Mark Charter
Writing for Mass Media
Writing has been
an influential part of our lives for many years. From writing on stone tablets during the time of Moses, to
writing on electronic tablets today in 2012, writing will probably never go
away, and for good reason. Writing
is the perfect way for humans to record important events or stories that have
happened during our lifetime; however, it is important to understand that since
writing is so influential, we need to be mindful of the message that the writing
projecting.
Long before
writing was a normal practice in everyday life, humans would have to rely on
their memory to carry on stories and legends. This is called oral tradition. Oral Tradition is defined as the transmission of cultural
material through vocal utterance.
During the time when writing did not exist, humans had to have the brain
capacity to memorize long and detailed stories because there was no other way
of recording those stories. However,
after a period of time, humans began to record things with writing.
Most early writing
systems begin with small images used as words, literally depicting the thing in
question. But pictograms of this kind are limited. Some physical objects are
too difficult to depict. And many words are concepts rather than objects. There are several ways in
which early writing evolves beyond the pictorial stage. One is by combining
pictures to suggest a concept. Another is by a form of pun, in which a
pictorial version of one object is modified to suggest another quite different
object, which sounds the same when spoken (World, 1).
Writing has
influenced humans so much that we are now studying words and signs. Those terms are called etymology, which
means the study of words, and semiotics, which means the study of signs. Words and signs have been a part of
writing since the beginning. Many
of the words that we use today have been borrowed from another language. When thinking about the Italian and
Spanish languages, many of the root words sound very similar to one
another. This is because words are
often borrowed. When thinking
about signs, they are all very universal.
When we see a triangular shaped sign on the road we can usually assume
that it means yield. Many signs
that we have today can be historically traced.
After Gutenberg
invented the printing press in 1440, pieces of writing were able to be
mass-produced for the first time in history. This led to people not only being able to have a book of
their own, but they could also discuss what these books had to say with one
another.
Writing has
developed over the years to be a very influential part in all of our lives;
however, some writing is said to be influential on people, and it is forcing us
to make decisions. This is
considered to be propaganda. Propaganda means that writing in the media is being used to
influence people, whether it is for good or bad reasons. This term often receives a negative
connotation because the media is known to influence people in a negative
way. From making drinking seem to
be the cool thing to do when a child is underage, to body image, and whether or
not a person is too thin or heavy.
The media takes a lot of heat.
This is why propaganda can sometimes be referred to as a bad thing.
Propaganda is
everywhere in our culture, especially today when we rely so heavily on the
media. It is, however, our
responsibility to siphon through what the media is telling us, and realize that
not everything that is being put out there is true. According to the Media Education foundation, the average
American adolescent watches three to four hours of television per day, and the
average American child may view as many as 40,000 television commercials every
year. These are a lot of
opportunities for young people in our country to be influenced; however, as
stated above, it is important for us to be able to sift through everything that
is being thrown in our faces. From
TV to the songs we listen to, there is propaganda everywhere.
Today, especially,
it is important for all of us to mindful of the way we account for ourselves on
the Internet. There is so much
writing that happens online, from Facebook to Twitter that it is important to
keep in mind that none of that writing will go away. Unlike oral tradition, our stories and events that take
place in our lives no longer need to me memorized. Everything we do is recorded somewhere for someone else to
read. College students who are
entering the workforce need to be extra careful. Employers today are checking up on their employees Facebook
and Twitter accounts.
Lastly, this paper
discussed the history of writing and how it has developed over time. Understanding the historical process of
writing for the masses is important because we live in a world where writing
for the masses is something that none of us can avoid. It is constantly being forced on us,
and because of that, we need to be careful of how we perceive each
message. At the beginning of time
there was no writing, so humans had to rely on their memory to tell stories and
remember important events. This
was called oral tradition. That is
no longer necessary for us because we have the technology to remember those
stories and events for us; however, it is important to remember that none of
our writing for the masses will ever go away. Writing has been an influential part of our lives for
many years. From writing on stone
tablets during the time of Moses, to writing on electronic tablets today in
2012, writing for the masses will probably never go away, and for good reason.
Works Cited
Gascoigne,
Bamber. HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing. //http: historyworld.net
Media
Education Foundation. "Advertising: Exposure & Industry
Statistics." 2005. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.
