New Medias Positive and Negative Effects

Most aspects of modern life are dominated by the input of new media. Most people use new media on a daily basis and it is common to see individuals relying on gadgets that make new media more accessible such as tablets, smart phones, and personal computers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, it does not come a shock to many people that new media has a profound effect on modern life. The attention that is given to new media today has almost become an obsession. Everywhere one looks, he/she is bound to notice an aspect of new media whether it is internet adverts, social media, and broadcast services, among other aspects. New media today is synonymous with household names such as Facebook, twitter, and Google. The infiltration of new media into the society has elicited a debate concerning the effects this tool has on the societ y. There are those who feel that this tool is doing more harm than good to the society. On the other hand, there are those who feel that new media is a revolutionary tool that will improve the modern society. The new media debate has attracted various stakeholders including scholars and experts. Steven Pinker is one of those experts who have weighed in on the new media debate. Pinker’s argument is that the fear that is brought about by the popularity of new media is just misplaced panic. However, his opponents blame new media for the several things including the deteriorating moral fiber and brainpower. This paper agrees with Pinker’s arguments about new media in relation to the views of other experts in this field. The popularity of new media has often been referred to as a fad. However, new media is not the only fad in the history of human existence. Throughout history, several ‘fads’ that are similar to new media have arisen. Nevertheless, some of the t ools that have been blamed for degrading the society’s moral fiber usually have one thing in common, popularity. Whenever a certain trend becomes popular, marketing practices tend to favor some opposition towards this trend. Some of the trends that have experienced similar negative attention include the rock and roll trend of the 1970s, the comic book trend, the hip hop music trend, and the more recent video game trend. At the height of their popularity, most of these trends were disputed by ‘experts’ on several fields including psychologists. However, over time it has become clear that most of these expert-based warnings were baseless. In his essay â€Å"Mind over Mass Media† Steven Pinker points out that Rock music did not lower the society’s I.Q and video games did not contribute to an increase in crime (Pinker 34). It can be argued that the society panics whenever a product or a trend becomes too popular. This panic can be interpreted to mean th at people always want to be in control of their lives.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, new media elicits the fear that individuals in the society will lose control over their lives because new media takes over the activities they used to perform for themselves. Most of those who are suspicious about the popularity of new media are only fighting over personal control. In his essay â€Å"Does the Internet make you Dumber†, Nicholas Carr writes that the internet gives people access to too much information and tends to be confusing and distracting (Carr 22). The demand for information has been there for several centuries now and people have worked hard to meet it. However, just because what seemed impossible is now possible does not necessitate panic. Mankind is currently looking for solutions to other problems and when these problems are solved it is possibl e that they will be opposed by critics. According to those who are skeptical about new media, the domination of new media is its main undoing. The reason for the opponents’ arguments is that new media has a negative effect on people’s attention because it enhances attention disorders due to its short lifespan. The main effect of new media on people’s attention is the changing content. For instance, there is a trending topic on Twitter every day. Experts dispute this argument by indicating that there are no recorded side effects to consuming too much information. Those who criticize new media argue against it by claiming that the process of receiving too much information has negative effects on the human brain. This argument also implies that the composition of the brain can be changed by the information that the brain receives. The counter-argument of this opinion is that the neurological composition of the brain cannot be changed. One expert equates this argume nt to the saying that â€Å"you are what you eat† (Pinker 34). Consuming information does not constitute any major changes to the functions of the brain. The brain can either be improved or enhanced by information but it cannot be changed. For example, it is not possible for anybody to acquire singing skills just by listening or watching other musicians. However, someone who is already a musician can improve his/her trade by watching other musicians. When the brain is required to take in too much information, it often has coping mechanisms that help in the cataloguing of information. Therefore, it is not possible to condense the brain by consuming condensed information. The over reliance of new media has been shown to have various effects on its users. However, there is no common agreement as to the positivity or negativity of these effects. While some argue that the effects of new media are negative others only point to the positive effects of new media. The two leading voic es on effects of new media are Nicholas Carr and Steven Pinker.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Steven Pinker argues that new media only highlights the already existing personal deficiencies. For example, people with attention deficits are more likely to be negatively affected by the existence of various new media platforms. Pinker however disputes the argument that the attention span of everyone who uses new media can be compromised by continued use (Manovich 100). When the negative effects of new media are recorded on a few individuals, they should not be used to demonize new media. People’s ability to organize thoughts and functions cannot be affected by the amounts of information that is available to them. However, it is up to any individual to sort out his/her consumed information. There is still no solid criticism on t he effectiveness of new media. Although new media critics use scientific studies and facts to support their claims, most of these facts have already been successfully challenged by other experts. Eventually, the criticism on new media will decline as the trend becomes more acceptable. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Does the internet make you dumber.†Ã‚  Wall Street Journal  5.10 (2010): 22-23. Print. Manovich, Lev.  The Language of New Media, California, CA: The MIT press, 2001. Print. Pinker, Steven. â€Å"Mind over mass media.†Ã‚  New York Times 10 jun. 2010: 34. Print. This essay on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects was written and submitted by user Zariyah Ward to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A Modernization of Machiavellis The Prince essays

