Cloning In the Media and Popular Culture

This essay deals with the issues raised in the media by the rapid technological developments of cloning and in particular on the religious beliefs of the uniqueness of life. It will also touch upon the ethical and legal issues brought about through out the development of cloning. 1A clone is a group of genetically identical organisms. Identical twins are therefore a clone since both come form one fertilised egg that is divided into two genetically identical cells that then separate.

In the process of mammalian cloning there are two processes. Nuclear Transfer is where the nucleus is removed from the unfertilised egg cell; this eliminates all its genetic information. The cell nucleus of the individual being cloned is introduced into the enucleated egg cell though cell fusion. If this is done in the right conditions, the egg cell then begins to divide and go through a process of foetal developments as if it had been fertilised normally. The other process is artificial twinning which is a process of splitting the embryo into two or more embryos.

First an egg cell is fertilised by sperm, then left to grow into an embryo. The embryo is split into two or more embryos when it is still in the early stage of development. The split embryo are nurtured into new embryos, all genetically identical, then implanted into the surrogate mother to grow. This is not the same as nuclear transfer as the born animal has biological parents and is a clone of its brothers and sisters.

Cloning of mammals has proven to be difficult and has only developed in the past few years through a long line of research. 3In 1997 came the most famous sheep of all Dolly who was cloned using a cell from an adult sheep. She represented a new departure because she was the first mammal to have been cloned using a nucleus taken from an adult sheep. She possessed a genetic code identical to that of her original parents. This breakthrough raised the possibility of cloning adult mammals rather than embryos.

However it is not known yet whether nuclear transfer will be possible in the process of cloning humans. Most future cloning developments will not even concern the reproduction of humans but it will focus on using cloning to understand cell development, heredity and genetic structure. For example cloning research may contribute to disease treatment by allowing scientists to reprogram cells. Through research, skin cells could be reprogrammed into insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

These skin cells would then be introduced into the pancreas of the diabetes patients, allowing them to produce insulin. 4However a number of other applications has been envisaged. It could be used in future research in which cloning may be beneficial, such as encouraging research into cloned tissues to work with the basic building blocks of life ‘the stem cells’ and discovering how to reprogramme them in such away that they will develop into the tissue that is needed such as skin or heart muscle or nerve cells.

These stem cells can be acquired from the foetus which has miscarried or been aborted. In order to obtain these stem cells which are genetically identical to the suffer, it is necessary to use the cloning technique, taking the nucleus of a cell from the affected person and putting it into a human egg, from which the nucleus has been removed. This is the creation of life; it is genetically identical to the person who is suffering.

After just a few days of cell division, the stem cells would be removed from the embryo and then the embryo would be destroyed, this would give you a cell line which would never be human but would be used for producing identical tissue for a patient who needs a supply of cells or tissue for grafting, such as replacing heart muscle tissue which would offer hope for people with heart disease, or brain tissue which would help suffers of Alzheimer’s.

However many of these future applications of cloning involve the creation of embryo solely as a source of cells and destroying them. In an article by Roger Highfield science editor of The Daily Telegraph raises the ethical question, does the 100 cell early embryo that will be used in the stem cell research count as a person? That is the question at the heart of the debate. At one extreme, pro-life groups, the Catholic Church and some other religious organisations argue that the embryo becomes a human being as soon as an egg is fertilised, and should be accorded the same respect as a baby. However, as stated by Roger Highfield in the Sunday Telegraph 2002 the Christian tradition has not always granted this moral status to the early embryo.

For many centuries it was believed that the human soul did not enter the embryo until 40 days after conception in the case of a man, and 90 days after conception in the case of a woman. This distinction only ended in 1869 when Pope Pius IX declared that women who had survived an abortion were to be excommunicated implying that a person was ‘ensouled’ at conception. Highfield believes those at the other extreme of the debate claim that a very early embryo is no more than a collection of undifferentiated cells and deserves little more attention that any other isolated human cell or tissue.

The fact that the embryo has the potential to become a person does not they say accord it the rights of a person. They also say the view that the embryo is a person from the moment of conception does not match most people’s idea of human personal identity. The Warnock committee concluded that the early embryo has special status but not one that justifies its absolute protection. One of the arguments used by the modern media against developing embryonic stem cells is the same for cloning whole animals.

As it could be argued that once scientists have done this there would be no stopping them from going on to develop a human clone. If once the first step is taken it might seem inevitable that the next step should follow. Therefore is it wrong to let the first step take place? As Mary Warnock suggests in her article on stem cell research from the Dialogue journal is our fear of genetic manipulation different in kind from other fears? Many fears of new discoveries have been fears of supposed risks. This was the case when people feared steam engines or internal combustion engine.

