There are more contrasting qualities than comparisons when viewing an amateur vs. professional photograph taken at a UMD football game of the players

This photo is a representation of an amateur. I took this picture using my iPhone at a football game in 2011. When looking at the photo, your eyes first look at the Maryland flag on the field. But, looking closer there are players on the field that should be the main focus. The building is casting a very strong shadow making it difficult to see the players and what they are doing. There is also a glare in the photo from the sun rays that makes it hard to see. This photo is framed very nicely if it were meant to show the football field. However, since the subject matter is the players on the field, the framing is too wide and should have been cropped in much tighter. The lighting is poor since half of the field is in cast shadow and the other half is in direct sunlight. The camera angle is taken from an elevated perspective and is not askew.  If the image had been cropped tighter on the players the angle itself would have been very pleasing. Since this photo was taken with an iPhone, the resolution is not the best and could not be displayed very large. The subjects should be the football players, but is instead the field as a whole because of the size and lighting. When looking at the photo it does not evoke any emotion. It is just a generic picture taken of a field that shows players far off in the distance.

This is a professional photo taken at the same football game closer up and with a much better camera. In this photo the foreground is in focus while the background is blurred and seems to fade away. This gives a clear focus to the main subject being player number 5. It is framed in such a way that all we do is look at the most important part of the picture without any extraneous parts. There is a contrast between the subject and what is extra because the players have bright lighting and the background is almost blacked out. The camera angle is straight and directly in front of the main player. This provides a clear focus to the image on the subject. The size of the photo is cropped and is also taken with a professional camera with high resolution. This allows the photo to be viewed in larger sizes. The main subject is player number five carrying his helmet and walking onto the field. Everyone else in the photo has their back turned and is blurred out so that it is evident that we are focusing in on the subject. When looking at the photo the viewers feel his emotions of excitement and happiness. 

These photos have more contrasting qualities to them than similarities. In my amateur photo it exhibits poor focus and clarity, framing, lighting, size, and subject while the professional photo has all excellent qualities to it. The only comparison of the two is how well the camera angle is. In the amateur photo, it is taken elevated so that the entire field is shown and in the professional photo it is taken from straight ahead to show the main subject. 

We Are Not Addicted To Media, Rather It Is A Habit That Can Be Controlled Through Correct Usage

According to Medical News Today (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/addiction/), a habit is done by choice and can be stopped successfully if a person chooses to. On the other hand, an addiction is when a person does not have control over what they are doing. They become dependent on their addiction through their daily lives. Specifically focusing on media, I believe it is a habit rather than an addiction. The media allows everyone to receive information instantaneously making tasks more convenient. With this, however, comes social networking sites where people feel as though they must post a status, tweet, or blog about everything that occurs in their day from what they ate to responses of articles. The media is a tool and can be used incorrectly, making it resemble an addiction. But, if used correctly the media is merely a habit where we have a choice to use it constantly or rarely. Our generation may make it seem like we are using it incorrectly because we are always downloading the newest application or upcoming social networking site, but we choose to stay connected to the world through media.

I am one of those people that may make media look like an addiction to older generations or outside viewers that helps continue this spiraling debate of media addiction. Even though I am constantly on my cell phone going through the laundry list of social networking sites on my phone and laptop, I can still put it all away if need be. If I am having a serious conversation, I will put my phone away. If I am in class, I will focus on taking notes on my laptop. Using laptops in class is more helpful because it gives us instant information that we can use to generate more conversations in the classroom. Whether it provides statistics for a debate or more evidence to conclude a thought. I do not think there needs to be any rules governing how we use our technology. It is a choice and if someone would rather be on Facebook during class than taking notes, it is their grade that will be affected. Using media is a choice, not an uncontrollable addiction.

Some people who still believe the media is an addiction are probably critics in older generations. We grew up with technology and it has been with us since birth, therefore, it is embedded in our culture and we use it to its advantage. Basing an addiction off of watching people constantly on their cell phones and bumping in to others as they walk should not be viewed as an addiction. Maybe they had something really important to look up or they had an assignment to turn in electronically. How often we use media throughout the day is a choice, and only we can decide for ourselves if we will continue to use it correctly.

Violence in Video Games Could Have More of an Effect Than Violence In Television

The media directly affects the public, particularly children because of their vulnerability. Comparing two different mediums, interactive video games and passive television, it is apparent that video games have greater effects. Recently there has been research conducted studying the effects of violence correlated with watching television, as most of it contains violence, profanity, and sex. The Bobo Doll study concluded that children who watched violent television were more likely to imitate the violent behavior they saw. More research continued as George Gerber studied the effects of the long-term impacts of watching television. Those who watch more television were more likely to have a skewed perception of reality and see the world as a dangerous place to the point where some elderly citizens would stay at home out of fear. However, these are only the effects of a passive medium. Participating in highly interactive video games will have the same effects as television, but worse. Not only are children watching the violence in their video games, but they are committing the violent acts feeling as though they are in the game. It consumes their mind and every move they make creates emotions throughout their body to the point where many children yell at video game screens. If it is proven that watching television will make children become more violent, then using weapons and killing people virtually will instill this same violence in them, if not more. Video games are becoming increasingly more violent and bloody, and hopefully social scientists can come to a conclusive end on the effects it is causing. However, it is more than just conducting short-term lab experiments. More research continues to study the long-term effects and correlating factors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/science/studying-the-effects-of-playing-violent-video-games.html?_r=0

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