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Television as a change in medium, culture
- Difference between medium and technology
- TV technology is used around the world (though it varies)
- It can vary from one culture to another, greatly
- Is a change in medium important? Or are they all just 'extensions' of the previous media?
- horse buggy and automobile
- typewriter and computer
- 45 rpm record, MP3, video
- cannons and nuclear warheads
- books and TV??
- Can serious subjects be discussed on TV (depth, quality, entertainment demands, expense, language and audience, attention span)?
- How is information processed?
- TV is 'real time' (for the most part . . . there is DVR technology)
- images vs text
- Does DVR technology change the crucial relationship between television and advertising?
- How important is the image in determining TV news content?
- Postman, TV and show business
(in)Famous debate moments
TV presidencies
- choosing candidates
- 'likeability'
- manufacturing the 'right' persona (McCain the 'maverick' vs Obama the 'change agent')
- campaigning, advertising
TV and show business
- Postman's argument--show business isn't just good for business (meaning what?)--it is the tail wagging the dog.
- People come to expect to be entertained
- Entertainment and production values take priority over content. As Marshall McLuhan once said, the medium becomes the message.
- the Consequences? If people rely on TV--at least those who even bother to follow the news--and TV news is driven by entertainment values, what do we get for political discourse?
TV News??
Unique TV distortions
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