“Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter”
The two articles read, about pop culture and the different affects it has today and the internet web blogs and its affect on society have some similarities and differences to them. “Media, Discourse, and the Public Sphere: Electronic Memorials to Diana, Princess of Wales,” differs from “Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter” in its primary focus for one. Johnson rarely speaks of the internet, and focuses primarily on the difference between books and video games, and its effects on both. Dissecting both, it can said that they both show the effects of what events, and time can do to people through the media and technology. The connections are for one, how Johnson refers to the drive to stop at nothing when it comes to technology, and no matter how difficult or frustrating it can be, people drive forward. Helmer’s in her article connects with this as with people who will not let the Diana tragedy die, and live on with the event through media to this day. Another connection is the way people connect themselves to mainstream media, through technology and computers to grow with the wave people are moving. The biggest, wide spread connection is obviously the media and technology portion, where people and pop culture are going to. It is a sign of the times and in both articles this is looked at. Johnson does not notably agree with the Helmer’s article, as he believes literacy is still very important, but yet little was mentioned in Helmer’s article dealing with books. Johnson’s article was a much better read, and both have connections in a step back way, but the actual content are far separating.