Todd Gitlin Summary on Media

Todd Gitlin is a not fitting author innate(p) in sensitive York City. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a PhD in sociology and was heavily involved in the Students for a Democratic community group. Gitlin is now a professor at New York University where he teaches culture, journalism, and sociology. Gitlins selection, Supersaturation, or, The Media flowage and Dispos adapted Feeling, comes from his book Media Unlimited How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives (2001).In this selection, Gitlin discovers how private lives and domestic s strides consecrate evolved from the s raseteenth-century until now. He feels as though our one quantify private households be now dominated by different laic things in the form of media. There are m any ideas in Todd Gitlins writings that support his view of our media influenced piece, two of which, are the ideas of supersaturation and clearable feeling. According to dictionary. com the definition of supersaturation is to increase the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation.Gitlin uses the word supersaturation to describe the focal point immediatelys world has completely absorbed the media and its relations. Society has become immersed in the gossip and images displayed by the media. The lines between spiritedness space and working space are no longer as manifest as they use to be. Gitlin states that, the outside world has entered the home with vengeance in the profusion of media (Gitlin 558). Relating to this same concept, Gitlin uses the idea of disposable feeling to explain the way people of today are able to move from one worldly image to the next, one piece of gossip to an different, with no concern.We are able to shrug them off and come back to them later if we choose to do so. In some of Gitlins research, he refers to the writings of analyst Raymond Williams who states, What we cod now is drama as habitual experience, to a greater extent in a week, in many cases, than most human beings would previously have seen in a alivenesstime (Gitlin 559). We have become immune to true feelings for somebody images and stories, and thrive on the idea of the next gossip that will follow. In this selection of the book, Gitlin discusses a seventeenth-century Dutch painter by the name of Vermeer.Vermeer was cognise for being able tofreeze instants, but instants that spoke of the relative constancy of the world in which his subjects lived (Gitlin 558). muckle collected Vermeers paintings for display throughout their homes. Gitlin sees Vermeer as the seventeenth-century version of the media. In that time, the images painted were relative to the peoples date and private world. In todays world Vermeer would be the combining weight to a celebrity photographer or movie director.If Vermeer, or any other artist of his time, were to see todays households, they would find that the once private space inside the home is now much more dominated by images of the outside world than what would have been possible in the 1600s. As mentioned in Gitlins research, statistics show that, catching TV is the rife leisure body process of Americans, consuming 40 percent of the average soulfulnesss free time as a primary activity when people give television there undivided attention (Gitlin 560). Even the wealthier split of poor worlds have access to some sort of media.It would live with somebody from a third world country to be stunned by the fact that our lives are constantly portrayed through television, radio, internet and other forms of media. People of today come in contact with more schooling in a single day than any one somebody of Vermeers time could have ever imagined. The media surrounds our world in every aspect of bon ton. Gitlin notes in his writings that the statistics referenced dont take into account the billboards, the TVs at bars and on planes, the Muzak in restaurants and shops . . . nd logos whizzing by on the sides of buses and taxis, climbing the walls of buildings, making announcements from caps, bags, T-shirts, and sneakers (Gitlin 563). convey to all of the modish technology and communication systems people are able to connect to the outside world whenever we like. In Gitlins conclusion he goes on to explain that our personal opinion is no longer of import to the world. People of our time are followers rather than leaders, and are consistently being sucked in to how the media says we should live our lives.Gitlin feels that the way we live our lives, or spend it, (563) determines who we are. Our lives have become completely consumed with technology and the latest electronics. Gitlin argues that even in our most private times we cannot bring ourselves to stay clear of the media. Our life experience has become an experience in the presence of media (Gitlin 563). In seventeenth-century time this degree of media dependence would be unthinkable. Earls ViewIn my reading of Todd Gitli ns Supersaturation, or, the Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Gitlin on the matter of an overwhelming media presence in todays world. The media has become such a large influence on everything on society. From TV, internet, and cell phones to billboards, magazines, and newspapers, it has become nearly impossible to be media free. way out along with Gitlins opinion on the subject, I agree that even in our seemingly private home lives, we continue to depend on media and other electronic entertainment.In this day and age people are constantly fixated with staying connected with the outside world through the media using hopeful phones, emails, news, social networks and sports. As technology continues to advance we become consumed with the idea of having the latest and the best gadgets to take for us linked to media at all times. These gadgets have become part of our daily routine to frustrate on society. People feel lost when they c ant check there emails or their status on Facebook.Dinner in a home used to be eating at the dining room table and having conversations almost your day but has now become sitting in the living room and watching TV. Even children have been affected by this media trend. They watch more TV than reading books. There are TV shows to cooperate them learn rather than reading books for math, science and English. It is clear that the world is being dominated by media. The world has evolved in to a smart, fast pace place where we have to know everything that goes on, not just where we live and whats going on in our lives but the entire world as well. We spend all our money on top of the line, expensive electronics to keep up to date with media and worldly news * Technology continues to advance (walkman mp3 players, tapes sad ray) * Constantly fixated on staying connected to the outside world (using smart phones to check email, news, sports) * Has become part of daily routine to check for u pdates in society * Even watch tv while eating family meals, tvs in restaurants, portable computers, ect * Faster growing demand for careers in technology fields