases such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. One such case was that of Toni Tahoun, formerly an air stewardess, and her stepsister, Nina, both of whom suffered from anorexia. Toni sought help from a specialist and became much better, although she still struggles daily. Nina, however, was unable to hold on and died from a heart attack at the age of 25, in 1986.
Another large impact of the media is that on violent behaviour. The mass media plays a vital role in the forming of one’s opinions and subconsciously affects our minds. In a recent study it has been claimed that children who watch wrestling programmes are more likely to commit violent acts and carry weapons. True enough, in 1999, 12-year-old Floridian Lionel Tate killed a young while imitating moves he learnt from watching wrestlers on TV and was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment. Movies depicting violence have also corrupted people’s mindsets causing them to commit disastrous crimes. For example, the film Natural Born Killers, voted by Premiere as one of “The 25 Most Dangerous Movies”, has inspired several murders including the Columbine High School Massacre, where 14 people died including the 2 students carrying out the shooting rampage.
The media’s influence is even evident in the field of politics. The famous incident in which John F. Kennedy won Richard Nixon in the presidential race, was a result of him presenting himself and appearing better than Nixon on television. Another incident was that of Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communist infiltrations in the US, which was broadcast frequently on TV, thus influencing the negative attitude of Americans towards communism, without a neutral viewpoint.
The evidence is glaringly obvious in all these incidents where media has caused harm in health, much violent tragedies and a president to be chosen on the basis of good looks. Hence, it can be clearly seen that the media has been corrupting our society and continues to do so.
http://www.geocities.com/starving4pride/MediasNegativeInfluence.html
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p010646.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Born_Killers#Serial_killers.2FMass_murderers_emulating_the_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_influence
One major concern, that has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, is that of the increasing cases of eating disorders among women of ages as young as 9. The media has painted the image of the perfect woman through advertisements on TV, such as those of food products warning the dangers of women’s appetites, and through magazines by publishing pictures of very thin models and actresses. This is one reason why beauty endorsements have become an increasing trend lately. Even in beauty pageants it has been seen that over the years, the contestants’ weights and body measurements have decreased significantly. This leads women to become more conscious of their body and start dieting. Some starve themselves to the extent of contracting diseases such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. One such case was that of Toni Tahoun, formerly an air stewardess, and her stepsister, Nina, both of whom suffered from anorexia. Toni sought help from a specialist and became much better, although she still struggles daily. Nina, however, was unable to hold on and died from a heart attack at the age of 25, in 1986.
Another large impact of the media is that on violent behaviour. The mass media plays a vital role in the forming of one’s opinions and subconsciously affects our minds. In a recent study it has been claimed that children who watch wrestling programmes are more likely to commit violent acts and carry weapons. True enough, in 1999, 12-year-old Floridian Lionel Tate killed a young while imitating moves he learnt from watching wrestlers on TV and was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment. Movies depicting violence have also corrupted people’s mindsets causing them to commit disastrous crimes. For example, the film Natural Born Killers, voted by Premiere as one of “The 25 Most Dangerous Movies”, has inspired several murders including the Columbine High School Massacre, where 14 people died including the 2 students carrying out the shooting rampage.
The media’s influence is even evident in the field of politics. The famous incident in which John F. Kennedy won Richard Nixon in the presidential race, was a result of him presenting himself and appearing better than Nixon on television. Another incident was that of Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communist infiltrations in the US, which was broadcast frequently on TV, thus influencing the negative attitude of Americans towards communism, without a neutral viewpoint.
The evidence is glaringly obvious in all these incidents where media has caused harm in health, much violent tragedies and a president to be chosen on the basis of good looks. Hence, it can be clearly seen that the media has been corrupting our society and continues to do so.
http://www.geocities.com/starving4pride/MediasNegativeInfluence.html
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p010646.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Born_Killers#Serial_killers.2FMass_murderers_emulating_the_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_influence
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Issues Arising From Virginia Tech Killings
The mass killing at Virginia Tech on 16 April 2007 has since triggered many debates in many areas of discussion. This tragedy has been much talked about and has shed light on the issues of gun policies, racial discrimination, censorship and many more. Naturally, after the shooting many became more aware of the legal laws following gun control in the USA, or rather the lack of it.
There are people who observed that now when guns are more difficult to obtain than in the past, the use of it to kill has increased. Then there are others who say that coherent and consistent laws could have prevented the South Korean killer, Cho, from acquiring weapons. Since Virginia tech is a gun-free zone, the gun should not have even brought there in the first place. However, Cho did not have much difficulty in purchasing the guns nor did he have much problem bringing the guns into the campus. In my opinion, nothing much could be done as the main reason Cho attacked the 32 people was because he was mentally unsound.
Another aspect of the arguments was that of immigration control. There is one indisputable fact about the shootings at Virginia Tech is that if Cho had not been allowed to immigrate to the USA, the incident would not have occurred in the first place. Peter Brimelow, editor of VDARE.com, noticed that mass murders by immigrants have become a real trend. In fact they are accountable for 72 deaths in the last sixteen years. However again, immigrants should not be generalized, as it could have been anyone with the same disability.
The issue of racial discrimination aroused to the much emphasis on the fact that Cho was a South Korean. The attention media has brought to this detail undeservedly links ethnic Koreans as a group to the killings rather than that of an individual. South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun also sent three messages of condolences which a gave a somewhat impression that the South Koreans were at fault even though it was an individual, that happened to be a South Korean, who was responsible for the lives of many innocent people.
In conclusion, I think that all the issues arising from the mass murder at Virginia Tech University are a straying from the main cause of the killings, which is the poor mental condition of Cho Seung Hui.
There are people who observed that now when guns are more difficult to obtain than in the past, the use of it to kill has increased. Then there are others who say that coherent and consistent laws could have prevented the South Korean killer, Cho, from acquiring weapons. Since Virginia tech is a gun-free zone, the gun should not have even brought there in the first place. However, Cho did not have much difficulty in purchasing the guns nor did he have much problem bringing the guns into the campus. In my opinion, nothing much could be done as the main reason Cho attacked the 32 people was because he was mentally unsound.
Another aspect of the arguments was that of immigration control. There is one indisputable fact about the shootings at Virginia Tech is that if Cho had not been allowed to immigrate to the USA, the incident would not have occurred in the first place. Peter Brimelow, editor of VDARE.com, noticed that mass murders by immigrants have become a real trend. In fact they are accountable for 72 deaths in the last sixteen years. However again, immigrants should not be generalized, as it could have been anyone with the same disability.
The issue of racial discrimination aroused to the much emphasis on the fact that Cho was a South Korean. The attention media has brought to this detail undeservedly links ethnic Koreans as a group to the killings rather than that of an individual. South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun also sent three messages of condolences which a gave a somewhat impression that the South Koreans were at fault even though it was an individual, that happened to be a South Korean, who was responsible for the lives of many innocent people.
In conclusion, I think that all the issues arising from the mass murder at Virginia Tech University are a straying from the main cause of the killings, which is the poor mental condition of Cho Seung Hui.
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