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Nvm, give me the wheel.

Whenever, we allow media to take the wheel and shoot content into our brains they are controlling us and showing us what they want us to see, and in many cases not what we should see. When we look at television, video games, computers and all of the images and advertising that goes into them they start to become real through us, the consumer of them. We are the ones who make virtual worlds come to life, we are the ones who turn fictional characters into real people. Personally, I want blame Disney for a lot of this, but in reality it is our own fault for accepting it, and that is how fantasy becomes reality. Through a force fed brain.

“Always assume that when you are plugged in, the Media are Persuading You”

-Dill, How Fantasy Becomes Reality

The idea that what we see on TV, read in magazines, view on the computer (and so on) is all just entertainment is an idea that needs to soon expire. Everything, and that includes everything is some type of way is influencing your brain the think a certain way. We have to disconnect ourselves from all that is media or at least cut back. It is imperative for us to wake up, take the wheel and make sure we control what we believe and to not be persuaded by mass media. Its time to for our brains to put down the fork. It is time for America to go on a media diet

Helpful link about the Human body and how it is designed to move. Check it out!

https://www.acefitness.org/blog/5282/proof-that-the-human-body-was-made-to-move

Dill-Shackleford, K. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2, 6, and 9

Take the wheel.

---Chapter 9 from Dills book---

According to Dill, Americans spend two thirds of their waking lives plugged into mass media, and our children spend more time staring at screens than in school. Think about that. Students are actually getting less information from schools and institutions that are supposed to teach young children everything about life, but instead being exposed to media is teaching children from a young age that certain things are normal. For example, any child that plays video games (good ones anyway) will see violence in some shape or form. There are not many video games that can get away with not showing violence, it is exciting and it is what sells. In the chapter, Dill included a quote from Paddy Cheyefsky’s award winning network. The quote in its entirety sums up consumers as a whole. We are the sheep and the media is feeding us whatever it wants and we eat it without question. It is true. We always unconsciously take information, store it and when its time to use that information again we may sometimes use it inappropriately. A lot of the information we see on the internet or even TV is not true in a sense that in real life there are other situations that can be different. An example would be, homosexual portrayal in media.

Buy it, because you cant help it.

-Chapter Six of Dill’s book-

As humans we learn through basic observable principles this is called behaviorism. An example of this would be learning not to touch something that is hot because it will burn. It only takes one time for the brain to understand that this behavior is detrimental to the body and will always remember. Another example of behaviorism could be a child observing how to play with others. A child can learn how to play by interacting with other children and observing how they play. Dill includes the experiments performed by John B. Watson. One of the most famous experiments is the Little Albert experiment. As mean as the experiment may sound it is actually interesting. In the experiment Watson was able to make a young baby (Albert) afraid of a fluffy white rabbit and a stuffed toy version of the rabbit as well by using conditioning and behavioral techniques. By relating the rabbit with a scary sound to frighten the baby, Watson was able to make the baby cry whenever he was offered a soft rabbit or even a soft stuffed animal toy. The reason behind this was because the brain automatically developed the rabbit with that scary sound so the baby would cry even if there was no sound. The experiment unfortunately wasn’t allowed to continue due to the mother feeling uneasy about the whole experiment. The effects of conditioning are reversible however, a relapse effect can occur later on in the early stages of childhood. This was an important experiment because not only did it allow many psychologists to understand the developing brain at a young age but it also allowed Watson to change advertising forever.

By taking this research to advertisers Watson was able to change advertising so that It no longer just offered a product and told you to buy it. It literally forces your brain into think that you want that product or that you need it just by manipulation. It ranges from food all the way to making and fashion. We see things on Television that make us hungry, make us feel unattractive etc. After being exposed to media like this for so long it is now even seen as the norms for society when we see the slim bikini model, or when we see the perfectly sculpted firefighter model. When in reality it’s the exact opposite.

This picture, taken from the video game Bioshock( a fantasy world) is a strong representation of the advertising in reality. Its terribly misleading and detrimental. The mirror neurons in our brains responsible for development are taking note of the smiling woman holding a cigarette while she is pregnant. Then the words on the side help to enforce the whole idea. none the less using words like smooth and crave can lead on to think that the need a smoke when they do not. This form of advertising is unethical in my honest opinion. but it isn’t illegal. So just have to take the “ L” on this one

Disclaimer: Women if you’re pregnant please do not smoke or consume alcohol.

Dill-Shackleford, K. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2, 6, and 9

Not our kids! (cont.)

Dill writes more about the subject and explores the subject of kids and the internet. There was a study done by the academic journal Developmental Psychology that published an issue devoted to the internet usage of pre-teens and teens. The studies showed that about 80 to 90 percent of teens use the internet for most of their social interactions. Some of the interactions include social media forms such as e-mail, instant messenger, twitter, Instagram, Facebook and many more. The number of children exposed to technology and internet media may seem high, however not all is as bad as it may seem. The study also looked at the positive effects of youth and the use of the internet. The study showed that lower income children who have access to the internet actually helped improve their abilities to learn in school. Having access to information at the tip of your fingertips is a way to help retain information. Honestly if you think about it, having a phone is similar to having a hard drive for our brains. We can store and look up any information in the blink of an instant. Its revolutionary. In my opinion technology isn’t half bad. Although my opinion is biased as I was born into this realm of digital excellence.

Dill-Shackleford, K. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2, 6, and 9

What Was the Little Albert Experiment? (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2016, from http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm

Not our kids!

