Abstract
This paper discusses Neil Postman's observations, in his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" about the way television makes us perceive issues, commodities, people and countries. It explores Postman's concept that medium has actually become more important than the message itself,and that the way American television presents information actually breeds ignorance because it turns important issues into nothing but entertainment.

From the Paper
"Media has a very powerful impact on people, which is the reason its advantages and disadvantages are discussed so very often. With every new technology entering our world, we start wondering just how this would later impact our society, culture, consumer market etc. This is because every medium brings along a message and while we believe that message is more important, some social critics maintain it is the medium, which was more powerful than the message itself. Neil Postman admittedly based his book, "Amusing ourselves to Death" on the aphorism. "Medium is the message" which was coined by media expert Marshall McLuhan in 1959."

Tags:media, impact, marshall, mcLuhan, entertaining, subject, matter, commercial, technology

Abstract
This paper examines the formation and recent development of reality television: the type of television that reflects personal lives and encounters. The author attempts to tackle why reality television exists, the types of reality television that is offered and the future of reality television and society. Included is a review of different television shows that fall under this category.

From the Paper
"In the past few years? society and the entertainment industry has been more and more obsessed with the idea of reality-based television. This desire to find the real amongst society is a reflection on a society, which is based on lies, fraud and war. Television shows such as Real World, Cops, and Hard Copy introduced television viewers to the world of the unscripted and spontaneous. We often put aside these television programs calling them trash TV, or game shows, when really it is society, which has made these shows popular and allowed for the major networks, to demand for our attention in their scheduling. This essay will introduce many different types of reality television and begin to guide us to understanding why it exists and where it is expected to go. Society has been waiting for television to reflect our personal lives and the real world in which we live, and now it does."

Tags:911, abc, big, brother, cbs, cops, copy, crossing, entertainment, fox, hard, island, line, nbc, prostitution, real, rescue, september, survivor, temptation, tonight, world

Abstract
This paper starts by defining group dynamics and examines the popular TV series "Survivor" exemplifies this concept. It states that TV viewers experience a taste of reality when watching the show as it "stars" real people. The essence of the series is forming a solid group and thereafter dismantling it.

From the paper:

"Television, like most media forms, is intended to show, rather than simply tell, something about the human condition. As a viewer, television has the capacity to act as a mirror into our own lives, or the lives of people we know. Current television shows allow viewers to leave the stresses of their own lives, and become a part of the lives of characters we relate to, or who are so far from our own experiences that we forget about our own problems, anxieties and worries, to participate in the often tranquil or happily exciting lives of another person."

Tags:struggle, survival, TV, reality, relationship, principles, destination, individual, member, connections, team, challenge, immunity

Abstract
The writer of this paper argues that news shows such as 20/20 and Dateline cannot be objective because they must fit an idea or emotion into the story to make viewers want to watch it.

From the paper:

"In recent years it has become a national pastime to downgrade and insult the profession of journalism and those who work in the field. If we don't like the election results we blame the media, if a serial killer kills again the media caused it and let's remember they made the sun come up in the morning too. Sarcasm aside, the media is often accused of being biased in its delivery of the current events in the world."

Tags:profession, nationalism, patriotism, violence, viewers, perspective

Abstract
The paper investigates the factors responsible for this medium's great popularity. It looks at its appeal to the democratizing influence, to people's desire for status, to natural curiosity, and to competitiveness. It also looks at other factors influencing the attraction to reality television, such as the desire to socialize and the allure of this medium for the less intellectual audience. The paper concludes with a brief synopsis of its main points.

From the Paper
"Reality television can include news programming, interviews, documentaries, and almost all programs that are portrayed as non-fictional. While many definitions of reality television include programs that are recreated portrayals of past events, reality television is generally does not include "docudramas" that have invented or composite characters, or that show events that are largely fictional in nature, or historical events have been significantly changed from their original incident (CFP: Reality Television; NTVS Research Team).
Perhaps the most interesting feature of reality television is its overwhelming popularity with traditionally fickle and sometimes jaded North American audiences. A myriad of shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Real World, Blind Date, Temptation Island, A Wedding, and the latest fad, American Idol, have each reached close to the top of the Nielsen ratings in the past few years."

