Regulation and Government Intervention

     Prior to the 1912 disaster involving the Titanic, there were practically no types of regulations, guidelines, or boundaries placed upon broadcasting through radio. Pretty much anybody who could afford to purchase a radio kit, could start broadcasting on their own. The initial technology that was radio, was somewhat more geared to men and young boys. It was a sort of hobby that would help bond a father and his son together. The problem was that thousands upon thousands of people began to pick up on this new hobby and with that came a huge overflow of radio broadcast. However, after the Titanic incident, the American government developed a handful of new regulations that would restrict and help shape radio broadcasting become what it is today. 

     Regulations and Government Intervention are necessary parts of the radio industry. In general, if it were not for the Governments initiative to step in and put guidelines and restrictions on the use of broadcasting over radio, our country would be in absolute chaos. This force works by limiting what can and can't be said over the airwaves, such as foul language or anything that can spark fear or immediate danger to listeners. It also placed restrictions as to who can broadcast and under what frequencies in order to keep traffic to a minimum and to control who could access the airwaves. The purpose of these boundaries was to keep things from getting out of control and to ensure that the country was safe from harm. 

     Such regulations and acts by the US Government ultimately affected the evolution of America's radio system. An example of this is came in 1912 when Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover was given authority to allocate radio frequencies. This was the first step in the government's attempt to take control of radio broadcasting. Next, during World War I, the United States Navy took control of all radio. They forced manufacturers to pool patents to improve radio technology and equipment. By the early 1920's radio was standardized and formatted for daily and weekly schedules. then, perhaps the biggest form of regulation came in the form of the Radio Act of 1927. This established standard broadcast bands and set standards. Furthermore, it allocated frequencies and required stations to gain licenses in order to be able to broadcast on the airwaves.

Social Learning

     Since the invention of the television, and even as early as the creation of the radio, the typical American family has been able to be exposed to the outside world. A normal stay-at-home family could now easily gain access to people and characters from all around the world by means of a radio or television set. It is argued that most children today are raised up by different forms of media such as the Internet  and televion, rather than being raised by their parents. They spend more time interacting with media than they do with actual human beings. With that said, it comes to no surprise that people learn from what is portrayed on these forms of social media. Social learning is something that has significantly changed our world.

     Social Learning is the theory that explains media effects in terms of imitating behavior seen in the media. In other words, this theory claims that what we see portrayed on TV or on the Internet, is what we feel is normal or what is accepted by society as either being tolerable or intolerable. As stated earlier, children are a key example of this theory. It can be said that children learn about life more from the media than they do from their parents or actually experiencing things on their own, combined! What a child sees on TV is what they will take in and decide if they choose to accept it into their mentality or not.

     An application of Social Learning can be seen in how my little brother back home in Houston grew up. Before I left for college, everything my little brother knew was mainly taught to him by me. I would spend time with him and would show him how to perform certain task and told him what was right and what was wrong. However, in the time that I've been away from home, I have noticed that he learns a lot from watching videos on YouTube and from watching cable television. The way he acts is an exact reflection of the shows he watches. For example, he recently picked up watching skateboarding videos on YouTube, and sure enough, he now has about 3 skateboards back home. The fact is that now that I am not there to personally be involved with him, he has taken it upon himself to learn things on his own. An example of this can be seen a recent computer purchase that I made back home. My dad had me buy him a new desktop computer for school, and I was setting it up, he kept trying to interrupt me and takeover the tasks. He would constantly say "I know how to do that already" or "Let me do it, I can do it on my own." I had never noticed this before, but this last visit back home made me realize that he is really intent on doing things on his own. 

     As strongly portrayed in the film "Tough Guise," my younger brother is a prime example of Social Learning. He is intent on doing things on his own and learns through the media. He feels that he is grown up and since he is the only child at home now, he must figure things out by himself. In a sense, it is a good thing that he has become independent. However, the downside to that is that he may eventually become too afraid to ask for help when he really is in need. Below I have attached a link to a video that explains how the Marlboro Man gives off the idea that a real man makes it on his own, and if he doesn't it is his own fault. I feel this goes hand-in-hand with how my brother acts now that he is 12 years old. He feels that he is in control and should do things on his own. 

Link to "Tough Guise" Clip [ start at 1:01 marker] ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEzQv806wI

Framing

     There are many tools and tactics that modern day media uses to help get their ideas across to mass audiences. It's a very difficult job to appeal to all types of demographics with one distinct message. However, by using framing the source is able to make the audience think about the topic in a desired way. In recent times, the use of framing has increased significantly and is something that is much more publicly visible.

     Framing is a technique used by the media to get their target audience to think about a topic in a specific manner. This tactic, or theory in general, is the way a topic is presented and what is included or excluded from the overall story. The final message that a person receives from a given story is all in the hands of the creator or editor that was in charge of the final product. 

     An application of framing can be found in Apple's latest advertisements for their new iPhone 4. The producer, or director, behind the first ad created to promote the Apple iPhone 4 is essentially the person who sold the iPhone to the millions of people who eventually purchased the final product. The framing used to promote the device is very impressive. When viewing the ad, the person is made to think that if they purchase this device, they can connect to anyone, anywhere, at any given time. The fact of the matter is that this is not entirely true. There are several factors that have to be considered in order for the product to work just like it is presented in the advertisement. Framing is key in this ad, and is the basis on which Apple is selling the product to the public.

Link to Apple iPhone 4 FaceTime Ad ==> http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads.html#ad-facetime

RTF305

I decided to take this class in hopes of being accepted into the School of Communication at The University of Texas-Austin. I am currently in the School of Natural Sciences, pursuing a degree in Computer Sciences. However, I have always had a passion for for video/audio and things of that nature. I love making videos on my Macbook and enjoy mixing audio together. Earning a degree in RTF is something that I would like to accomplish in my collegiate career.