Could the Expectation of reward/Effort required model cause immoral actions?
In chapter 9 of the Baran & Davis reading, it discusses the idea of why an individual may choose one mass media medium over another when seeking items such as new, entertainment, etc. In this specific section (p. 232) it brings forth the idea that “people weigh the level of reward (gratification) they expect from a given medium or message against how much effort they must make to secure that reward” when making this very decision.
Overall, I greatly agree with this idea. Personally, I prefer using the internet to find my news. This way, I don’t have to find the news channels (different channel numbers in Denver), I don’t have to bother with watching commercials, or hearing the news I’m not interested in so that I can hear the stories that follow, and most of all, I don’t have to limit my news intake location to the couch in our living room. With my computer, I am able to go directly to the sites, click on whatever story I find interesting, learn more about an topic with just the click of a button, and I can do it from any location I wish (internet capable of course). For most, I feel this is the case. It’s obvious, we do what’s easiest. However, could this idea of doing what’s easiest in order to gain the highest reward cause us, as media junkies, to face immoralities? Maybe not when it comes to finding today’s news, but how about when it comes to getting new music?
The issue of music piracy and file sharing is one of great concern amongst not only the music business but also national governments worldwide. File sharing and music piracy is ILLEGAL, does that stop you from doing it?
In this article from The Tennessean.com the problem of file sharing is discussed. It talks about the damages it has done to not only the music industry but also our economy as a whole, and the future steps that are planned to be taken by the federal government as well as the big name corporations.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101003/BUSINESS01/10030328/2047/news01
A clip taken from the article says, “An analysis by the Institute for Policy Innovation estimates that global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year, including lost jobs, earnings and tax revenues.” That means that by downloading music illegally, we are adding to a $12.5 billion loss directed towards the country that provides our home and our safety. Yet, I know so many who take part in actions such as these, and don’t have any sort of issue when it comes to downloading music illegally. Could it be because pirating and file sharing requires the least effort while rewarding you with 100% of what you want? I think so. It’s just so damn easy!
Another idea that struck me as interesting after doing this week’s readings, was the fact that I now see the act of watching TV as completely social, even if you’re doing it alone!
One of the topics discussed in both the Baran & Davis reading and the McQuail reading that made me most uncomfortable was the idea that people (child or adult) watch TV for social security. In the Baran and Davis reading, the idea of watching TV to provide “an endless stream of chatter to fill up spaces in our lives and create a sense of being involved with other people” is brought up (B&D 241). To me, this means that many people like to watch TV as a pseudo-social event during a time of loneliness. Similarly, discussed in the McQuail reader, is the idea that kids like to watch TV “because they are able to get inside people and events and to be a sort of friend with some of the people on the screen (McQuail 359). I’m not really sure why, but this just really rubbed me the wrong way. Now I feel like every time I find myself watching TV by myself, a huge wave of loneliness is going to come over me causing me to find immediate contact with another human being. But hey, maybe this is a good thing, because I know one thing’s for certain, It will get me up off that couch in a jiffy!
I think what you brought up about music piracy really illustrates the idea of uses and gratifications. Even though it is illegal, almost everyone does it because it is so easy and you are getting exactly what you want, with no consequences. The reward outweighs the effort completely, and unless there are some actual penalties enacted for downloading music, nothing will change. Even though you brought up a good point made in the article addressing the national debt, which is staggering, I believe that even if everyone knew that, it wouldn’t make much of a difference because it has no effect on the reward versus effort relationship. I also liked the other issue you brought up that was addressed in the reading this week on television, and the social reasons people (especially children) watch so much of it. It also depressed me a little to read about people watching TV to fill a void in their life if they are feeling lonely, and then I realized I do this too. I don’t consciously think that I am lonely and therefore put the TV on, but if I am home alone I often put the TV on as background noise, as if there are other people there with me. I think in this way it might make sense, if it’s late at night and no one is home, but to put the TV on as a form of socializing seems strange and a little unnerving to me, especially for children. However, compared to the non-social or escapist functions of television watching, the social function doesn’t seem as bad. At least then they are learning things they may discuss in real-life social situations. In the non-social escapist function, as discussed on page 360 in McQuail’s Reader, TV is an escape from reality, and to get away from people around you. I think for children this could be damaging because they are not dealing with life problems at a time of crucial development, they are just zoning away in a fake world. For me, I would say I rely heavily on the internet now rather than television. In fact, where I live right now we decided paying for cable was not necessary because we could just use the internet to watch our TV shows. Also, it contributes to the busy, hectic world we live in because it makes multitasking so easy. I can watch TV, listen to music, do homework, read the news, and keep in touch with all my friends around the world, even see them through a camera, all on the internet. The internet is so appealing because of the interactivity you have with all these different uses. Interactivity, as discussed in Baron & Davis on page 237, is something that takes the uses and gratifications idea to a whole new level because of the amount of control you have on what you are doing. Rather than turning on the television and spending time finding something to watch, you just turn on your computer and type in exactly what you are looking for and it comes right to you. It is so easy, and it’s all in your hands. Although I think spending all of your time on the computer might be damaging in a social way, I also think it lets us stay connected because of social media such as Facebook, and in that way we can have discussions and share ideas on a world wide scale.
ReplyDeleteOf course I download music illegally. I often look forward to breaks from school because I get access to my secure unrestricted network at home for downloading the latest songs to my Ipod. Don't get me wrong, I buy some songs from Itunes, but only when I have money to waste. Yes I said money to waste. Baran and Davis write that, “If you see mass media as important sources of effects You might ask whether the mass media themselves might have been instrumental in creating certain social situations” (242). In my case and the case of illegal downloads, I never downloaded anything illegally until Napster became popular in the news media. Going to back the effects and uses and gratifications, downloading doesn’t only happen because it’s easy. It also happens because the news media has made it seem normal.
ReplyDeleteJust as downloading is normal so is enjoying the background noise of television. How often do we see that happening in the movies? I’ve never seen it as a method of being social though. While it’s true that children may find television to be a way of being social, Felitzen also explains that, “on average, children consider the most important functions of television to be its ‘entertaining’ functions, closely followed by the ‘informative’ functions” (360). So have no fear, most children and most people are not watching television to be social. It is however an activity during which that people can be social.