Media as a "person" in your life

Last night I gave my final exam to my "Mass Media and Society" class at Portland Community College.

I posed two essay questions worth considering. Here's the first.

Imagine that all media are a single person in your life.

Consider how much time you spend with this “person.” Consider the “person’s” many motives and “desires” in your relationship. Consider your own motives and “desires” in the relationship. Consider how much time your friends, neighbors and fellow citizens spend with this same “person.”

Consider what you know about the effects of the relationship on them and on you.

How do you characterize and assess the media as a “person” based on your thinking above?

Given that characterization and assessment, what do you and others need to keep in mind to benefit from this “relationship”?