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Prosocial behavior in media

I feel like media gets a bad rap.  Mostly because it should, but not all the time.  I had the unique opportunity to study prosocial behavior, defined as voluntary behavior that benefits another,  in sitcoms with my group this past semester.  I feel like there has been a lot of bad outcomes that I have been exposed to through taking this class with Dr. Coyne.  I'm grateful for that because I'm more primed than I was before to be a responsible consumer of media.  However, studying the good that is in media this past semester has afforded me the opportunity to see the positivity that is found in media.  After all, any bad effects in our lives as a result of media are our responsibility.  We control what we are exposed to and what will affect us.  More than anything else this semester, I have learned that media absolutely affects me (and that anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves).  We are absolutely affected by the things we watch, the advertisements we see, and the music we listen to.  There is good stuff out there.  We just need to seek it out.

Chick Flicks

This past week was dedicated to Nicholas Sparks in the Nore family household. Rylie and I went to see his newest book-made-movie The Choice.  It was everything one would hope to get out of a chick flick: predictable plot, happy ending, and a small climax somewhere in the middle. I'll be honest, I enjoy a somewhat more engaging plot than a chick flick, however I enjoyed The Choice and then another movie that we watched together by Mr. Sparks. They are great for what they are: easy to watch, not demanding on the mind, and something my wife enjoys watching.

Bear Lake

We spent the weekend with some friends in Bear Lake at a cabin. At this particular cabin, the biggest TV was a Zenith black and white set that didn't get any channels. This was a good sign because that meant we'd be able to be technology-free. However, there was excellent cell service and LTE coverage. We were on our phones more than I would have liked us to be. I checked our data usage after we got home and saw that we had actually used less data than usual. While we were there, I felt guilty whenever I was on my phone (and rightfully so) because of the beautiful backdrop and serene environment we were in. Turns out, I actually wasn't on my phone as much as usual. But, it still felt like it. The quiet backdrop of being on my phone in a cabin spoke louder than a noisy environment when I'm watching TV at home with my laptop open to Facebook and reading the news on my cell phone. I'm going to try a little harder to be a little better at following this cat's advice:

Super Bowl 50

We watched the Super Bowl today with some family and friends.  The NFL is the one professional sport that I don't have a specific team that I follow or root for.  So, I wasn't all that invested in the game itself.  However, the culture surrounding the Super Bowl is something I'm interested in including the commercials during the game.  Media can really bring people together in a bunch of different ways.

The Bachelor

The purpose of this post is not to be a hate piece on The Bachelor. I don't respect the show. But, I also don't hate it. I don't believe there's anything real about reality television and The Bachelor falls into that category. When Jimmy Kimmel had this year's contestant on his late night show, he said, "I believe you will date [the winner] for a period of 4-6 months and then you will be one of the most eligible bachelors in the world yet again." Anyway, that little bit out of the way, this show is a huge distraction for my wife and sister because they watch it religiously. So, every Monday night my sister comes over to watch this show with my wife and I have some quiet time to get things done that I need to work on. That's why I don't hate the show. As much as I don't love it, it does give me some free time on Mondays that I can put to good use.

Parenthood

My wife and I have continued to watch Parenthood and I found out this week that my dad started watching the show as well.  I feel like it is a very realistic portrayal of what the family dynamic is.  There are problems, fights, misunderstandings, great bonding moments, and tear-jerking moments.  I feel that the show does have some biases that are targeted to the Bay Area where it is set.  As a Northern California native, I can relate to a lot of the scenarios and settings.