When searching for a story for
this assignment I specifically looked for a story that had a video component to
it. I figured this was the smartest route to take because many online stories
use both print and video. I choose to use Yahoo news for this assignment
because I find the site visually appealing, and it is less regimented in its
layout. Yahoo news does not separate the stories by topic, they just give the
viewer a plethora of different headlines and you can choose which one you would
like to read. In my opinion this makes the experience of reading the news a
little bit more enjoyable because you are not bombarded with negative stories
all at once.
The story I ultimately chose is one about teens, their use of electronic devices, and how it affects their sleep. The article itself is very compelling as it relies heavily on statistics and reports from a study based on child health. The purpose of the article is to be informative and to present the view that use of electronics should be limited by teenagers. I believe the article does indeed accomplish this goal. The video also has the goal of being informative and presenting a view on the use of electronics by adolescents and the link to their poor eyesight. The video is compelling in that you can see how enraptured the child is with the device, and you can get a sense of the mother being sincerely worried about the child. The video also presents an interview with an optometrist, someone who is considered an expert on eyesight and we would be more likely to listen to. The article also had the added interactive component, as it had links for the reader to post the article to other websites and leave comments. At the time of me writing this there were 82 comments left on the article. There were plenty of comments from people complaining about how different their childhood was compared to children today, and a few comments that had nothing at all to do with the topic.
The use of print and video in
some ways bolsters the point the article is trying to make, in other ways it
creates confusion for the reader. As separate parts both the print portion and
video portion are equally strong, but when added together they are not as
cohesive as I would like. It was not until the end of the clip that I realized
what my confusion with the clip was based on. It was not just the children’s
age, it was the topic of both the video and the article. The article
specifically focused on teenager’s sleep patterns and their use of electronic
devices. While the video was based on young children and the link between use
of electronic devices and their poor eyesight. The comment section of the
article is effective because it draws people into becoming active participants
in the article. Whether it’s to agree, complain, or even go completely off
topic. It’s important to note that when presenting any story to the public that
there is some measure of continuity. I feel that the article as a whole would
have been more effective if the print portion was based on the negative effects
of electronics on children as a whole. Otherwise, I feel that each component
did exactly what it was placed there to do.
You can take a look at the article by clicking the following link:
Good job - see Blackboard for your score.
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