And we have on whole become a risk averse society, we think of minimising risks as human nature. The issue poses the question of how cloning maybe beneficial as well as morally wrong. The people against cloning feel it is an affront to religious sensibilities; it seems like playing God and interfering with the natural process. There are other objections too like they are worried that cloning appears to be a powerful force that can be exploited to produce horrendous results like creating a population entirely the same. One of the main ethical concerns brought up by the media is the possibility of the psychological impact on the offspring. Would the human clone have a diminished sense of individuality? Perhaps human clones would think that they were genetically destined to the same fate as the person from whom their donor cells came. 7Ethical questions have been raised about how cloning could also control the children’s genotypes, which could be practised in discriminatory ways.

As the author Peter Paris expressed in the Ethics of Human Cloning that parents could use cloning as genetic manipulation along with other techniques to exercise the quality control over their children, or perhaps scientists may use it with racist intent a fear raised by Peter Paris,’ Since Europeans, and euro Americans have never been able to affirm the value of the worlds darker races as equals, there is little reason to believe that their scientists would not seek to rid the world of some of its racial diversity by combining science of eugenic with that of human cloning,.

From this there could be a reduction in genetic variability, for producing many clones runs the risk of creating a population entirely the same. The population would be susceptible to the same diseases and one disease could devastate the entire population. Too this lends support to old prejudices and it could also raise new ones which cut across existing social divisions. In the modern media supporters of cloning consider that with careful continuation of research, the technological benefits of cloning clearly outweigh the possible social consequences.

In their minds, the final products of cloning, like farm animals and laboratory mice will not be the most important achievement. The applications of cloning the envision are not nightmarish and inhumane, but will improve the overall quality of science and life. Cloning will help to produce discoveries that will affect the study of genetics, cell development, human growth, and obstetrics. Also the people who argue in favour of cloning believe that much of the concerns are based on misunderstandings.

They believe cloning in reality would produce what amounts to a delayed identical twin, several years or even decades younger than that person who is being cloned. Identical twins are separate individuals. They look different because of different preferences, clothing and hairstyle. They even have different moral values, academic achievements and tastes in music. As many identical twins through their lives develop unique identities of their own. Another misunderstanding is how genes influence an individual’s development. Human beings do not inherit a fixed unchangeable genetic blueprint from their parents.

Scientists believe it’s an interaction between genes and the environment in which an individual grows up and lives including the environment in which the foetus is in the womb. 8One of the major reasons people fear cloning is based religious reasons on the notion that a clone is an imperfect imitation of the real thing, which causes some people to think that far from having the same soul as someone else a clone would have no soul at all. In the book Remaking Eden it was stated that the Irvine, California, rabbi Bernard King was seriously frightened by this idea when he asked, ‘Can the cloning process create a soul?

Can scientists create the soul that would make a being ethical, moral, caring, loving, all the things we attribute humanity to? ‘. The Catholic Father Saunders suggested that, ‘Cloning would only produce humanoids or androids-soulless replicas of human beings that could be used as slaves. ‘ However there is nothing artificial about the cells used in cloning. They are alive all through the cloning process. The newly formed embryo can only develop inside the womb of a woman in the same way embryo and foetuses develop.

Cloned children will be proper human beings thus the notion of soulless clone has no basis in reality. 9Though the fundamental ethical concern is something for which Christian theology provides some insights. Neil Messer suggests that the act of cloning can go against many people’s moral and religious beliefs. The bible is an important part of any Christian’s life and it contains the teachings of God and his views on life. In genesis he talks of the creating of earth where on the fifth day:

‘God created man in his image: in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1v27. Human beings are made in the image of God. This bestows on them unique status in creation to treat them, not as manipulated, is to violate Gods given nature. Should we be going against him and creating humans to our specifications? Or is this what God would have wanted? Many strong Christians would disagree with pre-cloners saying that God made man and we should not be tampering with God and his creations, we are finite and limited creatures, we are mortals rather than God, and it is both foolish and self destructive for us to forget that.

Whilst many would answer with arguments that if God had not wanted this then he would not have let humans progress so far, like genesis 11 we find human beings use there God given skill and ingenuity to try and reach up to heavens, to make a name for themselves in efforts to become like God ‘ Come let us build ourselves a city a tower that reaches the heavens, so that we may make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth’ Genesis 11v3.

In this man is using Gods given ability to push back out limits to take some measure of control and authority over created order and share in Gods creative work. This was seen as an arrogant use of that skill and ingenuity to pretend that we have no limits, that we are Gods. However God has given us freewill and to exercise this freewill would mean consequently God cannot be held responsible. 10Also in Bioethics a primer for Christian Gilbert Milander believed Christians would also see cloning as a violation to the uniqueness of human life, which God has given to each person and to no one else.

Christians are given their individualism uniqueness in the ritual of baptism. In baptism God sets his hand upon them calls them by name and thereby establishes their unique individual identity and destiny. Their uniqueness is not a personal achievement or power it is established in community with God when they realise that they can not directly control their destiny but when they admit that life is grounded and sustained by God. 11Nevertheless from the earliest time of human culture we have been co-creators with God.

