Laws of Communications Media

Media arises as attempts by humans to solve problems of information. Essential questions to ask are: “What and whose problem does a medium answer?”

This is one of the laws of communication media that we received in class today. I found this one particularly interesting because it would appear that in an attempt to solve problems of information, the media today has created many problems, or at least, has been blamed for many problems. Spreading information too fast, not having privacy, making us immune to drastic and important information and developing an eye for only entertainment are a few of the supposed ‘effects’ of the media.

I believe that the medium of television was designed to solve the problem of human communication in faster time, and on a wider audience level. This problem is put forth by human individuals, as they seek information at a higher level than newspaper, radio or by ear.
This then raises the question, is television really all that better a medium then newspaper? This is just a list of some of the things I see as being special to each medium.

Newspaper invokes the use of our sight, by reading and looking at pictures.
Newspapers do not rush us while reading or learning about a subject or event.
Newspapers are daily.
Newspapers allow us to interpret the information in our own mind. We do not physically hear the voice of another individual telling us the information.
Newspapers allow us to reflect on past news also. We can keep them, save them, refer to them if we choose to in the future. The news does not simply disappear.

Television gets to many, many people within seconds of the event, with occuring news.
Television provokes both our hearing and our sight.
Television allows for multiple images to be displayed while we watch the information, in hopes of providing us with a better understanding.
Television is not only daily, but hourly.
Television can give us information from numerous sources and direct individuals.

The newspaper places ads within its stories just as television places commercials between its shows. Both provide information through another individual. The content of both mediums is also edited and cut based on the director’s or editor’s wishes.

In addition, I wonder if instantaneous information is really all that positive? Watching live, alarming action can cause panic and mayhem in people. Consider the poor individuals who had to watch their love ones die on television during September 11th. On the other side, being able to watch the first man on the moon as it was happening was a momentous occasion shared with the world. Perhaps it is the control over what we video tape and record that must be adjusted.
I really do not see a problem with the medium of television if people learn to use it wisely. This goes for all things in life.

The problematic issue is more directed at entertainment. Entertainment and reality are intertwine within each other as families watch their late television shows. How do we solve this? One might propose a separate channel, no commercials? Would people still regard hard news as just something that’s happening but of no real concern?

All mediums essentially do the same thing, spread information and provide information to the people. As technology advances, we find ‘better’ ways to do this. What is next?? What problem with communication do we have now? Television does a good job of delivering information to the homes of people and provides up-to-date information. The way in which it is providing this information, and how individuals interpret it causes the dilemma. I do not feel that mediums can fix our communication problems. How people take in the medium, how they interpret the medium, how information is communicated is the main issue at hand.

Lipton, Mark. "Some Laws of Communications Media." Mass Communications. The University of GuelphHumber, Toronto,ON. 26 September 2007.