Reaction paper
Reaction Paper #2
Mediactive, Chapters 1, 2, & 3
In today’s media world, we have the ability to access innumerable amounts of information. Such accessibility provides a positive impact on our lives, but at the same time leaves us vulnerable in conforming to information that is not trustworthy and false. We must not be passive when we are subjected to the various types of media, we must be active. Meaning we must analyze the information at hand and use our reason to come to a conclusion as to whether or not the information is factual. As I began reading Chapter 1 in Mediactive by Dan Gillmor, I was presented with an email that informed me of a discussion between Lt. Col. Oliver North and senator Al Gore. I found myself in acceptance with the information the email provided. I was so intrigued over the fact that Osama Bin Laden had been a threat to Americans since 1987. As I continued reading the material I came to find out that the email was just a form of propaganda. I was so surprised when I found out this email was fiction, and must not trust any information unless it’s backed up by a verifiable source. This made me think back to when I was in my good old Middle School days. I would trust information presented to me by my friends, never questioning if the information was trustworthy or not. Since there is an abundance of information present in the world, as I previously noted, we must be active participants in order to manage this abundance of information. It is also important to make informed judgments when subjected to information overflow. One must question whether or not the information derived from the specific media at hand is trustworthy. I found it interesting that “it has taken millennia for humanity to produce democratized media.” The fact that the moveable type and printing press, way back when, is where this all started intrigues me. I never would have thought to look at those inventions as the first profound democratization of media.
Chapter
Mediactive, Chapters 1, 2, & 3
In today’s media world, we have the ability to access innumerable amounts of information. Such accessibility provides a positive impact on our lives, but at the same time leaves us vulnerable in conforming to information that is not trustworthy and false. We must not be passive when we are subjected to the various types of media, we must be active. Meaning we must analyze the information at hand and use our reason to come to a conclusion as to whether or not the information is factual. As I began reading Chapter 1 in Mediactive by Dan Gillmor, I was presented with an email that informed me of a discussion between Lt. Col. Oliver North and senator Al Gore. I found myself in acceptance with the information the email provided. I was so intrigued over the fact that Osama Bin Laden had been a threat to Americans since 1987. As I continued reading the material I came to find out that the email was just a form of propaganda. I was so surprised when I found out this email was fiction, and must not trust any information unless it’s backed up by a verifiable source. This made me think back to when I was in my good old Middle School days. I would trust information presented to me by my friends, never questioning if the information was trustworthy or not. Since there is an abundance of information present in the world, as I previously noted, we must be active participants in order to manage this abundance of information. It is also important to make informed judgments when subjected to information overflow. One must question whether or not the information derived from the specific media at hand is trustworthy. I found it interesting that “it has taken millennia for humanity to produce democratized media.” The fact that the moveable type and printing press, way back when, is where this all started intrigues me. I never would have thought to look at those inventions as the first profound democratization of media.
Chapter