Bare Essential?

This week I had some really interesting experiences. One of my classes required that I volunteer for three shifts to help interview homeless people in Utah County for the national, annual Point-In-Time Survey. To say that I learned, grew and appreciated a few things more would be an understatement.

As I was meeting so many new people and hearing so many new stories, I noticed something that I found to be most intriguing. Even people who reported that they had slept on the streets all alone seemed to have cell phones, and curiously enough, they weren't always the cheapest cell phones. I, personally, have had cheaper phones than some of the ones I saw them using.

I understand the necessity for a phone in these modern times, but I guess I just wasn't expecting so many people who were struggling to even afford food and clothing to be worrying about a cell phone or trying to keep up with a phone bill - pre-paid or not. Several of them took calls, made calls or were texting while I was there with them, which leads me to believe that they are indeed paying these phones off.

Call me crazy, but do we all have our priorities straight in life?!

Trash or Inspiration?

In December, the very last episode of a 22 cycle (season) show ended with 285 episodes (or about 195 hours). America's Next Top Model has been on the air since 2003 and I'm actually not ashamed to say that I have watched every, single episode.

Reality TV is such a tricky topic. You either love it or you hate it, it seems. It's trashy. It's fake. It's staged. It's intrusive and embarrassing and dramatic and exaggerated and vulgar. In a lot of ways, I agree and I understand these stereotypes. Sometimes. Other times though, I see an opportunity for learning - an opportunity to analyze people, their interactions, their relationships and their reactions. Other times, I see an opportunity for inspiration and motivation

As this legendary show came to a close, I really started to think about the effect that it has had on the world. Tyra Banks broke stereotypes and boundaries. She created opportunities for some people to fulfill their dreams and for others to be inspired as they watched them live out their dreams. She found people from all different walks of life and gave them huge opportunities. They became examples for and representatives of girls and boys across the US and then across the world, whether because of their race, economic status, past trials, family situations or health restrictions.

I won't deny that sometimes these episodes are filled with less-than-classy people or situations. However, I also won't deny the spark that Tyra ignites in her viewers nor the number of success stories that have resulted from America's Next Top Model, whether directly or indirectly caused.

Why Do I Watch What I Watch?

This week in class, we discussed reasons why people tend to watch certain TV shows. These reasons included:

• Parasocial relationships/identification with characters
• To be informed/educated
• Entertainment
• Coping mechanism: stress-reliever
• To enhance social relationships

As we talked, I found myself reflecting back on my favorite TV shows and what it is that makes a specific series "good" or "addicting" to me. On the first day of our media class, I chose Grey's Anatomy as my current, all-time favorite series, and I'm currently hooked on the series Switched at Birth. Naturally, I thought about these shows and asked myself if the above bullet points were relevant. 

Both shows have very relatable characters that I tend to identify with as they go through different crises and situations, and I feel like they're actually real people. 

Not all shows make me feel smarter or more educated, but these two do accomplish that goal. I have actually picked up on some basic ASL just from watching Switched at Birth, and I always feel like I know more about hospitals and medicine than I probably do from Grey's Anatomy - though I do feel that I'm more prepared for emergency situations and have a better idea of what to do when medical emergencies arrive. 

I definitely watch these shows as entertainment and as a coping mechanism. After a full day of class and three jobs, there's something truly relieving about plopping down on the couch with some food or a giant blanket and tuning into someone else's busy life and drama onscreen. 

When I first started watching these shows, my choice didn't have much to do with enhancing social relationships. However, since watching them, I have found other friends or encouraged my current friends who watch these shows. We now plan to watch certain shows together when they air or we discuss them together after we have all caught up. 

Class Blog

Stay tuned each week for my insight on the media and its effect on human development for my Media, Family and Human Development class.