We have taken the things around us including our own bodies and brains and reorganized them into a number of different ways. We can ask ourselves the question is there anything that can be excluded from the touch of the human hand and the initiative of the human brain Even now we have discovered that life itself can be tampered with. Which shows us that we are co creators with God and we can shape life anyway we desire. 12Consequently can we Christians accept their positions as co-creators or would this be seen as blasphemy?

Although the fact remains that humans have been given such power without the knowledge and understanding of God, which means the moral issue then becomes whether we will use our power responsibly. What wrong things might we create with the power of life? Will we be able to watch someone die knowing we are able to create replicas of them? Will we deny our human weakness and try and stop the process of aging by replacing aging parts of our body? Will we worship physical strength and create a society where only those people live and make false images of human life selected by our own preferences.

The media has now made us aware that the possibility of cloning humans is only a few years away. Though Cloning has offered us an insight into the power of creation that humanity has done. A Christian could come to the analysis that humans are co creators with God, that we are ever moving closer to making babies rather than having babies. The media and religious organisations believe Cloning represents a test of human restraint wisdom and technological developments and in many ways identifies genetic engineering as one of the most moral problems of the 21st century.

Epilogue The media provides us with information that the science of cloning continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and medical advancements based on this science will continue to provide new ethical and religious challenges. As Dr Michael West said on a radio4 Today programme when interviewed by John Humphry’s ‘The Use of stem cell research for the relief of disease, Parkinson’s, Cystic thybrosis will prove to be irresistible but not for human cloning, Literature Review

I have many books written about the ethical debate surrounding cloning all of which are in the light of the recent developments of cloning and sets out the modern debate and the Medias views of cloning as well as the theological issues. The books seem quite useful all giving different viewpoints on the subject and they all seem to have been written quite recently as cloning is a new issue and first explored in March 1997 when Dolly the first cloned mammal was born. There are journals which consist of the moral debate of cloning hence I will be able to get hold of up to date information and the view ethicists in this area.

The Ethics of Human Cloning Neil Messer 2001 With all the recent events and research of cloning this booklet sets out the debate of cloning it explains the technical terms clearly and draws out the theological issues and shows what Christians have to contribute to the discussion of Cloning. 2 Clone The Road to Dolly and The Path Ahead 1998 This book puts the science and ethics into context and discusses what part of cloning may play in the future of this medical research and human race. The book also considers the ethical dilemma that maybe used to clone human.

Also the book touches on how news on scientific journals reach the popular media. 3. Remaking Eden Cloning and Beyond 1999 This book explores the science of embryology touching down on cloning and the new world of baby making , it explains what science can do and will be able to do. 4. Flesh of my flesh, the ethics of Human cloning This book contains a collection of articles from scientists, philosophers, bioethists and theologians debating whether cloning should be allowed , it also examines up to date laws on cloning and different legal points of views.

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Media Representation in Lgbt

Media and its representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual (LGBT) themes has been prevalent throughout time. According to the collections of studies and stories by Meem, Mitchell and Jonathan (2010) concerning LGBT individuals, it is important to represent such themes because it is able to enlighten people on how our society as a whole, has become dynamic. The Media can be seen as a “central source” where negative perceptions can be created. As a result, stereotypes can be either created or perpetuated about this group, negative or otherwise.

Media as a medium, therefore, is an extremely powerful tool in our society, and can be used to change or create people’s perceptions about this particular segment of our world (LGBT). Stereotyping people can be harmful and have long lasting effects on us as a society, “It can transform slight assumptions on people and make them perceived realities” (Meem, Mitchell; Jonathan 2010). Such stereotypes are capable of perpetuating inequality and social prejudice in society. However, it is imperative to note that stereotyping through the media is sometimes inevitable.

In the case of television, stereotyping occurs through advertisements, news bulletins and entertainment. For films, stereotyping has been used as a form of marketing. The stereotypical codes give television and film audiences a common and quick way of understanding a particular person. In most cases, stereotypical codes focus on ethnicity, social roles, sexual orientation, occupation, race and gender. Most often, the groups being stereotyped may not defend themselves. They are usually the minority and raising their voices may make little or no impact.

However, there are some measures, which have been instituted to help reduce stereotyping. For instance, media campaign against this vice has become useful in reducing stereotypes in society. However, the vice is still rampant in some sections of the media. “There are those who have a common tendency of thinking that the way people think and can be uniform across the globe” (Carroll, 2009). This is not true people are diverse and their mindsets also vary. This is mostly applicable in homosexuality whereby gays and lesbians are viewed to be outside the mainstream or dominant culture.

With the emergence of gothic culture, it is probable to categorize them as being weird or abnormal. The dominant culture in this case refers to marriage and love relationships between people of different gender. Same sex marriages and behavioral patterns are prevalent in virtually all cultures. As Carroll (2009) documents, “same sex behavior is found in every culture, and its prevalence remains about the same” (p. 290). The media is a viable source of information in society such that televisions and films are very influential due to both sound and visual effect.

