The Internet
When discussing media technology, the first thought that comes to my head is the Internet. Through the Internet, people are granted access to literally everything you could imagine. Students can research their homework, home cooks can research new food recipe's, business people can perform work related tasks anywhere, as long as a computer and Internet are accessible. Grandparents are able to keep in contact with distant family members and friends via social networks like Facebook and of course, if you have talent, You Tube can help launch your career worldwide. However, the Internet also can be a double edged sword for some people.
Cyber bullying, stalking and identity theft being a couple of the big negatives, however for some people, especially celebrities, the Internet allows fans a closer look at their idols, maybe too close. In the last 30 years, a fans interaction with their celebrity idol has come from snail mail letter writing, in which a fan would ask for an autographed picture and in return, the celebrity would send out a pre-printed autograph photo. Today, celebrities are followed byway of Twitter, Facebook and even Myspace. Celebrities post on their accounts, usually a small message and suddenly, that message has reached millions in a matter of seconds. This of course also opens the flood gates to the massive amount of negative and bashing comments that fans feel they must share with their idol as a sign of hostility. Then there are the situations where fans get a front row seat in watching their idol spiral into a downward motion in life and in their career by simply "following" a celebrities every word. This of course was the case for Amanda Bynes who was once known for her wholesome movie roles until she began tweeting nearly naked photo's of herself, starting cyber fights with fellow celebrities and posting vulgar sexual posts to a musician named Drake. (Foxnews.2013)
Television
Television has been in existence for decades, starting out as black and white 3 of 4 channel sets to the now digitally enhanced color televisions that most of us own today. They range from 5 inches (portable models) to 80 inches, some that even store in the ground or bookshelves to save space. However, this is not about television itself, it is more about the programs people have access to watch via their television. Gone are the days where people only had access to NBC, CBS and ABC, now most of us have over 200 channels byway of our cable or satellite dish company. People can watch everything from rerun I Love Lucy episodes to the ever popular Walking Dead series that airs on Sunday nights. Television caters to just about every interest, whether it be sports, news, music, reality TV, court shows, shopping networks, religious networks and my favorite's, tabloid television's TMZ and Access Hollywood.
Television allows watchers to learn about the world, whether they want to know local weather, the War in Iraq or even what is new in Hollywood. This too can be a double edged sword for a celebrity because television records everything, their prized moments where they did something heroic or won a prestigious award or it could record their drunken behavior or belligerent arrest as it occurs (Reese Witherspoon). I remember one day while watching TMZ, they ran into Renee' Zellweger at LAX in Los Angeles, one of the paparazzi walked up to her and tried to start a conversation with her with a simply, hello and in return, Renee' pulled out a business card from her purse that read "Shut The F***k Up!". Now her behavior could be deemed as rude but I have later read that she likes to be treated normal and hates it when people are fake to her once they realize she is famous. However, since TMZ is tabloid television, they make money by making celebrities look bad and Renee' was not exempt. As a television viewer (without reading the Internet article I spoke about), she came across to viewers as rude and stuck up. (TMZ Staff. 2008)
Print: Newspapers & Magazines
Newspapers and Magazines have been in existence for over a hundred years, however in recent years, their viewer-ship has dwindled massively because anything you can read in an actual newspaper or magazine, you can now read for free on the Internet. Most major newspaper and magazine companies now have official company websites where their information can be viewed from all over the world with just a single click of a button. You can also still find newspapers and magazines sold in stores and in vending machines but the Internet allows for each publication to be viewed online. However, in some cases, the information is limited unless you are a subscriber to that publication and if that is the case, then some publications give subscribers extra online perks.
Newspapers and magazines were and still are an excellent way for companies and celebrities to promote themselves. Whether it be a new product that will be available or in the case with celebrities, a new film or television show that they worked on. However, when there is a positive aspect to a gadget or service, there is always an equally negative aspect to that same gadget or service. Take for instance, tabloid newspapers and magazines like The Enquirer & The Star. They make their living on the celebrity rumors, sometimes there is a small amount of truth involved and then other times, they are complete fabrications. Headlines like "Ellen Cancer Shock" and "Michelle Rocked By New Cheating Scandal" are a sample of what sell papers and magazines because fans are attracted to the drama whether factual or fabricated. Unfortunately, this is what hurts celebrities the most in the public eye, stories that have little truth or none at all. (Enquirer.2014)
Radio
Living in today's world, it is quite difficult to believe that there once was a time when television did not exist, instead, radio was the designated family entertainment. Because there was no picture to watch (like television), families would gather around the family radio and listen to popular radio shows like Fibber McGee and Molly (1935-1959) and Burns & Allen (1932-1950), even soap operas found their beginnings on radio, sponsored by you guessed it, soap companies. Many show genre's found a home on radio, whether it was a mystery show, a dramatic show or simply a comedy or musical variety show, if it was entertaining, it was popular. If radio could be summed up by just one particular moment that changed lives everywhere, it would be the 1938 narrative telling of H.G. Wells radio adaptation of War of the Worlds. This one particular show put fear into its audience, people would tune in and actually believe our country was under an alien attack. However, those who listened from the beginning of the show were told that the narrative was fictional, those who tuned in late were led to believe the worst was happening. (Megaloradio.2014)
Radio has come a long way since those days, television has taken its place in popularity. Gone are the days where families would gather to listen to their favorite shows, now entire families have multiple televisions and separate to watch individual show favorites. The only radio shows that still exist are usually found on talk radio stations and satellite radio. Satellite radio has become popular because there are less FCC rules to follow versus free radio. Celebrity hosts like Howard Stern, known for his vulgarity found a happy home on Sirius Satellite because he was given more freedom to put out the type of show he desired without the constant threat of being fined by the FCC. Commercial radio (free to listeners) is still widely popular for its music product, however as new gadgets are invented, the general public is moving towards those commercial free gadgets that allow them to listen to only their favorite songs without the hassle of listening to the hawking of products and services. (Crawford.2004)
References:
Crawford, K. (2004). CNN Money: Howard Stern Jumps to Satellite. Retrieved on February 17, 2014. From: http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/06/news/newsmakers/stern_sirius/index.htm
Fox 411. (2013). Foxnews: Amanda Bynes tweets topless photo, friends beg for help. Retrieved on February 16, 2014. From: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/05/02/amanda-bynes-tweets-topless-photos-friends-ask-for-help/
Megaloradio. (2014).Burns & Allen Radio Show. Retrieved on: February 17, 2014. From: http://www.megaloradio.com/burnsallenradioshow.html
Megaloradio.(2014). The Adventures of Ozzy & Harriet Radio Show. Retrieved on: February 17, 2014. From: http://megaloradio.com/advozzieharrietradio.html
National Enquirer Staff. (2014). The National Enquirer. Retrieved on February 16, 2014. From: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/exclusive-cover-story-tom-cruise-explodes-over-katies-foxx
TMZ Staff. (2008). TMZ: Renee Zellweger to Pap--STFU!. Retrieved on February 16, 2014. From: http://www.tmz.com/2008/05/05/renee-zellweger-to-pap-stfu/
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