-Chapter Two of How Fantasy becomes Reality. Karen E. Dill-

Our world is overflowing with information in this digital age. Today, we have access to literally a limitless source of information all through media. Some of us were born into it as natives. Everything from TV to Ipads, anyone born after 1990 is just about taught how to use electronics starting in elementary school and sometimes even earlier. While technology and media seems harmless enough at first, it only poses the question, what kind of toll can technology and media take on the brain after years of prolonged use? Dill writes in her book that children who watch TV at a young age are more susceptible to memory issues when they get older. Over time researchers found that after watching hours of television at ages one to three these children were more likely to have attention span problems at age seven. This is mainly because that the brains of young toddlers are developing very quickly and most of what young children first learn comes from their surroundings and what they’re exposed to. What this means is that while we think that using technology and being exposed to media may seem like a harmless activity, it actually does have an effect on our brains (especially at a young age) and how we think, feel, and even learn.

Helpful links

Here’s a link to a website that can show different ways to raise a baby on a low media diet. You don’t even have to say thank you.

http://www.mamanatural.com/how-to-raise-a-low-media-child

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Nothing makes my blood rush like hearing the music combined with the visuals, and knowing what comes next. The fight.

This is one of the Primals “Garuda” from the game.

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Everything ends.

The current player base for FFXIV is somewhere in between 3 to 4 million accounts registered and roughly 500,000 logins a day. Its hard to say how long FFXIV will last as a game, but for the time being it is going strong. Alas while it may be doing well for itself now, all good things must eventually come to an end, yet fear not. this is the fourteenth installment of the game series and the fifteenth is already set in stone.

“Celebrating 4 Million Accounts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2016, from http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/24d3c419fae62ce2771b4b0b7d01c6348ab5d5e5″

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Cons... Fonz? no?

---This game, isn’t free---

---This game, is addictive---

Cons suck, and the first two cons for this game and any good MMO, is that it isn’t free, but it is addictive. REALLY addictive. With my own experiments and research I’ve done for my journalism class, it is apparent that playing this game, and then stopping, is very hard to do unless of course this isn’t your style of gaming in which case, hats off to you. I sure couldn’t resist playing. So when they ask for $15 bucks a month just to keep playing, you know my wallet is gonna be hurting when the time comes however the pain subsides when i realize I have another thirty days before I have to pay to play again. Still, I don’t hate myself for anything except for the fact that I’m willing to pay $15 for a video game.

---This game is really time consuming---

I cant even begin to tell you how much time I’ve put into this game. Im not lying when I saying that this game will consume your life. Now if you have nothing important to do than I encourage you to play until you’re sick of it. But if you have to go to work, school, or like me both, then you’re gonna have to find something to do to keep your mind off of wanting to play this game all day.

---Transportation theory, it happens every time---

Being immersed in what is created to represent a world that can only be described as a fantasy version of our own world, no doubt can make you feel like a part of that world. especially as you get to know the characters, understand they’re motives and anything else.but not only that. When i actually communicate with other people in that world it only makes me feel that much more a part of it. After playing for a while I would feel drained or tired when i finally stopped even though i wasn’t doing anything but sitting down.

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C’mon, who doesnt want to make it rain giant meteors on their enemies?

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Pros Bros

---The game is highly addicting. It is because it has to be. (This is a good thing.)---

When playing video games in general, we wouldn’t want to play a game that doesn’t keep us captivated. Video games are supposed to be fun. They’re supposed to have you on the edge of your seat, eyes wide open, tunnel vision the whole nine. If video games didn’t keep me coming back for more they way FFXIV does then I simply wouldn’t play them. FFXIV does a great way of keeping me busy and I always have a great time playing this game.

---Social interaction between players---

“Gaming by itself is already fun, and now you want me to play with my friends and any other player in the world that also owns the game and loves it as much as I do?

In this case it doesn’t even have to be gaming anymore. Doing anything with your friends or with people who enjoy it as much as you do is fun. That can be anything from playing basketball to laying on the beach. Interacting with other people is just what life is all about.

---Can be a relaxing way to end the day---

Nothing beats getting home from a long day of studying or working, then being able to plop on the couch for a couple of hours playing your favorite video game. The action itself is almost therapeutic. it really helps wind down my mind and refresh it for the next day.

---It’s fun.---

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Yes, more likely than not. The virtual internet would be full of Ads. and lets be honest no one wants to be attacked by flying advertisements, and that my friends is when you introduce the gaming side of the internet. By introducing social media in the form of a video game, its easier to bypass the advertising you would see on facebook, google, and others. Of course while social media gaming is ad free, it isn’t cost free. Which leads us to our pros and cons of not only FFXIV but almost any good MMO.

Below is an interesting link. It is a video that explains hoe certain types of advertsing is more effective. When you get the chance check it out!

https://youtu.be/8gTnIwBQUmQ

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Social Gaming? Take my money.

FFXIV and some MMOs alike, are really great games. They take you on an immersive journey through the a story in where you can control every turn the story takes. You are in complete control of every single aspect of your own experience, and what makes it better is that it has online capabilities and allows one to play with many. Imagine taking facebook or (the dated) myspace and turning it into a virtual world, where you could walk around, interact with other people in that world, make friends, and do things together with them (like you normally would in real life anyway, right?) have a job, be good at something, etc. Well this game allows you to do that but in a different perspective, a virtual perspective. it would probably resemble something like this...

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