Tags:factors, popularity, appeal, democratizing, influence, status, curiosity, competitiveness, audience, non-fiction

Abstract
This paper introduces and discusses the concept of violence in society, and its causes. Specifically, it discusses the contribution of violence on television and in the movies to violence in society, and the ways families can create a safe, violence free environment for their children.

From the Paper
"Violence in American society has taken a dramatic increase in recent years. Acts of "road rage," "air rage," and "sports rage" are much more common today than they were even ten years ago. Worse, these violent and aggressive acts often take the lives of others, simply over an act of rage or anger that could have been avoided. Why is America such a violent and angry society? Many researchers believe that some of the responsibility for the problem lies with the television and motion picture industries, whose license to create increasingly violent content no longer seems to be questioned. Does violence on television and in the movies really cause more violence in society? If so, what can individuals and society do about it? Many have attempted to answer these questions, but the problem clearly still exists."

Tags:media, rage, crime, television, cinema, anger, aggression, terror

Abstract
This paper considers a wide range of texts written about the First World War, focusing on "Blackadder Comes Forth" written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and Pat Barker's "The Ghost Road". It analyses the texts in terms of language form and structure and the way the writers use the genre of their choice to express their thoughts and feelings. The influence of the time of composition and the significance of the gender of the writers is also discussed.

From the Paper
"More than in any other previous conflict, the Great War inspired writers of all generations and classes to write about their experiences in a way that was totally new to previous war literature. The new manner in which the First World War was conducted dramatically changed the way war was viewed, which is naturally reflected in the literature written. Before 1914 wars were largely fought abroad, which therefore meant that people wrote about war with a somewhat detached view as they were completely removed from the immediate situation. At this time war was considered, by most, to be a cleansing, almost health giving experience and the literature written, for example Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade", celebrated Victorian values of devotion to duty, patriotic loyalty and sacrifice."

Tags:curtis, elton, major, hallet, captain, darling

Abstract
This paper looks at the images of women that were portrayed in 1950s TV sitcoms and examines to what extent these images give us an insight into popular culture of the time.

From the Paper
"The most stereotypical portrayals of gender are spread through communication media, especially television. Often, trends in television give us insight into the shifting meanings of gender in popular culture. For example, television in the fifties portrayed a wonderful world of perfect homes in a perfect America. In this world the mothers never worked, the families were happy, and problems were always solved within a half hour. Women had a clearly defined, fixed role, says Spigel, "The essential function of women was that of caretaker, mother, and sexual partner. The domestic woman needed to save her energy for housekeeping, childrearing, and an active (monogamous) sex life with her husband"

Tags:feminism, gender, role, sexism, society, stereotypes, TV

Abstract
The average American child watches three to four hours of television daily. This paper looks at violence on television and how it subliminally effects children. The author argues that the amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated, because it keeps children from doing more beneficial activities such as reading and playing with friends.

From the Paper
"It's three o?clock in the Smith residence and little Johnny just arrived home from school. He is greeted by his mother, and she asks him how his day was and they talk for a couple minutes, similar to the routine in many households. After they are done talking, Johnny decides that he's going to watch some television. While Johnny's mother is ironing in the other room, little does she know that her son was watching the wild coyote attempting to blow the roadrunner's head off."

Tags:media, society

Abstract
This essay focuses on British Soap Opera and its conventions. It gives a brief history of the soap opera genre and it origins. It gives examples of current and past british soap operas and their popularity and reasons for it. It also looks at theories of audience enjoyment and uses for such media.

From the Paper
"The soap opera genre originates from the American radio serials of the 1930's so called because of their sponsorship by major soap powder companies. Due to its incredible success the genre grew and by the 1950's it had developed into television productions. The first soap to be televised in Britain was The Groves, which first aired in 1954 and lasted for three years. It was followed by what is now the longest running and most successful soap in Britain, Coronation Street. Rival terrestrial channels soon picked up on the success of Coronation Street (and the soap opera genre in general), this resulted in the arrival of Channel 4's Brookside in 1982, followed by the BBC's EastEnders in 1986."

Tags:conventions, eastenders, genre, soap, television, viewing, opera, British, BBC