These two mediums of communication are crucial in symbolic annihilations of lesbians and gays. According to Vollmer (2003), films and TVs tend to avoid integrating gays and lesbians in their programs for fear of offending advertisers, target audiences as well as investors. This kind of portrayal is not desirable because it denies them their human rights. The fact that they belong to a new generation culture does not mean that they should not enjoy their rights. With their visual effects, the two mediums of communication cultivate a perception that homosexuals are bad elements in society.

They should not be given a chance to be heard if they have views to express. Due to fear of loosing audience and revenues, these two mediums of communication edit their programs to extent that audiences place homosexuals under the category of abhorred people. This has extended even in the ways they are covered in television news. “The issue of sexual orientation has been used as an indicator of villainy and deviance in children’s movies” (Vollmer, 2003). If children were to be shown movies that portray homosexuals as bad characters in society, then, they would grow up hating them.

A negative perception is cultivated in such children. Such kinds of stereotypes can instigate violence in society. For example, a gay male may not be welcomed in a party due to his sexual orientation. It is only a question of ethics. Homosexuals are also put as either victims or villains in movies. They are depicted as belonging to a weird or foreign culture that cannot be tolerated. It is rare to have a movie that has the main character being gay or lesbian. If a girl begins to demonstrate some signs of male characteristics, she is referred to as a ‘tom-boy’. It is like a taboo to show such kinds of signs in a girl.

On the other hand, if a male does not have masculine features, he is seen as an outcast. All of these perceptions are obtained from the media, and especially televisions and movies. According to Mehta and Hay (2005), media houses have for a long time helped to construct and reinforce stereotypical ideas about masculinity and men. From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or are feminine (Ferrey, 2008). Televisions and movies through their visual effects help define ‘a real man’.

During advertisements, there are some particular aspects of man that are portrayed. A man who fails to have certain forms of male features may not be shown on TV or may not be considered for a film (Cohen ; Hall, 2009). Moreover, the marketing companies have started to objectifying men in the same manner women have been objectified. The fitness of a man, his muscles and general outlook count a lot in determining whether he is to feature in a program or not. Men are so used to this behavior, they do not see the need to object. Therefore, the media will never stop giving what one considers ‘good or real’ men airplay.

Forming a type of segregation. A research study titled, Attitudes toward stereotypical versus counter-stereotypical gay men and lesbians indicates that six hundred and sixty two confessed gays, lesbians and bisexuals had contended with victimization in the society (Cohen ; Hall, 2009). Of those, 20% reported to have been attacked or abused because of their sexual orientation. In the year 2005, Federal Bureau had reported 1,171 of hate crime offenses took place because of homosexual orientation. This is the kind of segregation that has existed in the society for centuries.

The major problem is because media and mostly electronic media show homosexuals as people who have undertaken ‘abnormal’ directions of life. They are not part of the mainstream culture. The only solution is for governments to create institutions that can help people understand that everybody should enjoy unlimited human rights. Forums can also help eradicated the notions cultivated by the media, about gays and lesbians and institute a culture of tolerance. In summary, no particular person should be segregated or discriminated on the basis of their sexuality.

However, gender pre-judgments are still present in all media, the best remedy to help integrate all people no matter their sexuality, is to spend resources on education. Young people need to be taught tolerance and understanding in order to accept all kinds of people, regardless of their sexual orientation and direction. References Carroll, J. L. (2009). Sexuality now: embracing diversity. Belmont: CengageBrain Learning. Cohen, T. R. ; Hall, D. L. (2009). Attitudes toward stereotypical versus counter-stereotypical gay men and lesbians. Retrieved on 17th November 2011 from http://findarticles. om/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_4_46/ai_n35656044/ Ferrey, P. A. (2008). Gender Stereotypes persist. Retrieved on 17th November 2011 from http://www. nytimes. com/inc_com/inc1211198677212. html Meem, D. T. , Michelle A. G. , ; Jonathan A. (2010). Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Mehta, V. P. ; Hay, K. (2005). A superhero for gays? Gay masculinity and green lantern. The Journal of American Culture, 28(4), 390-404. Vollmer, M. L. (2003). Gender transgression and villainy in animated film. Taylor ; Francis Journal, 1(2), 89-109.

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The Role of Media in Society

Table of contents

Nowadays it is customary to call the information era, because today information is one of the most important values. And its creation and distribution are the work of the media.

As we have already noted, the role of media in society is invaluable. Today we can receive information about what is happening both on a neighboring street and in another part of the world. And not only learn, but also get an assessment and commentary from eyewitnesses and experts. The role of the media cannot be overestimated, because today it is already difficult to imagine any sphere of life without informational relations. It should be noted that the media play a role in shaping public opinion. Television, like other media, has an impact on people’s minds.

Its effectiveness is directly related to the audience’s need for information, to increase social, spiritual and political demands. But the media by their nature are prone to manipulative actions, so obtaining information inextricably entails the creation of certain norms of behavior and the imposition of ideals. This allowed the media to wage so-called information wars.

