This past week I spent a lot of time doing work training so I did not have many opportunities to interact with the media. I did however watch The Truman Show. I had seen the movie when I was younger and knew the basic premise, but decided to watch it again. In light of this media class, I found it really interesting as I looked at it in a different way. Truman has had his entire life created and filmed by producers who broadcast it on television for the last thirty years, all day, every day. I paid particular attention to the producers and the audience that are portrayed in the film. The viewers have watched this man's life almost completely straight and have become involved in his life because they have always been a part of it. They laugh, cry, and rejoice with him as they live through his experiences. The head producer created a perfect world for Truman. He says "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented."

Isn't this true today? I feel that as a society we often get caught up in television and other media because that is how we want reality to be. We must be careful though because just as the producer in The Truman Show, we can be presented with a fake, contrived reality. The damage in this is that we forget what is real and we constantly strive towards an impossible world. 

"I have given Truman the chance to lead a normal life. The world, the place you live in, is the sick place." This is a quote I want to think about as I take this class. Media is good, but it can be bad as well. We live in an interesting time where we are presented with many things that are not healthy if used incorrectly. I am looking forward to learning the good of media and how it can be used to benefit individuals and families.