Introducing: Presented In The Media

Welcome to our blog, 'Presented In The Media'! We are a group of ISYS100 students at Macquarie University. Our names are Jess, Areeka, Dee and Huda and we write blog posts about media related issues and topics. Check out our vlog entry to get to know more about the content we write about. We might just surprise you!

Watch the trailer to our blog here:

Expensive Entertainment

In recent years, the cost of entertainment is something, which has been on the rise, and for most families, it has become difficult to find an activity that everyone can enjoy, without emptying their wallets. These days, for a family of five, a day out to the cinema or even for lunch costs around $100. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald covered the issue of rising movie tickets and stated how they have reached the $20 mark with Gold Class tickets being around $40. Additional to this are the food prices which can usually be another $10-$15 per person.

It makes us wonder why these prices have risen so much in such a short time. In my opinion, the increasing trend of Internet torrents and illegal downloading has had a major impact on the entertainment industry. Looking at other aspects besides cinema, music concert tickets are also quite expensive, hitting the $100 mark for most artists and these are usually the most basic seats available. It is ironic, to some extent, that entertainment prices have risen so much due to alternatives available on the internet but it is also because of these raised prices that people resort to those free alternatives. In order to fix the problem, the prices need to be reduced or the access to the free options needs to be stopped.

Other factors, however, such as the rising costs of employment and maintenance of the cinema have also contributed to the rise in movie tickets. Sydney, for one, is considered one of the most expensive cities to live in. In some ways, the issue is bigger than just the easy access to torrents. It is to do with whole economy and the managing of the country’s finances. 

- Areeka 

Media, Children and Youth - Internet

The Internet has considerable potential for providing youth with access to educational information however, in the modern day world this has proved that this is not always the case as the lack of limits and barriers allow teenagers to view anything they desire in seconds at the click of a button.

Other concerns include online predators such as pedophiles. The internet has become a playground for predators to lure young people into relationships. There is also the potential for children to be exposed to pornographic material. Parental locks are now possible with today’s technology as it blocks access to pornography and other explicit material on the internet, however in my opinion; this technology does not replace parental supervision or guidance, especially for younger children.

Since the internet has become a dangerous place for young people it can also impact them negatively. I feel that this generation spends majority of their time on some form of media and this can have damaging effects. Nearly everything we do requires the internet and our lives sometimes seem to revolve around this. 

Some effects can include inactivity, wastage of time, cyber bullying, moral corruption, insomnia and addiction. I believe that internet usage is only going to continue to rise as well as the dangers associated with it and education and awareness is a way to reduce these potential situations. 

- Huda