A Modernization of Machiavellis The Prince essays Machiavelli's The Prince has long been used and studied as a manual for those who are already in power or for those who wish to have power. Through rational thinking about political power, Machiavelli is the authoritative source on how one should lead and govern. To illustrate his points, Machiavelli uses many examples of leadership from his life and some from history before 1469. To many readers however these examples are not of relevance anymore because the examples are so dated. To bring the influence back into The Prince, we must put the work into a more modern context. In chapter 16, Machiavelli debates on whether it is better to be liberal or stingy in governing. In a leader both of these traits can be either beneficial or detrimental to leadership. Liberalism, if stopped, can cause those who one governs to believe that they are now stingy. Liberality is most dangerous for those already in power. The French Revolution, some would argue, started because of this scenario. When the French government got into outstanding debt the aristocracy turned to the people to bail them out. When the people were reluctant to this agreement with the noble classes, the middle class pleaded its case for economic reforms to help the government. When their requests were met, the people revolted. People live in the present and do not look to the past very well. Machiavelli concludes that leaders must start out stingy and work their liberality to their advantage. One who is seen as stingy on moment can make one gesture and be thought liberal and gain presti ge from those they govern. In chapter 17 of The Prince, the discussion revolves around whether it is better to be feared or loved as a leader. Although all princes should strive for both, Machiavelli concludes that it is much better to be feared than loved. Many countries today use fear to control their population and rule effectively. Iraq's current dictator, Saddam Hussei ...

Managing Diversity and Equality (human resources) Case Study

Managing Diversity and Equality (human resources) - Case Study Example P 13 to 18) This paper seeks to discuss the new role of the Human Resource element that has emerged in the organisation in terms of managing diversity and equality. This role will be discussed through the use of the following categories: These four categories are most basic to the functioning of the modern day organisation. The human resource or human capital element in the organisation has emerged as one that perpetuates this role at every level of the organisation through an effective integration of personal and organisational goals. (Johnson, 1996. P 13 to 18) The company that will be dealt with in this paper is the Anukul Group. This company basically manufactures exclusive designer furniture, stained glass and patchwork linen. It is a company owned by Dipti Mahapatra in India and has been in the business for close to two decades. Having started in the year 1988, this company started out as a small unit with four tailors and has now gone ahead to become one of the most prestigious names in interior decoration in the state of Orissa. The demand for Dipti's products grew and there was a market for interior decoration. By 1993, Dipti was busy undertaking several turnkey projects for complete furnishing of guest houses, hotels, as well as the Governor's residences in the state of Orissa. Orissa is a small state in the Eastern part of India. ... In 1995, Dipti decided to include custom made designer furniture as well as stained glass art in her product offerings list. By 2000, Dipti became a household name in the small state of Orissa with regular articles on her work in the newspapers and other magazines apart from televised interviews. In the 2006, Dipti decided to move to a bigger city. She moved to Bangalore, but has found that there is a certain amount of stagnation on the business front. Problem Areas: Orissa is a small state in the Eastern part of India. It is cut off from any major development that takes place elsewhere in the country. For this reasons, Dipti wanted to shift. Following are the problems that she has encountered: Lack of teamwork and initiative. Difficulty in managing HR: Dipti does not know the local language and hence she has had a problem with finding employees. Bangalore is a big city and she still needs to cross a variety of learning curves in order to know the market and prospective clients. Entrepreneurial Control System: A control system in organizations largely influences its ability to recognize the social and cultural modes of control within it so as to lay down in clear terms the role of the entrepreneur when it comes to deliberating social control over the employees concerned. (Thompson, 1998) This part of the paper will first of all outline the issues that have been dealt with by Paul M Collier in his Risk and Management Accounting. This will be applied to the case of the Anukul Group. For starters, Collier has identified the role of the entrepreneur as regards the social control he exercises over the employees, as a crucial factor in the control system