New Medias Positive and Negative Effects

Most aspects of modern life are dominated by the input of new media. Most people use new media on a daily basis and it is common to see individuals relying on gadgets that make new media more accessible such as tablets, smart phones, and personal computers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, it does not come a shock to many people that new media has a profound effect on modern life. The attention that is given to new media today has almost become an obsession. Everywhere one looks, he/she is bound to notice an aspect of new media whether it is internet adverts, social media, and broadcast services, among other aspects. New media today is synonymous with household names such as Facebook, twitter, and Google. The infiltration of new media into the society has elicited a debate concerning the effects this tool has on the societ y. There are those who feel that this tool is doing more harm than good to the society. On the other hand, there are those who feel that new media is a revolutionary tool that will improve the modern society. The new media debate has attracted various stakeholders including scholars and experts. Steven Pinker is one of those experts who have weighed in on the new media debate. Pinker’s argument is that the fear that is brought about by the popularity of new media is just misplaced panic. However, his opponents blame new media for the several things including the deteriorating moral fiber and brainpower. This paper agrees with Pinker’s arguments about new media in relation to the views of other experts in this field. The popularity of new media has often been referred to as a fad. However, new media is not the only fad in the history of human existence. Throughout history, several ‘fads’ that are similar to new media have arisen. Nevertheless, some of the t ools that have been blamed for degrading the society’s moral fiber usually have one thing in common, popularity. Whenever a certain trend becomes popular, marketing practices tend to favor some opposition towards this trend. Some of the trends that have experienced similar negative attention include the rock and roll trend of the 1970s, the comic book trend, the hip hop music trend, and the more recent video game trend. At the height of their popularity, most of these trends were disputed by ‘experts’ on several fields including psychologists. However, over time it has become clear that most of these expert-based warnings were baseless. In his essay â€Å"Mind over Mass Media† Steven Pinker points out that Rock music did not lower the society’s I.Q and video games did not contribute to an increase in crime (Pinker 34). It can be argued that the society panics whenever a product or a trend becomes too popular. This panic can be interpreted to mean th at people always want to be in control of their lives.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, new media elicits the fear that individuals in the society will lose control over their lives because new media takes over the activities they used to perform for themselves. Most of those who are suspicious about the popularity of new media are only fighting over personal control. In his essay â€Å"Does the Internet make you Dumber†, Nicholas Carr writes that the internet gives people access to too much information and tends to be confusing and distracting (Carr 22). The demand for information has been there for several centuries now and people have worked hard to meet it. However, just because what seemed impossible is now possible does not necessitate panic. Mankind is currently looking for solutions to other problems and when these problems are solved it is possibl e that they will be opposed by critics. According to those who are skeptical about new media, the domination of new media is its main undoing. The reason for the opponents’ arguments is that new media has a negative effect on people’s attention because it enhances attention disorders due to its short lifespan. The main effect of new media on people’s attention is the changing content. For instance, there is a trending topic on Twitter every day. Experts dispute this argument by indicating that there are no recorded side effects to consuming too much information. Those who criticize new media argue against it by claiming that the process of receiving too much information has negative effects on the human brain. This argument also implies that the composition of the brain can be changed by the information that the brain receives. The counter-argument of this opinion is that the neurological composition of the brain cannot be changed. One expert equates this argume nt to the saying that â€Å"you are what you eat† (Pinker 34). Consuming information does not constitute any major changes to the functions of the brain. The brain can either be improved or enhanced by information but it cannot be changed. For example, it is not possible for anybody to acquire singing skills just by listening or watching other musicians. However, someone who is already a musician can improve his/her trade by watching other musicians. When the brain is required to take in too much information, it often has coping mechanisms that help in the cataloguing of information. Therefore, it is not possible to condense the brain by consuming condensed information. The over reliance of new media has been shown to have various effects on its users. However, there is no common agreement as to the positivity or negativity of these effects. While some argue that the effects of new media are negative others only point to the positive effects of new media. The two leading voic es on effects of new media are Nicholas Carr and Steven Pinker.