I’m one of those people others find annoying to watch TV with, mostly because I always have something to say about what’s going on. No, I’m serious. One time I was laughing so hard at a show my roommate was watching (because I thought it was ridiculous), she yelled at me and I had to leave the room until I could come back out calmer and quieter. I tried coming back out once, then just gave up and went straight to my room for the night. I’m working on being more open-minded, I swear. Through this course, I will try to reject the high vs. low culture hierarchy, and not be ashamed or embarrassed to sit through Dr. Drew’s special on MTV’s Teen Mom so I can spend more quality time with my roommate.
Media criticism is the systematic study of media texts, like reality TV, news and advertisements, to understand them as meaningful sociocultural symbolic forms and forces. There are critics of everything – art, sports, and scientific inquiries. Media is no different. One of the reasons studying media criticism is so essential is because being from a generation of those raised partially by electronic babysitters, I can attribute most of the influences to the little screen in the family room. Television especially allowed me the experience to pick up social cues, learn facts about medical conditions, law and forensics (thanks, CSI:NY), and provide me a play date with characters who serve as a partial functional replacement for real social relationships. But, I do have real friends, I promise.
