Early 20th century Americans did not demand technological change and advancements, because the American mass media had not yet allowed them to know what was possible.  Technological change, including Guglielmo Marconi's invention of the radio telegraph and David Sarnoff's invention of the commercial radio, led to the the formation of the radio industry in the 1920's.
       The American population saw the potential of radio with the Titanic disaster in 1912.  The United States' government was the first to realize that the radio could communicate with the masses quickly and efficiently.  At first, they regulated radio by giving airwaves only to the military and big businesses. However, they soon required the businesses to operate under a license. This licensing led to people seeing the money that could be involved in the radio industry.  Large amounts of people would be able to listen to a radio program on a daily basis, listening to their favorite artists as well as radio dramas and national news.  Finance minded businessmen discovered another conduit for revenue: during appropriate times, advertisers would be able to give a promotional ad or commercial at a simple cost to the radio station.
       People from all different avenues saw this as a business opportunity. William S. Paley, a businessman who was working in the tobacco industry, saw the potential of advertising in the radio.  Paley then started CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) in hopes that advertising would be the driving force of his network.  This led to commercial sponsors interested in selling a consumer good into integrating their product in the show.  This would change mass media for years to come.

Cultivation theory

       From the way people view others from different regions to the way people view love, cultivation theory affects all of these.
       The cultivation theory is when people are constantly filled with the same image or viewpoint about a certain person, topic, etc. so much so that they believe that image is the only way to be, when in reality it isn't.  This theory fits into the roll of the everyday life for most people.  Men in particular are cultivated at a very young age that they must be strong and tough and not show any weaknesses.  This is problematic in the fact that one thing leads to another and all of the sudden that four year old kid who watched the John Wayne movie is 19 now and is preparing to go out tonight with his buddies to fight a rival gang to make sure that the other gang knows that they are "tough".

       The old saying "the man of the house" being passed on to the oldest son when a father goes away to work, war, etc. is a prime example of the cultivation theory taking affect.  The media has always portrayed the household as having to be run by a man, so when the father leaves the next male has to take his place.  This is a rather hard task for a 12 year old grade schooler.  Television shows and films are constantly showing this image, which in often cases is making young boys grow up too fast.

       I believe that the cultivation theory is all around us everyday.  It affects the way we see the gender, age, ethnicity etc. to a point that we don't even notice it because it is our everyday normal thoughts.

Blog Post 2: Females as Sex Symbols

       The media of 2010 plays a big role in forming the minds of today's youth.  In particular, is the way they portray females as sex symbols.
       According to dictionary.com, one of the definitions for the word frame is "a structure for admitting or enclosing something. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/frame)"  This definition is similar to how the media chooses to enclose women as sex symbols.  One thing is just about for certain, that whether you are watching a beer commercial, a music video or an add for the upcoming blockbuster hit movie, you will find a sex symbol in all of these.  Whether the film, commercial, add, etc. has to do with women or not the media takes every opportunity they have to make a pretty fe-male look sexy or seductive with the feeling that it "adds" to their product.  The women used in these rolls are all told that by giving up their bodies they are increasing their value.

       The film "The Other Guys" which recently opened in theatres, August 6th of this year, is a good example of a movie that goes out of their way to use Eva Mendes as a sex symbol.  The films main audience are the people who have enjoyed the comedical likes of some of Will Ferrell's past movies like "Old School",  "Step Brothers", and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" just to name a few.  The producer's though feel that they can add another audience to their viewing pool with their short clips of Eva Mendes such as the scene when Will Ferrell is going to try to solve the case and Mendes, showing a lot of skin, claims to her husband (Will Ferrell) "Listen my little sugar balls, don't get hurt. These (as she grabs her breast) are waiting for you when you get back home, they are perky, they are firm and they are yours!"  That scene and those lines serve as one purpose, to spark the interest of men who find Mendes very attractive by using her as a sex symbol. 

       The media today is telling our youth that all of this is acceptable and that in many cases women are simply objects.  This not only leads to many demeaning rolls for women, bu also to many more problems that we have in society today such as young girls doing their best to imitate these movie stars by starting to dress more adult like and wearing less and less clothes.