Active Audience

In class on thursday we talked about how people interact with television shows and how why people watch tv, weather its for boredom, informational, or entertainment , people watch tv for various reasons. What i thought was interesting in the class discussion was when we were talking about who is more attentive when watching tv, men or women? And it was agreed that men are more attentive to the tv show or movie they are watching then women. A girl raised her hand and said how her boyfriend will pause the show or movie they are watching together if she starts talking. i thought this was so funny because my boyfriend will do the same thing. If we are watching anything together and i start telling him a story or anything he will pause it. Last night we were watching Jersey Shore and i started to say something and right away he told me to pause the show. And when he told me to do that i laughed because of our class discussion yesterday. I told him what we had talked about in class and i asked him why he always wanted to pause it and he said because he didn't want to miss anything that happened in the show. I think when men watch tv, they can not do anything else, but when women watch tv, they can do more things then just watch tv screen. I think men watch tv to absorb what is happening and women can just watch tv just to watch it. Like if i'm bored and watching tv, I don't really care what is happening on the show, i'm just watching it because i'm bored. But i think men dont really watch tv just to be watching it. I think men are a more active audiences then women are. They want to watch tv that they can relate to or use media because they have a specific goal in mind and i think women can just watch anything and use media just because they want something to keep them occupied.

Blog #7- Social Cognitive Theory

Going along with what we have discussed in class about social cognitive theory and how children are affected by tv and the media, i found this article that i think relates to the topic. It talks about how violence on tv can affect children and how it can affect a child's personality. Television is a powerful weapon because sometimes it can teach children wrong things but it can also teach them good things.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/television/tv_impact_kids.cfm

I can relate to the social cognitive theory, which is a theory that children learn by what they see. i have two twin nieces that are four years old but going on 20! They love to dance! After seeing Rihanna and Kesha's dance videos, they started to dance just like them. I was babysitting them once and they wanted to play dress up and put high heels on and makeup, and then they started dancing. i had no idea where they learned these dance moves and when i asked them, they said from Rihanna and Kesha! I think its so interesting how children are like sponges. They absorb everything they hear or see. Its so funny to see them dance like that but at the same time im thinking is that really appropriate for their age! Its also interesting to me that they are four years old and already love makeup and high heels. And me and my sisters all love makeup and high heels so i know from watching us thats where they have learned it from.

I think children can sometimes be smarter then adults. They learn so quickly from watching what the people around them do or learn from watching television. I think the stereotype that children aren't smart is completely wrong, they are smart and can use what they learn at the right time. I never really thought about how intelligent children really are until i've been around nieces and watching them grow. It made me aware of what i say in front of them and what i do in front of them. Children are very smart and i think sometimes people forget that.