Online Gamers in China must Register with Real Names

Soon, all online gamers in China must register with real names rather than made up game alias. This is a mandatory program that will be implemented for anti gaming addiction monitoring purposes.

Is online gaming addictive? Numerous studies and tests seem to support this case as massive online multiplayer games are becoming more popular both for children, teens and adults alike. Not only are more people playing, but many are spending countless waking hours building up their online characters.

Game addiction has become a serious problem all over the world. The Chinese government has concluded that this problem has become severe enough that they will soon require those playing massive multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing games must register with their real names when creating new accounts. Users will registers their names along with government issued ID cards. Zhang Yijun, the director of General Administration of Press and Publication’s technology and digital publication department, said personal information would become a requirement for those register for online games.

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Should Government Legislate Morality? Is Adultery a Crime?

Ok So-ri Jailed for Adultery
Ok So-ri Jailed for Adultery
  • What is the Government’s Role in upholding Morality?
  • It is a Criminal Offense to Murder, to Steal, how about Adultery?
  • Is it impeding on personal freedoms or should the Government have the right to govern it’s people’s moral conduct to maintain social order?

In 2008, South Korea’s highest court upheld an adultery law that sends adulterers to jail for having an extra-martial affair. Since 1989, four appeals have made it to the highest court but all four have been shot down. The most recent appeal was overturned this past October regarding a popular korean actress, Ok So-ri also known as Ok Bo-kyung, who was charged for an affair with a well-known opera singer. She blamed it on a loveless marriage. In January, she had entered into divorce proceedings with her husband Park Chul. Ok So-ri was sentence to eight months for adultery. Her lover was also sentenced to six months.

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Downloading TV and Watching Video Online Biggest Gainers in 2008

Download TV Shows
Download TV Shows

Downloading TV and Watching Video Online Biggest Gainers in 2008

According to new research from Mediamark Research & Intelligence, (MRI), the biggest year over year growth gainers among adult Internet users in 2008 in terms of media interaction were downloading TV shows, watching online videos and making online phone calls.

MRI surveyed the American consumer and found that 3.2% of adults had downloaded a TV program in the last 30 days for a 141% increase since the year before. Despite the fact that access to TV programs have become increasingly easier, this is still considered a tremendous jump year to year. The number of adults who watched online video also continued to trend up increasing by 35%. 4% of adults said they had made an online phone call which represents a 32% increase.

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Sex Trafficking Victims – The Facts

Sex Trafficking Victim
Sex Trafficking Victim

Sex Trafficking Part II

Another followup article I would like to give attention too as I feel these issues do not get enough coverage in the media.

There is a video posted online with her discussing her trials.

Article is from the NY Times Opinion Section found here, video can also be found there.

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Israel & Palestinian’s Media War on the Gaza Strip

Israel Palestinian Gaza Media
Israel Palestinian Gaza Media

There has been a lot of talk on the Media Wars in Gaza between the Palestinians and Israel. Both sides have kept a careful lip on what gets transmitted out to the public. Below I’ve tried to give a snapshot of the “media war” and how Israel and Palestinians go about controlling their message to the world.

Israel claims that opening their borders for journalist would put those in the terminals in danger. The government has long banned Israeli journalist from entering Gaza because of the concerns for their safety. However they had allowed foreign reporters to enter. Thus without access, the media has no reliable source or information.

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Sex Trafficking – Where is the News Coverage?

Where is the Coverage?
One social issue that doesn’t get as much coverage as it should is the sex trafficking that occurs all around the world. The sex traffic business continues to loom large yet the atrocities involved never quite see the day light. Somehow someway the industries manages to keep it hush hush.

Sex trafficking revenue of people is estimated to be between $5 billion to $9 billion dollars. Often it is misunderstood as something people do voluntarily due to money or debt issues when in actuality many girls are abducted and kidnapped from an early age and forced into prostitution by force and torture. Up to 50% are minors. Sex trafficking occurs not just in notorious countries like Cambodia, Japan, Russia and Eastern Europe but here at home in the United States.

One recent “opinions” article that speaks of the issue and is highlighted below. (Why it an opinion article? Shouldn’t this be headline world news!?)

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Media Influence on Perception of the Financial Crisis. Who is to Blame?

Let me be clear. I am no expert in Politics. I just post articles that has to do with how media molds our perception, which unfortunately has a lot to do with politics and social issues. Below I’ve added excerpts from an article in regards our national financial problems and who is to blame. This article abhors the “fact” that liberal media continues to help build on the perception that congress is working hard to paint. That our financial crisis is all due to greedy CEOs and irresponsible spending, keeping our focus away from the fact that lot of the problems stem from government laws and programs that Congress enacted not too long ago.

Do I agree with it? Don’t ask me, I just want to promote logical thinking and allow people to make sound judgments beyond just believing and soaking in everything they see and hear in media. I do think the article is very one sided and borderlines on being a rant, but that makes the article somewhat interesting to read.

If you have some counter arguments or a link to article that supports or goes against this matter, feel free to leave a comment.

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Are you Unhappy? Stop Watching TV! Go Socialize

A study came out of the University of Maryland that concludes that watching television contributes to viewers’ happiness in the short term, but has negative affects in the long run. In other words they found that those who say they are unhappy on average watch more TV while those who are happy spend more time socializing with others and reading. This study analyzes 30 years of national data through a series of attitude surveys.

