Global Media in a Digital Age

When I was younger, I would watch cable television just about everyday.  I would flip from Nickelodeon to Comedy Central to Comcast Sports Net to Animal Planet.  Every now and then, I would use my cable provider's "On-Demand" option to choose certain shows to watch, but the selection to choose from was very limited.  Now, through media convergence, all media forms are available however we want and whenever we want.  A few taps on a smartphone screen can bring us to a news article, a video game, or a tv streaming service.  People no longer need to flip through channels and wait for their desired show to come on; they can find their favorite shows on various streaming services. I have noticed lately that I don't use cable television unless it is for watching a sporting event (Marquee Network made it more difficult to watch Cubs games, but luckily they partnered with Xfinity last-minute).  Even then, North Central doesn't offer cable television anymore, so I h...

A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the internet.  Podcasts are like tv shows in that there are episodes and seasons, but there are no visual items attached to the file.  They are only for the ears.  They can cover just about any topic that one desires, from movies to music to life advice to politics.  Anybody has the liberty to start a podcast of their own, but only a handful of podcasts turn out to be successful and continuous.  Podcasts, while simple in nature, are more work than they seem.  I know this from experience. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, my friend and I started our very own podcast.  We were bored being stuck in our rooms all day everyday, so we needed some sort of outlet for our huge comedic personalities.  We were recommended by a peer to start this podcast because they knew our abilities to create good content was unmatched.  So, we promptly began planning out our episodes.  As outlined in the Nor...

    Limp Bizkit is a nu-metal band that was formed in the 90s.  Although they technically fall under one musical genre, their style has a wide range of variety.  As Ben Stiller puts it on the outro track to their Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water  album, no one can mix rap, hip hop, thrash, punk, and metal  (4:22) together like Limp Bizkit can.  However, their unique sound doesn't equate to popularity.  Well, at least it doesn't equate to popularity nowadays.  At their beginning, Limp Bizkit was one of the hugest bands on the scene.  They were the perfect sound for the young generation to use to release their emotions.  Limp Bizkit was the epitome of "okay, boomer" of the late 90s and early 2000s.  After their first three to four albums, their popularity level fell off and a universal hate for the band became the norm.  Much to blame for this shift is front man Fred Durst.     Fred Durst is very ou...

Summer after my sophomore year of high school, I found myself whistling a tune that I had heard before in a YouTube video.  My brother and his friend heard me and asked why I was whistling that specific song.  I didn't have a reason other than I liked the way it sounded.  They told me it was the theme song of a really messed up movie named Requiem for a Dream .  They told me all of these horror stories about how the movie messes with peoples' minds and is a tough watch.  I was up for the challenge.  Sure enough, the movie was available on Xfinity On-Demand and I watched it that night.  Much to my surprise, I didn't think it was that bad.  It was intense at times, but it wasn't enough to evoke nightmares. Requiem for a Dream is a movie that follows four main characters and their addictions.  The main characters are Harry, Sara, Marion, and Tyrone.  Each of those four hold dreams but their addictions ultimately gatekeep them from reaching...

    Political turmoil has crippled the United States recently as citizens and government officials cling to their ideologies.  Year by year, the world has seen the line separating liberals and conservatives become more defined.  Recent presidential races have caused most citizens of the United States to choose a side, learning to hate one that holds a different view from their own.  To pile things on, the recent Black Lives Matter movement, COVID-19, and climate change have been a few of the largest points of debate that have caused people to choose sides.     The vast majority of US citizens do not have the ability to perform their own field research and rely on various forms of media to receive their information on these topics.  Broadcast news television channels are traditionally the most popular form of media in which people obtain their information.  CNN and Fox News are the most widely-known and viewed news channels that cover nationwi...