Entertaining Our Perceptions

In Professor Yuan’s lecture she talks about how people use different types of media and media convergence. A lot of us spend a good amount of time watching television, whether it is through our television sets or the internet. Now days we have a variety of choices when it comes to t.v. shows thanks to specialized networks. There are over 100 different channels covering all types of interests from music, sports, reality shows, cooking shows, and the list goes on. What is interesting is that with all of these different options at our finger tips we usually have a handful of channels that we are dedicated to watching. I know that when I’m flipping through the t.v. guide I immediately check what’s on E!, Bravo, and the Oxygen channel (all networks heavily marketed to  young women). My boyfriend usually rolls his eyes, at some point steals the remote and checks what’s on HGTV or ESPN, channels that cater more to the likes of him.

In class we’ve discussed the process of perception and how our minds unconsciously develop schemas and frame certain information to be more important or salient. This is essentially what television networks do; focusing our attention on certain topics/interests that appeal to our personal perception. It is important for television networks to frame t.v. shows in the right way in order to keep the audience coming back. Professor Yuan referred to this idea as audience polarization, which refers to the way audiences select or seek out certain kinds of media content creating audience loyalty. On the other audience fragmentation describes how audiences are offered a variety of choices. Both are true. Although we are offered a variety of content, I believe the media’s intention is to polarize their audience. As cultural gate keepers not only do they dictate our behavior, but they do it in a way that is entertaining to us.