Information warfare is understood to mean a set of actions aimed at achieving superiority by means of damage to information. Simply put, the information war contains the manipulation of information, propaganda, the collection of information, etc. Its main purpose is to change the behavior and worldview of the audience. Moreover, the impact is on both its audience and the audience of the enemy. After all, the same event can be shown in completely different ways.

Meaning of Mass Media

What is Mass Media

  • Outside the realm of interpersonal communication exists another form of communication, which involves communication with mass audiences and hence the name mass communication; and the channels through which this kind of communication takes place are referred to as mass media

  • Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of various means by which individuals and entities relay information to large segments of the population all at once through mass media.

Mass communication can also be defined as ’a process whereby mass-produced messages are transmitted to large, anonymous and heterogeneous masses of receivers’. By ’mass-produced’ we mean putting the content or message of mass communication in a form suitable to be distributed to large masses of people.

Heterogeneous – means that the individual members of the mass are from a wide variety of classes of the society. This means the individuals in the mass do not know each other. The source or sender of the message in mass communication does not know the individual members of the mass. Also, the receivers in mass communication are physically separated from each other and share no physical proximity.

What Is the Role of Media in Our Society

Three main sociological perspectives on the role of media exist:

  • the limited-effects theory,
  • the class-dominant theory,
  • and culturalist theory.

What Are the 3 Roles of Media

The media typically plays three roles. In no particular order, the media plays the role of a gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and a watchdog. The media as a gatekeeper simply means that the elites who control a particular news entity decide what gets on the air or in a newspaper.

Elements of Mass Communication

it is observed that the term mass communication must have at least five aspects:

  • Large audience
  • Fairly undifferentiated audience composition
  • Some form of message reproduction
  • Rapid distribution and delivery
  • Low cost to the consumers

Characteristics

  • Directs messages toward the relatively large, heterogeneous and anonymous audience.
  • Messages are transmitted publicly no privacy.
  • Short duration message for immediate consumption
  • Feedback is indirect, non-existent or delayed
  • Cost per exposure per individual is minimum
  • Source belongs to organization or institutions
  • Mostly one way

Types of Mass Media

Mass media can be classified according to their physical form, the technology involved and the nature of the communication process.

The general classification on this basis is as follows:

  • Traditional Media – the traditional arts and folk arts combine several art forms like dance, music, songs, and theater to attract audiences. The performances are spontaneous and most often made on the spot.
  • Print Media – Print media served as the major means of communication reaching a wide audience.

Major forms of print media are:

  1. Newspapers
  2. Magazines and periodicals
  3. Books
  • Electronic Media – The history of electronic media starts with the invention of cinematography by Lumiere Brothers who conducted the premiere show of cinema in 1895. Later the radio was invented by Guglielmo Marconi. The first radio station was set up in Pittsburg, New York, and Chicago in the 1920s.

In short, the term electronic media include Film, Radio, and Television.

Role of Mass Media in Society

Mass media is communication – whether written, broadcast, or spoken – that reaches a large audience. This includes television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and so forth.

Mass media is a significant force in modern culture. Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and creates the culture. Communities and individuals are bombarded constantly with messages from a multitude of sources including TV, billboards, and magazines, to name a few. These messages promote not only products, but moods, attitudes, and a sense of what is and is not important.

Manipulation Methods in the Information War

  • Language tricks. Using lexical or phonetic techniques, you can create a certain coloring of information. For example, comparing opponents with animals or plants.

  • Abuse of statistics. Statistics often becomes a powerful weapon, especially referring to the majority opinion. This technique is especially effective during opposition when an unprepared opponent cannot operate with other numbers.

  • Change of the agenda, putting on the plan of profitable events.

  • Link to anonymous sources. It is no secret that during the information war, fake facts are often used.

  • Appeal to authorities. Often given the opinion of experts whom the audience is inclined to believe.

  • Alternative scenario. When the advantages are over, the disadvantages of the enemy need to be made even brighter! What will happen if everything is according to the plan of the opposing side? Description of all the horror in the colors provided.

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The Difference Between Moroccan and French Media

Otmane Barakat AWT1003 07 Tuesday 30th, 2012 Moroccan and French Media “Whoever controls the media controls the minds”, said Jim Morrison. The media has definitely marked the current generation as it has an enormous power and effect on the nations. Nowadays, the media affects the way the audience thinks and behaves more than it has ever done. Enhanced by the technological advancement, especially the rise of Internet, the link between mass media and the public opinion has begun to change to become similar around the world.

Moroccan and French media systems are not different from the others as their similarities are displayed in the fact that they are both using high technology facilities, incite violence, and ran by the government. To get started, the first thing in common between the Moroccan and French media is their wise use of highly-advanced communication facilities. Even though Morocco is a thirdworld country, it has been using communication technology since the end of the last century.

