An Obstinate Audience

The obstinate audience caught my attention when reading this section in chapter 26. The section focused on the fact that the audience does not always interpret the ideology that the media presents. According to Griffin (2009), “there are three decoding options to obstinate audiences and they are as follows: operating inside the dominate code, applying a negotiable code, and substituting an oppositional code” (p. 342). The one that made the most sense is substituting an oppositional code. I am currently reading a book titled Muhajababes by Allegra Stratton. The book focuses on the very definition of this code, “the audience sees through the establishment bias in the media presentation and mounts an organized effort to demythologize the news. In Muhajababes the youth of Middle Eastern Countries are beginning to engage in a cultural identity of their own and are making efforts to produce their own media to counter that which is being viewed.

Digital Age

Earlier I mentioned that there were a few perspectives from chapter 24 that intrigued me. I blogged about the electronic age but I want to comment on the digital age as well. Griffin (2009) defines the digital age as, “A possible fifth era of specialized electronic tribes contentious over diverse beliefs and values” (p. 317). The text mentions how the electronic age is part of the digital age because it is the “power source”. The reliance on digital technology is becoming more abundant as time moves on and increasingly easier for members of society to have access. With that being said how reliant will we become on digital technology?

Some thoughts about the electronic age

Chapter 24 brought up a few perspectives that I would not have never considered. The one that caught my attention was from the electronic age. The first thing that intrigued me was the mention that sound and touch is more important than sight. It is some what true when you think about it. Books use the eyes and that is it. With the electronic age Griffin states, “Whereas the book extended the eye, electronic circuitry extends the central nervous system” (p. 317). This makes me think of neuroplasticity. I know this probably sounds foreign to most of you but I work in a nursing/biology department and we just discussed this. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to adapt. You might have heard of a blind person whose sense of hearing increased as they went blind. This is the ability of the nerve cells to form a new connection to the neuron. Alright enough of the medical jargon, my point is that through out time of the different ages as we change how we communicate the neurons change as well. This might be why it is so difficult for some seniors want to experience electronic media. It’s something to think about.