Media Functions. week of April 23rd-29th D3

The part that I found interesting in the chapter was about the functions of the media. There are 4 main functions that are all included and they each are important as well. The first function is surveillance. Surveillance is the gathering and disseminating of information. Most media sources are affected by this and they provide people with new, warnings, and important information that can help you get through the day. The media does watch everything that is going on and reports it back to the people. The next media function is correlation. Correlation is the analysis and evaluation of information. The media interprets the given information as well as analysis social problems. Then comes the cultural transmission function. Cultural transmission is the education and socialization of receivers. It teaches people about others cultural and we in turn internalize behavioral norms. I believe that this function is really important and that people should be educated about it more often. The last function is entertainment. Entertainment is the presentation of escapist material that provides enjoyment and gratification. This function is probably the most enjoyable to receivers. This function is in mostly all mediums of the media. The media plays a big role in a person’s everyday life and each function can be found everyday as well.

Marshall McLuhan. week of April 23rd-29th D2

I agree with Marshall McLuhan that the medium is the message. The format in which you send a message is as important as the content in which the message will be channeled. For example, if you fax someone a document and they hardly go into their office where the fax machine might be, the message could be lost. Yes the message was sent but not received as immediate as needed. That person may then want to be emailed instead and so that makes the format in which you send a message just as important as the content within the message, in order for someone to get a particular message, you need to be sure the format is correct. I’m somewhat confused on his idea that tv is referred to as a “cool medium”, since it says that the viewers fill in details. At times the views do, but at other times they don’t really have to if the content in which they are shown is facts. So I’m a little confused on what he is referring to and how he is trying to connect them.

Cyberspace friendships. Week of April 23rd-29th. D1

I have not made friendships that only exist in cyberspace. I usually find it hard to believe people online, since they can be anyone they want to be. For example on my facebook account, I won’t add people unless I know them. I have had many people try to add me and I just delete them. Once time I had a guy from Spain message me asking me to accept his friend request and that he wanted to get to know me better since he would be coming to California for school. I was rather disturbed by the guys message and blocked him. I mean he could have been nice, but the way he asked me and what he wrote in his message was creepy. The internet can be a scary thing for people meeting other people, since like I said before, people can become anyone they want to be. It is also hard to tell if someone is creditable or not. I have however keep friendships with people that I no longer see face to face in cyberspace. Also I have been able to reconnect with people and maintain a friendship with them. But as for exclusively making new friendships with people online that I have never met before, I have not. It is something that might be nice to try out in terms of a blogging site, but not for social media in my opinion. You never know who is a stalker and what they are really like.

Office Romance

One thing that caught my eye in chapter 8 was about office romances on page 223. It talks about how to handle them and how things have changed over time with regards to them. In the past some organizations have forbid them and if a couple was caught, usually the women was asked to leave.  Now a days, they are becoming a little more acceptable and aren’t as much as a issue. The books says that they should still be kept on the down low just so that it doesn’t interrupt business. It also says that if the relationship ends that you shouldn’t talk about it at work and try to be nice to the other person. My personal opinion on office romance is torn. I have personally had a relationship where I met someone at work and we dated, broke up, and they ended up quitting their job.  I’ve also had a coworker who had dated our boss and that didn’t work out and the person still worked there and it really made things awkward. At the same job I had another boss date someone that worked there and now they are engaged. So it really all depends. It can sometimes work out but most of the time I don’t think it does and it causes a lot of different problems.

Organizations Week of April 16th-22nd. D1

Organizations are tired to the environment by being everywhere. The book defines organization as, “ a system consisting of a large number of people working together in a structured was to accomplish multiple goals (pg 199).” The book also gives some examples of organizations such as public schools, banks, hospitals, fast-food restaurants, U.S. government and more. So organizations are a big part of the environment and they are everywhere. The relationship with San Jose and San Jose State is that it’s located downtown. It is hard for the environment there to change in terms of construction. Since it is located where it is, there is no room for it to expand. One ethical obligation that a school/college would have to the local community is to educate people to their full potential for the future of that community. Any organization’s ethical obligation to the local community would be for it to be the best that it could be, so that people would continue to support that organization. 

Etiquette Rules. Week of April 16th-22nd.

The etiquette rules were interesting to say the least. I agree with some of them. For cell phones it mentions that you shouldn’t use them when your in a group setting and other people are around you. It can be rude to other people. I would agree that people shouldn’t use them at restaurants, movies, church, etc. It is rude and most of the time you don’t want to listen to someone else talking, especially when you are trying to enjoy a nice dinner together and they are busy on the phone. Next is answering machine. It says that you shouldn’t make jokes, that your machine shouldn’t cut people off, and that you should leave a precise message so the person knows that to respond back to you about and that its not confusing. In a professional setting it should be clear what you are calling about. With friends, as for making jokes and leaving mysterious message, it is more acceptable. Conference Calls should be clear. You should always identify yourself when talking and try not to make sarcastic comments or jokes since it is rude and bad business procedure. You should be respectable. I haven’t had to experience this situation before, so I would trust what the book says for the etiquette for it. Faxes should be quick and nothing to personal. You should let the other person know that it is coming and when to expect it. Timing you communication involves calling at appropriate times, like during the day when businesses are open so that you don’t disturb people at home. Lastly is screen names and ring tones. You should make sure that your screen name is appropriate and be discreet with ring tones especially in a professional setting. Each of the etiquettes make  sense and they can be useful.

 I really haven’t been to bothered by cell phones, except when people are talking on them at dinner I find that to be rude. But as for cell phones, touch pads, laptops, computers, answering machines, and beepers, they don’t really bother me. They are a way of communicating among people and now a days everyone is usually always on one or another. Call waiting can be a good thing if you are expecting and important call. And I don’t think it is really rude to put people on hold to answer another call. I find it more rude having to keep calling back and either getting a busy tone or no one answering at all.