Telephone, telegraph, radio, and television services were available at that time; there were about 1. 3 million mainline telephones, about 120,000 cell phones, and 22AM/ 7 FM radio stations. In 2000, these communication facilities had witnessed an enormous growth as Morocco had the disposal of 243 radio stations, eight Internet providers and 166 television sets for every 1000 people. Nowadays, Morocco has over 21 million cell phones, 6 million television receivers, 8 million radio and internet users.

Obviously, the media has made a clever use out of the telecommunication advancement since the storage and transmission of information has become easier than never. For instance, news corporations are offering stream-feeding news reports by emails, call centers, or text messages caring more about the gain than the information itself. Likewise, the French do not prefer to read as they are cited only for 164 adult readers out of every 1000. Further, they are very practical people trying to make the best use out of technology just like any other developed country.

In fact, France secures 60 million cell phone, 34 million television receivers, 55 million radio sets and 45 million internet users that earnestly serve the media. Furthermore, during the past ten years, the French population’s use of internet has increased from 14. 4% to 68. 9% according to the IWS (Internet World Stats) center argues. As an illustration, France has more than 20 news TV networks, 30 news radio stations, and 100 news websites.

All in all, Moroccan and French media systems are making a good use out of the telecommunication advancement as it is the most practical way to communicate information with the people even though it may provoke violent behaviors. Media can be harmful to its consumers, especially for children as it incites violent and aggressive behaviors in both Morocco and France. The media has always been possibly deleterious as it is becoming more aggressive, rebellious, and immoral in Morocco.

There used to be a time when tears used to stream down people’s cheeks when they saw someone dying; however, nowadays, people have got ice cold watching the news in which violent and bloody material is transmitted. The media is desensitizing the humanity. Similarly, in France, news broadcasts are becoming more and more inhuman by showing beat up, injured, or slaughtered mothers and their children. As both Moroccan and French people are consuming these sequences, they are becoming gradually violent, their humanity is slowly fading away, and their conscience is becoming more and more silent.

To sum up, the broadcasting of savage and inhuman sequences on media instruments incites an aggressive and inhuman aspect in the person; consequently, he becomes closer to becoming a toy than a freewill individual. Nowadays, the government’s shadows are able to reach anything it aims including the fourth estate. The Moroccan media is mainly run by corporations that are either semi or fully governmental. The government has shown interest into taking over the media as it is the perfect instrument for social control.

In a critical period, the North of Morocco was against the late king Hassan II, the Sahara was still a contested territory, and the people were against the new and current king. With the appearance of the media, Morocco has been able to contain the fury of the people by spoon-feeding them what they needed to hear. As an illustration, the Moroccan people were experiencing their first interaction with the mystery box — also known as television in western countries — They were under the brainwash.

Equally, France’s media is mainly being ran by government as it serves its own aims through telling the people what and what not to think. Governments have been facing difficulties lately as the people became more aware of their rights and privileges; therefore, the main objective of running the media has become threatened. Swaying people’s opinion nowadays is no longer easy. To conclude, both Moroccan and French media are being ran by the government as it is essential for them to tell the people what to think and believe.

In the final analysis, when it comes to media, Morocco and France are similar. Both of the two countries use highly advanced telecommunication facilities. Further, they are both inciting violence through communicating provoking and aggressive material. Finally, Moroccan and French media are both run by the government as it needs to make sure it controls the people’s curiosity. It is sad to see how the fourth estate is negatively influencing the fate of humans and nations as they are nothing but toys in the big political game.

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Limitations of New Media

New media technologies may have little impact on politics, even change politics for the worse. It has little effect on civic engagement. New media technologies increased political knowledge among citizens already interested in politics, for users who are not, public sphere online is meaningless. Social media activists are more democratic, more knowledgeable about current political events and also somewhat more understanding of anti-government sentiment. As the new media technologies provide a platform to talk without consequence and response, they have been widely sed by extreme groups to shape the citizenship and distort democracy.

Such as 2011 England riots, the event was also called “BlackBerry riots” because people used mobile devices and social media such as twitter and facebook to organise. This Issue was launched majority by young people, who face the fierce competltlon and huge employment pressure. They are also the primary users of the social media network. In this Issue, two man , 20 year old Jordan Blackshaw and 22 year old Perry Sutcliffe- Keenan had been sentenced to 4 years In Jall for attempting to use Facebook to rganize and orchestrate” disorder.

Blackshaw created a Fackbook event Smash Down Northwich Town, Sutcliffe-Keenan also set up a page encouraging rioting in Warrington. As Assistant Chief Constable Phil Thompson warned, “The sentences passed down today recognize how technology can be abused to incite criminal activity, and send a strong message to potential troublemakers about the extent to which ordionary people value safety and order in their lives and their communities. ” As shown in the London riots, Twitter users send a message to millions. So

Tendentious information and hate speech of the extremists can also spread quickly on the twitter, it would stimulate public dissatisfactions of government and make more people who dont know the truth fear and anger. So openness and freedom of the online platform provided by new media technologies reinforce the sense of citizenship and democracy but also have potential to disrupt social order and democracy. 2, Digital divide: Disadvantaged groups- (the poor, the elder, the undereducated, and thous In rural areas-continued to lag behind in their access to and use of the internet.