“TV doesn’t really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does,” says University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author and a pioneer in time-use studies. “It’s more passive and may provide escape – especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise.”

In the study, Robinson and fellow sociologist Steven Martin, analyzed two sets of data collected over 30 years from 30,000 adults.

Short Term Gratification, Long Term Harm
They found that people who described themselves as happy were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers. By contrast, unhappy people watched significantly more television in their spare time.

The data showed that in the long term it has an adverse affect on happiness. More TV simply meant less time to socialize, make friends, and engage in social activity. The unhappy group were more likely to think they had too much extra time. 51 percent thought they had too much time verses only 19 percent of those who said they were happy.

Living in the Moment
The most fascinating aspect of this study is that “in the moment”, subjects thought highly of watching TV as an activity despite the data clearly showing that the more they watched the more likely they would be unhappy. The respondents wrote time-diaries about their daily activities. This data seems to paint a different picture as in the given moment the respondents rated TV viewing as a something they enjoy and a good daily activity. “What viewers seem to be saying is that ‘While TV in general is a waste of time and not particularly enjoyable, the shows I saw tonight were pretty good,’ ” Robinson says. The data also suggested that part of the reason was because TV viewing was “easy”. It is immediate gratification with a touch of a button. No need to dress up, find a place to go, find people, plan out the day, do any work or expend energy or money. It is no wonder Americans spend more than half their free time watching TV.

TV Viewing like Addiction?
Martin described the TV viewing like an addiction. “Addictive activities produce momentary pleasure but long-term misery and regret,” he says. “People most vulnerable to addiction tend to be socially or personally disadvantaged. For this kind of person, TV can become a kind of opiate in a way. It’s habitual, and tuning in can be an easy way of tuning out.”

What are your thoughts? Comment Below!

Other Related Posts:
Powerful Impact of Media on Children
Study Links Pregnancy with Watching Sexy TV Shows
Influence of TV SNL Satire on Political Identity – Sarah Palin 2008
Just Inappropriate for Kids or Just Inappropriate

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Teen Kills Self on Justin.tv with 185 Witnesses

A teen from Florida, committed suicide on Wednesday while broadcasting himself live on a video site called Justin.tv. Justin.tv is an open network of thousands of live streaming channels. 185 people were viewing the feed. From reports, he was egged on by fellow forum users on a bodybuilding website. Biggs ended up overdosing on pills live. He seemed to be breathing and alive for hours but soon some watchers became worried and contacted the police. The police broke into the complex and took him to the hospital.

Much of the videos of the actual event, pictures, suicide note and forum posts have been taken down, though much of it remains all over the web. For the sake of privacy and respect none of the content or the links will be posted on this blog. We will also withhold from using the teen’s name.

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Powerful Impact of Media on Children

Impact of Media on Children

Every single day millions of children are constantly bombarded by media. Television, Internet, Movies, Video Games, Music, Videos are some of the many forms of media that continues to feed particular messages and ideas into our children and ultimately into our culture.

Dr. Douglas A. Gentile, a developmental psychologist and assistant professor in Iowa State University’s Department of Psychology, offered an explanation.

With the 21st century offering a greater number of media than any other period in history, younger generations can view or listen to almost any sort of content at the touch of a button.
“I think that alone makes the fair question, ‘Might it have a different effect than we’ve ever seen before in human history?'” Gentile said.

Gentile would go on to discuss how our concepts of normal behavior, our values, sense what is acceptable and unacceptable develops from our “spheres of influence”. First from Family, then community and the rest of society.

Influence of Media via Culture and Family

“The media influence us not just one-on-one when we watch them. They also influence us by influencing our families. They also influence us by influencing our communities. That’s one of the reasons it’s hard to tell if you’ve ever been affected because it’s not just a simple one-to-one relationship. You’re being influenced in multiple directions all at the same time,” Gentile said.

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5.3 Billion Spend on Federal Political Candidiates

Today was election day! Hope everyone has gone out to vote! Not just for the presidential candidates but for all the propositions and local positions.

To be honest I don’t like writing about politics, but in the spirit of voting day here is another!

Media Spend by Candidates Breaks Reocrds
So as everyone knows a candidate’s spend on media will have a direct influence on how we view the candidates and ultimately who we vote for. So how much has been spent on this election?

The country will have spent $5.3 billion on federal political candidates. 27% higher than 2004. The presidential race? $1.5 billion by mid-October, on track to be closer to $2.4 billion by the end according to Center for Responsive Politics.

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Are Election Media Polls Trustworthy?

The general feeling seems to be that Barack Obama has this presidential run in the bag. Possibly. How do we know this? Well the media polls tell us who is right leaning and who is left leaning. Pretty simple right?

Scared Heart University did a study on how much people trust the media. Less than 19% of adults said they trust or believe most of what the media tells them. 24% said they believe little or nothing of what is told to them. Most people believe the media is out to influence the public more than informing the public.

How does the public feel about the various media companies?
New York Times: Left Leaning (42%)
National Public Radio [NPR]: Left Leaning (40%)
MSNBC: Left Leaning (39%)
CNN: Left Leaning (12%)
Fox News: (49%)

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