Technology Changes and Radio Industry.

Technological changes had a huge impact on shaping Radio Industry back in 1920s. It allowed transmission of sound through wireless communication system, and it is the basic foundation of radio development. Without technology such as vacuum tube or wireless telegraph that was discovered in early 1900s, radio industry would not have such a rapid development in 1920s.

Guglielmo Marconi and Lee de Forest were the two major pivots of technology changes. They invented wireless telegraph and vacuum tube respectively, which are the keys that opened the door for the massive radio developments. They permitted the transmission of sounds and waves through wireless system electronically. Not only work in radio industry, the wireless signals can be also used for rescuing a sea disaster. One of the examples of those technology changes’ impact on radio industry is the station KDKA. Right after the establishment of first broadcasting station KDKA in Pittsburgh in United States, the golden age of radio industry has begun. The popularity of radio usage among families in US had increased rapidly.

Social Learning

The concept of social learning helps me to understand that the impact of distorted representations of ideal female beauty has been enormous.

The imitation of behaviors or images presented by the media over certain period of time is called social learning. Social learning has played a substantial role in not only our behaviors but also our way of thinking. The constant, repeating messages and images that media presents are definitely affecting our values and manipulating audiences’ behaviors whether consciously or unconsciously.  People are easily influenced by the environment they grew up with. Those naïve, impressionable minds of young children are greatly shaped by the messages derived from media.

One of the typical examples of social learning is impact of advertisements of absolutely flawless female beauty on today’s generation. The overwhelming pictures of ideal female beauty on televisions, magazines, advertisements have truly manipulated our minds. They are not just pictures any more. The fact that 20% of high school girls have eating disorder undoubtedly proved that those pictures are now negatively affecting women’s values and health. We are blindly following and mocking what’s presented on the screen that is considered attractive and beautiful. In “Killing Us Softly”, Jean Kilbourne points out that the primary message that young girls get in our culture today is to be unusually thin and flawless beautiful in order to be acceptable. This distorted values forms gradually when we are surrounded by and growing up with those advertisements.  Females are greatly affected by the images presented by the media.

Framing

The concept of framing helps me to understand how a simple image that media presents could affect how we think. During the Iraq War, the two Medias cropped the original photo in two ways in order to persuade their audiences.


Framing is basically how media presenting images and arranging words so that audience could interpret the messages the way media wanted. The dictions, phrases and pictures that media uses will definitely influence how we think and comprehend. Media Framing plays an important role in the society because it not only leads audiences to a certain perspective to see things, but also determines what and where audiences draw attention to. Gorge Lakeoff, a professor at UC Berkley, says that framing are perceptual—They are analogous to optical illusions in terms of whether the glass is half full or half empty. In conclusion, framing is how the media manipulate our viewpoint through its word choices and images.

The picture on the left best illustrates how media framing can twist things around by just presenting different parts of a picture. The left part of this photo reflects how the captive was abused, which could simply instigate audiences to advocate a war. On the other hand, the right side of this photo depicts a totally different story which American soldier treated the captive well. From this perspective, the anti-war media can also use this photo to persuade audiences. Media filters and selects the information they desired so that they can direct audiences’ judgment.