My Very Own Individual Thought

I've been thinking a lot about the question: What is media? I think in order to understand what interactive media is, it is an essential question. Alot of theorists argue about interactive media, specifically about freewill, manipulation and control within it. The term media is just a word, it implies multiple mediums. It is not a thinking, opinionated entity, thus it cannot be accused of manipulation. Any manipulation exemplified by media is the fault of the USERS. The digital age we live in has allowed for a lot more users of the tool 'interactive media', and this is making us more aware of issues regarding freewill. But, it is my argument that these issues are the blame of society in general, and the history of the human race. Interactive media is merely a tool, one that makes us more aware of a debate that has been around since the dawn of communication- does freewill exist? Perhaps this means it can even be argued that interactive media gives us MORE chance for freewill, because it is a tool that is letting us educate ourselves more than our ancestors and appreciate a board range of perspectives, rather than a limited few presented to us by politically tampered with newspapers.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no manipulative media, there is just manipulative USE of media. I think that it could be argued that Interactive Media it is a tool that makes manipulation easier, and encourages the decline of human morality and ethics, but it itself is not the CAUSE of this, it merely makes the representation of problems in society more evident.

Furthermore, on the matter of limited choice in terms of hyperlinks and games....so what? Interactive media is technology, not magic. It may subtly influence us to think logically in the way of the creator, but the creator thought of how to lay the site/game out in a more logical way for us during development. It's a two way street that can't be avoided due to technical constraints. It is NOT manipulation. It can be used for manipulation, yes, but just because SOME people misuse the media, it does not mean ALL Interactive media is an example of this.

Also, you may notice the title of this post- My Very Own Individual Thought, entitled so because it is a thought I have derived from weeks of reading a WIDE VARIETY of texts, and educating myself to devise MY OWN opinion. It is not an idea that I have seen anywhere. Maybe other people have had the same thought, but that doesn't mean it is not individual or self thought out, as this scientific article on free will and brain patterns describes. We may not always be aware of subconicous influences, hence the use of the prefix 'sub', but that doesn't mean we are not capable of making our own decisions based on the facts. I can FEEL, in my inner slef, that this is MY opinion, not one I'm channelling, hence my firm standing on this issue.

I am considering looking into the idea of expanding these ideas for my dissertation, and exploring early forms of media and manipulation to argue that interactive media today is just making us more aware and broadening our minds about an issue that has been around since the creation of old media newspapers (in 1400) rather than being the actual cause of a reduction in new ideas. So if anyone has any opinions or relevant research re: my ideas......please feel free to tell me.