People who lack required knowledge, skill and capital are not easily access to the Internet. Let alone use blogs or youtube. They continued to lag behind In access to the alternative public sphere. 3,For Journalists on social media such as Twitter: Issues of credlblllty. As social media has Impacted the speed of spread of Information and news. There are sometimes situations where the news can be misinterpreted and misleading. It Is only human nature to add and edit what they hear to make It sound better In their minds and this endency Is what makes the “unofficial news” unreliable.

The User Generated Content usually lack of professionalism. It Is called cltlzen Journalism but when a story Is reported even in a post on Twitter or Facebook or Youtube, professionalism is key. story. But usually citizen Journalists record an event and present it to the public, very often without checking all the facts related to the event. 4,political inequality: The differenece between speaking and being heard. It is true that citizens face few formal barriers to posting their view on the twitter or youtube.

This is openiness in the most trivial sense. But from the perspective of mass politics, we care most not about who posts but about get read. There are plenty of formal and informal barriers that hinder ordinary citizens’ ability to reach an audience. For the enormity of the content available on social networking sites, people seem to cluster strongly around the top few information sources in a given category. Such as “trending topics” on the twitter, even through these topics recommened intent to help their users to know what is happening in the world.

Trending topics are ometimes the result of concerted efforts and manipulations by preteen and teenaged fans of certain celebrities or cultural phenomena. Public sphere provided by the new media technologies in some extent is not equal for the public to make voice. The elite domination still exists like in the mainstream media. 5, state interference, influence the watchdog function of social media, Although state interference in the political discussion on the social media is generally neglected in the Western world, it is still a major obstacle for truly open, free discussion to happen n less developed democracies.

For example, the central government of China employs “professional writers” to insert the state voice in many corners of social media chat rooms in HongKong and help create a bottom-up participatory control. So falling to see actual political change to arise from their opinion expressions, normal citizens end up voicing the most extreme opinions. Sacrificed in this process is the diversity of opinions and democracy. To conclude, Citizenship refers to the individual citizen self-awareness of his or her position in the nation.

It concerns the right to know and speak for public in the democracy society. New media technologies reinforce the sense of citizenship and democratization because Rather than passively receive what the media want to inject to them, people in new media age are more active. The openness of the digital media would allow citizens to compete with Journalists for the creation and dissemination of political information. It broadens the “public sphere”, gives chances to citizens to engage in the political discussion, challenge domination and allows motivated itizens to be heard by a worldwide audience.

But there are also limitations, the extensive use of new media technologies by extreme groups would incite criminal activities and distorts democracy. Disadvantaged groups continued to lag behind in their access to the alternative public sphere. The new media technologies have served to level some existing political inequalities, but it has also created new ones. Government interference in the political discussion will break the Watchdog function of the new media.

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Excel Intermediate Skills

Table of contents

A compound document consists of different kinds of information e. g. , they could be tables, text that has been formatted, formulae, graphs etc. And these bits of information are organized as a window display and stored as a single file. According to Daniel Rentz, the manner in which compound document files work is much similar to real file systems. They consist of numerous independent data streams which are arranged in a hierarchial order of storages-much akin to sub directories in a file system (Rentz,2007)

Importance of creating a “compound document”

i. It can flexibly integrate various features that comprise the various types of graphs, data, images e. t. c, and hence is considered a revolution in software engineering when communication and presentation skills have become simpler. ii. Ability to integrate work processors with image files and audio files.

Examples of potential compound documents

Example-1 : A web page is an example of compound document, because it contains text with individual objects i. e. , pictures, videos, sounds, Java applets, and ActiveX controls. (Sheldon,2001).

Example-2 : The most common example of compound document is the employability of a compound document in the slide presentation. The presentation slides include a number of audio and visual elements along with the text.

Example-3 : A word processors need not be compelled to implement its own equation editor but rather it can use compound document technology to work with any equation editor available.

Conclusion:

Hence in the essay, we have seen the fundamental meaning of ‘Compound document’ and brought forth the important advantages of creating a compound document.

Having understood the meaning, we have substantiated by way of examples and suggested reference for reading as given below in the reference section.

References

Rentz,Daniel(2007) “OpenOffice. org’s documentation of the Microsoft Compound Document File Format” Retrieved on 27th May,2009 <http://sc. openoffice. org/compdocfileformat. pdf> Sheldon,Tom(2002) “Compound Documents” Retrieved on 27th May,2009 <http://www. linktionary. com/c/compound_doc. html>

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Popular Media

In the last 50 years the mass media has grown exponentially with the advancement of technology. Our society has come a long way since the telegraph and the newspaper. The most used source of media today is the television. In today’s society over 250 billion hours of television is viewed annually by Americans. Children are exposed to more than 40,000 ads a year, and this number is climbing.

