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| Welcome to MediaConspiracy.org! |
MediaConspiracy.org
is a brand new site, dedicated to exploring the media jungle
that we find ourselves entombed in. I would encourage everyone
to read the "about
the site" section (linked on the left) to get a good
feel for the site, the language used, and what the goals of
this site are. Besides the links to the left, there are seven
boxes up at the top right. The first five are titled with
a different form of media. The last two are sections on how
our children are being affected, and what the future holds
in store for us, as new technology is constantly changing
the way we get our information. Information is our environment,
and we find information everywhere. All seven of these boxes
link to sections of this website containing articles and information
about that form of media, as well as a brief history and overview
of the technology used.
I invite you to look through
this site at your leisure, and let me know what you think.
You can find my email address in the "about
the author" section, and you can also feel free to
leave a message or two on the message
board. If you have written an article that you would like
to publish on this site, contact me. I am interested in many
different points of view, including yours. This site is a
community effort, and without friends and contributors, my
own ideas would not be what they are today.
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| Using this site effectively... |
There's
(going to be) a lot of stuff here. I wouldn't want anyone
getting lost. So, if you ever find yourself in a place where
you don't know how to get back, just click on the MediaConspiracy.org
title in the top left corner. You'll come right back here,
hopefully refreshed and ready to go explore some more. I'm
now going to do my best to explain all the sections, as some
might be a little unclear.
Print
This is where it all began. I could go back to town criers
and the writings on the egyptian walls, but for simplicity,
I'm going to start with the newspaper. Print media would include
newspapers, brochures, magazines, journals, books, and practically
anything you see on paper. The printing press revolutionized
the way information was spread, and the spreading of information
is what media is all about.
Radio
As soon as man discovered he could transmit sound over radio
waves, a whole new form of media emerged. Soon, radio carried
many different programs, from music to dramatic storytelling.
Almost all radio programming carried some form of news broadcast.
Today, there are only a few types of programming left. Music
radio is the dominant form of broadcast on the FM band, and
Talk radio, News radio, and Sports radio dominate the AM band.
All of these forms distribute information to us, and can be
described as a form of media.
Screen
This section is about movies, films, and everything one would
have to go to a theater to see. Of course, no-one goes to
a theater or cinema (cinema is the more proper word to use)
to see news. But, movies feed us information in a much more
appealing way. Scripts are written to mirror and parody current
events, past events, and social situations. Every film is
a social commentary, and we learn alot from the movies. I
intend to explore exactly what they are teaching us.
Web
The internet has become one of the most widely used media
outlets. You remember the term "information superhighway"?
Well, the internet has lived up to that description. There
is way more information on the internet than anyone could
hope to read through in a lifetime. The free exchange of information
has its drawbacks, however. Advertising wasted no time in
finding the internet. People must pay to access it, and often
pay again to access certain information. There is also no
way of knowing how credible the information is. I present
any information on this site as theory. It's entirely up to
you whether to believe it or not. I also hope to never have
to charge anyone to use this site, although when I write my
book, I would appreciate it if a few of you decided to buy
it :)
Kids
What has happened to our children? ADD? Ritalin? Prozac? Are
our children really that much worse than they were 50 years
ago? 100 years ago? I believe the media has had a large influence
on our children over the last 50 years, and anyone who has
watched Barney or the Teletubbies must agree that things have
changed. I'm going to explore the effects of media on our
children, mostly television, movies, and the internet.
Future
20 years ago, no-one would believe that we would be getting
up-to-date newsfeeds transmitted into our living rooms at
no ridiculous charge. Now, that is a reality. Video conferencing?
Two-way video communication? Multi-way video communication?
A phone that you can take anywhere and get your email, sports
scores, and your business calender transmitted to? These are
now here. There are already plans for interactive television,
where not only could you watch the programming, you could
also change camera angles, or even have a say in which commercials
and advertisements you watch. This section will be dedicated
to keeping up to date with new technology, and discussing
its possible effects on society.
A little more about the left side....
You have noticed that there's links over on the left (nearer
to the top, scroll up) for a variety of things. The introduction
you have just read is nothing compared to what is available
in the Introduction section, with information about
the purpose and nature of this website,
as well as biographical, philosphical, and contact information
for me, the author.
It's no fun reading a bunch of words if you don't know something
about who's writing them. The next section, Updates,
is about the new stuff. I'm building this site from scratch,
writing a bit whenever I get the chance. Other friends are (hopefully)
going to be doing some writing too. The new articles will
be covered in the "new
articles" section, and any time I add something new,
such as a chat room or mailing list or whatever you suggest,
it will be in the "new
features" section. I hope to get a good search engine
working soon. Next section, Community. Thats us and
you, hopefully. My friends who write articles for this site
will be found here, and so will the message board, where everyone
is welcome to stop by and share a new point of view, or argue
a theory. Which, brings us to the final section, the Resources.
You'll find a lot of links here, from links to other
sites that have information on this HUGE topic, to message
boards where you can find my friends, to all of the major
world news sites and television stations. I'm even going to
supply a reading
list, and try to find places to get all these fabulous
books, such as Amazon.com
or Barnes
and Noble.
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| Outtro... |
Well, that's
about it. I know it's a lot for a front page, but its nothing
really compared to what lies beyond. Happy browsing, and be
sure to tell me what you think on the message
board, or drop me an email.
>>Eric
Sedgley
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