Media Accounts in Everyday Life: 1940s vs. the Present

Comparing & Contrasting Our Personal Accounts of Typical Days with Media

     It is very interesting to see that three out of four of us regularly use our cell phones with all four of us checking our Facebook daily. In addition, all the members of our group regularly check our email and work on computers everyday. Although all of us listen to our radio in the car, only two of us (Gina and Danielle) regularly used their iPods to also listen to music. Elaine was the only one in our group who does not watch television although Danialle admitted she only watches it on a minimal basis. Half of our group (Gina and Danialle) regularly watch movies on Netflix. Gina and Elaine were the texters of the group compared to Danialle and Danielle who both never engage in texting. Although all of us visited websites daily, Gina visited the most in the morning after making her tea.

     A typical day with media in the 1940s revolved around the newspaper and the radio for most American families. Radio was both for information and for entertainment as families listened to both news pertaining to the United States and the world. In contrast to our group’s individual days, we received our news via the Internet and the television vs. the newspaper and newsreels as they did in the 40s. Although all the members of our group listened to the radio for music, news, and entertainment, the time spent listening to the radio was limited to driving times. Our group agreed that radio or television time in the 40s was more of a family event and today the practice is more individualized as our society uses media technology for watching movies in the car, on portable DVD players, and on mobile devices.

     The comic strips that were introduced in the 40s were limited to newspaper or comic book publications as a main source of entertainment (and often as propaganda) for children. In our group Gina and Danialle regularly look at comic strips on the web. Magazines were another source of entertainment and information for individuals of the 40s compared to how our group utilizes the web to gather that same information.

     One important item to note about the 40s was how the government used media to establish the war effort by including military images in advertisements, propaganda posters, movie short reels before the main attraction in cinemas, war coverage and fireside chats on the radio, and war footage on the television. Citizens relied more on letter-writing as a means of communication compared to how our group utilized email and texting to keep in touch with our acquaintances.

     Compared to our group, individuals in the 40s utilized the radio or record players for music whereas we listen to the bulk of our music via iPods or other mobile media devices.

     Overall, our group felt a typical media day in the 40s was correlated well to the expanding technologies of today; however, in our present time we are much more reliant upon technology to function both socially and cognitively.