Americans as a whole are exposed to thousands of images of sex, crime, advertisements, celebrity news, hidden subliminal messages and much more. Today’s society is not aware of the negative influences we expose ourselves and our children to on a daily basis. Surprisingly enough, 95% of the media is owned by only 5 companies, which are, Time Warner, Viacom, Vivendi Universal, Walt Disney, and News Corp. These companies own the major entertainment theme parks, movie studios, radio broadcast networks, and sports entertainment.

These superior companies also own integrated telecommunications, wireless phones, video game software, electronic media the music industry and more. In earlier years there was diversity in companies, now there are just a few that have the power to influence the minds of your children. When children constantly watch violence and negative images over and over again it becomes traumatic on their psyche. Television is shaping the way young Americans think. Therefore they grow up thinking they have to look a certain way to fit in today’s society. We need to develop a mind of our own or we will become a culture filled with zombies with low IQ’s.

As one examines the relationship between the media and popular culture it is evident that the affects of the media has had a great impact. The popular culture before the media was somewhat simple. The pop culture was primarily dictated by the elite and the religious sector. As time progressed pop culture began to be influenced more by certain types of media. One form that had a great impact on pop culture was movable print. Movable print opened the door to mass communication in 15th century by allowing information to be printed for the emerging middle class.

This new age in pop culture gave way to the spread of illiteracy and the emergence of trade in the western civilization. As pictorial printing emerged so did the education of the lower classes. This new form of media was mass produced and allowed the door to be open for the mass movement and change in popular culture. The Reformation, led by Martin Luther was the first form of a mass movement influenced by mass communication. Along with this development was the ability to distribute new religious thoughts and ideas the masses, which in turn allowed people to begin to develop individual ideas on religion.

As pop culture became more influenced by mass communication, more people learned to read and write. The Reformation can basically be credited to the start of mobilizing the masses and industrialization. As one examines where we are as a society, one can safely say that pop culture is greatly influenced by all forms of media. This idea will explored throughout this paper and how it relates to enculturation. The relationships among the media, advertising and the formation of normative cultural values are very important in the 20th century.

Without putting them together to have the success that comes to many movies, business, and some of the top celebrities would make things a lot harder. The media is a good tool if used properly but can as we have seen make things bad for some people and their businesses. At the start the use of the media was to entertain as well as inform. The base ball games started off on the radio and after sometime TV became black and white. Then the idea came that there are people looking at these shows and the thought of advertising came into play.

This enhanced television because now not only do you have people being entertained but now you can give ideas that could offer big bucks for business. If in this day and time we did not have the media to inform us as we need to be, how would we know that there is a new cold bug or that the weather is not going to be good on Sunday. The media is a very import to us in the 20th century without it how would things be if they were to go on as they are now. The media was used to inform us that Toyota the car company has several cars having trouble with their gas pedal getting stuck.

This was important to know because if not then people all over the world would have had these issues with the cars and not have know that this needed to be fixed right away. But in turn Toyota used the media and advertising to get sales back up after the issues slowed down sales. The haste of technology has impacted our society and helped globalization move a little quicker. Although, the internet may seem to be taken away the personal part of communicating, it has globalized our country by having the opportunity to communicate with other countries around the world. The impact of a growing business is better known as face book.

One of the largest most recognized websites that is very helpful in communicating with others around the world. Today’s popular culture has made face book one of the newest and innovated ways to communicate with friends and family at are long distance. In a way the internet has globalized and helped our country to become one by simply communicating with one other through this known site. Although, it may not be face to face round table discussion but it helps us in all ways possible. Popular culture has made this website a sophisticated site where all can be a part of.

However, face book does have its changelings because it takes away from interpersonal communication restrictions. Cheryl stated “Technology’s influence on interpersonal relationships is both positive and negative. The important thing to remember in forming a virtual relationship is not to lose sight of the fact that it is virtual reality. It is also important to maintain real relationships as well to keep a proper balance”. I believe this is true to the fact because of this technology people tend to forget about the true meaning of interpersonal communication, meaning communicating face to face.

Everyone has their own opinions about both the positives and the negatives of mass media and its’ affects on popular culture. In the end it all comes down to the individual’s values and their perception on what is current and popular to them. It is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children about their heritage and culture, but sometimes that does not happen, and the child has to decide for his or her self what mass media and popular culture is good or bad in the aspect of the affects it has on them. Education has and always be the defining factor for our future and the future of mass media and pop culture.

References

  1. Herr, Ph. D. , N. (). Television & Health . Retrieved from http://www. csun. edu/science/health/docs/tv. html
  2. Rayuso, . (Copyright © 2010 ). Mass Media Influence on Society77
  3. Hubpages Inc. and respective owners. Retrieved from http://hubpages. com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society William, Cheryl (2002). Http://www. Helium. com

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