Media & Family Development

In class and readings this week, we focused on video games.  I knew that video games has a large influence and importance in many people's lives. However, as someone who did not have older siblings who played video games, I was shocked to learn about the amount of time and energy people spent on video games. The statistics and stories linked with people who play pathologically have interesting statistics in the links to negative mental health, lower social abilities, and increased ADHD. I also thought the stories of those who have left partners for playing too much or for unrealistic expectations set because of video games shocked me. I have always thought of video games as something fun every once in a while to build connections with people but these statistics have shocked me this week! 

  Like many people, I feel like Harry Potter was a huge part of my development. I remember waiting for the movies to come out and going to the theater to watch them! I dreamed of getting a letter to Hogwarts and becoming a witch. It felt like a real world that I could be a part of!But, while the letter never came, I still feel very connected to the characters and that Wizarding World. The article we read this week was about how a therapist uses the Harry Potter stories in their therapy techniques. It was so extremely interesting to read how the people reading could find ways to explain how they felt using Harry Potter references. I loved reading about how a Boggart was an easy to way express their greatest fears and how they could overcome them by making it silly. Another use was the Mirror of Erised where the patients explain what they might see in the mirror. This mirror, which is only seen in the first book/movie, is supposed to show the greatest desires of those looking at it. ...

     This week we talked about music as media! It seems like common sense to acknowledge music as the earliest form of media. However, it was a cool reminder to note how opposed people were to music changing throughout the years and labeling new genres as transgressive. The influence of music is an extremely interesting topic to cover. It is hard to pinpoint exactly how music influences a person but it seems to always be there. I have been on so many first dates where one of the first questions is "what do you like to listen to?" or "what is your music taste?". It seems like music is such an integral part of our relationships, who we interact with, and how we get to know each other. Clearly music has a very important role in our development. It makes sense that violent type songs will influence more violent actions and positive songs will help boost us because other forms of media have that same effect. Music defines all experiences and can carry that feeling no mat...

 I thought the article, "A Mean Read" by Dr. Coyne, about books was very interesting! I know books seem to be a dying form of media but they are actually incredibly mainstream, especially for children in schools. Kids are constantly asked to read. The variety in books continues to grow. However, it is so interesting to note how little research there is on the effects of books. The reading reports how adolescents is important and has a profound impact on their self-esteem. This suggests that adolescents are continuously interested in books and reading. Yet, even though it is a common theme for studying in other forms of media, there is no research on violence in books. It was also important for me to see the format of the paper from a content analysis perspective. The findings showed that a form of violence is in every single book! That was news to me! Children are constantly being showed that violence is extremely common with no real consequences. What are the next steps for ...