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Steven Pinker argues that new media only highlights the already existing personal deficiencies. For example, people with attention deficits are more likely to be negatively affected by the existence of various new media platforms. Pinker however disputes the argument that the attention span of everyone who uses new media can be compromised by continued use (Manovich 100). When the negative effects of new media are recorded on a few individuals, they should not be used to demonize new media. People’s ability to organize thoughts and functions cannot be affected by the amounts of information that is available to them. However, it is up to any individual to sort out his/her consumed information. There is still no solid criticism on t he effectiveness of new media. Although new media critics use scientific studies and facts to support their claims, most of these facts have already been successfully challenged by other experts. Eventually, the criticism on new media will decline as the trend becomes more acceptable. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Does the internet make you dumber.†Ã‚  Wall Street Journal  5.10 (2010): 22-23. Print. Manovich, Lev.  The Language of New Media, California, CA: The MIT press, 2001. Print. Pinker, Steven. â€Å"Mind over mass media.†Ã‚  New York Times 10 jun. 2010: 34. Print. This essay on New Media’s Positive and Negative Effects was written and submitted by user Zariyah Ward to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Negligence Essay Example

Negligence Essay Example Negligence Essay Negligence Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Negligence A negligence lawsuit must satisfy four main elements for it to be successful. They include the defendant owing a duty to the affected, they must have violated this duty, the violation of the duty should have resulted in harm to the affected and this injury must be a foreseen accident by a normal person. These elements make it possible for a negligence lawsuit to take place. Mrs. Smith will prevail in her lawsuit against the manufacturer of the truck that led to the death of her husband, Ford Motor Company. This is because all the elements of negligence have been met in accordance to the facts given concerning this case. This lawsuit will triumph due to the negligence law that serves to protect individuals from injury due to negligence whether intentional or unintentional. This legal concept (negligence) enables the affected party to obtain compensation in the case of the occurrence of any accidents. From the case study provided the first element of the lawsuit was proven. The defendant in this case was Ford Motor Company while the plaintiff was Mrs. Smith. The defendant owed a responsibility to the plaintiff, in this case that of selling a good and road worthy vehicle to them. The defendant should have ensured that the truck was in acceptable condition before authorizing the sale to the plaintiff. This would have ensured that the plaintiff was safe when driving the truck and was not exposing himself to unnecessary risks. It was negligent in the case of the truck manufacturing company since they ignored their duty to the plaintiff. Mrs. Smith’s lawsuit has satisfied this requirement because the defendant owed a duty to the plaintiff but did not honor it resulting in the death of Mr. Smith. The second element that requires being satisfied is that the defendant must have dishonored the duty that they had to the plaintiff. In this case, the plaintiff’s duty was violated by the sale of a truck that was not in satisfactory condition. The truck sold to the plaintiff’s company had a defective alternator. Even after the routine checks, the problem was undetected, it was only noticed when the truck suddenly stopped as the driver was delivering some goods to a customer. By the sale of a car with a faulty alternator, the motor company has violated the duty it had to the plaintiff and the lawsuit against them will prevail since this element has been proven without reasonable doubt. Another element required for the negligence lawsuit to be considered is that the violation caused by the defendant resulted in harming the plaintiff, Mr. Smith. Because of the negligence of the company, it authorized the sale of a faulty truck to Greene. This resulted in the truck being stalled in the middle of the highway and the subsequent accident that befell Mr. Smith that results in his death. This is because the alternator is a device that controls the electrical system of the truck including the emergency lights. This flaw made the plaintiff leave the truck and manually signal to the other drivers in order to avoid them hitting the truck. This is when a mini-cooper ran into him as the truck in front of it swerved away from the truck. Therefore, the negligence of Ford Motors resulted in the death of the plaintiff however indirectly it may seem. The last element that will make this lawsuit viable is that the injury of the plaintiff was predictable by a regular person. The faulty alternator is an extremely important device in the every car, and most people know this. This is because it regulates the electrical system of the car. It is general knowledge that the emergency lights are controlled by the electrical system, and if this system is malfunctioning, it puts the life of the driver at risk. The injury of the plaintiff in this case was, therefore foreseeable by any reasonable person. Mrs. Smith’s lawsuit will prevail because it has satisfied all the requirements needed.