Blog #1

I interviewed my grandpa (68) and he is a photographer for Associated Press, my step-dad (43) who is an accountant for the yearbook division of Lifetouch, my mom (42) who is a loan-processor, and my sister (18) who is a pharmacy major at Madison. Each person that I interviewed had a similar opinion on what media is and how the media impacts them. There were slight differences between the men and women, but age did not seem to have significant impact on the results.

All of the interviewees felt that media is a source of communication and it keeps them informed on what is going on in the world and that media is the news, Internet, newspapers, etc. The men were more descriptive in their answers on 'what is media?' and this could be because of their careers in the media industry or just personality. In response to the 'how do the media impact your life' question, all of the subjects responded that media keeps them connected and gives them information. They phrased their answers in different ways but they all meant the same thing. The other question that I asked my subjects was 'what is your favorite medium/source of media?'. My step-dad replied with Internet because you read it and are able to sort through the bias, my grandpa responded with photographs because they evoke emotions (and it might have something to do with the fact that he is a photographer). My mom said TV news because it's convenient and my sister said TV because it's appealing. These answers did seem to vary by age and also by gender. The girls seemed to go by more of convenience and what appealed to them and the men went by what they had more control over in a sense. The last question was 'how influential is the media in American society'. The general consensus on this question was too influential and people buy into it without all of the facts.

Each person had their own preferences as to which media outlets they prefer based on convenience and availability but the general perceptions about media's influence in society and what media is were across the board unanimous. The men seemed to try and make media work for them and the women seemed to try and find a convenience in the media but for my interview, age had no significant impact.