QUESTION: IS there a justification for proposing a theory of “media construction of reality” as a derivative of the theory of social construction of r

ANSWER:

Construction, according to Earl Babbie, is the act or result of construing, interpreting or explaining. When it comes to the role played by the media in social issues, one would agree that the media have huge social involvement. In fact the media has become the primary source of transmitting information today.

The theory of social construction of reality, is based on the premise of individuals and groups, living in a social setting, interact and form over a period, concepts and notions or mental impressions of each other’s actions and that these actions overtime become an essential character felt by or shared by the actors in relation to each other. A case in point is the naming of a new born ceremony by the diverse ethnic groups in Ghana.

The issues here are thus: is reality an invention, do media reflect reality (exactly or distortedly), is the world a projection or a design.

In considering a medium’s fear based sensationalism for instance, studies have suggested that those who watch more than the average dose of television consistently overestimate the level of violence in their society. They estimate the amount of violence as just about the same as that shown on television, whilst people who watched less television tend to come up with numbers closer to official crime figures. In looking at the role of the media in the construction of reality, it could be said that the media is responsible for majority of observations and experiences from which we build up our personal understandings of the world and how it works. Much of our view of reality is based on media messages that have been pre-constructed with possible biases and conclusions already built in it. The media to a great extent gives society her sense of reality. This is evident in McCombs & Shaw’s (1972) agenda setting theory which presents the notion of how the media dictate importance of issues and events to the public, Gebner’s (1973) cultivation theory which demonstrates how people line their views of the world with those presented in the media, and Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory which suggests how mass media consumers can learn appropriate societal actions,

With the mass media, we must be concerned with a view point on the world or on any matter which is delivered and society needs to be aware of the ways in which those media distort, or re-process the ‘reality’ presented us.

A good point to begin would be media education for individuals in society, so that society would be aware of the influence and social effects of what is presented or what is not presented as ‘news’, ‘real’ or ‘true’. The media industry is seen to produce forms of beliefs, values or perspectives. In as much as powerful agents as television play a big role in directing the beliefs and ideas of society, we need to cultivate an understanding not just on how they function but also on why they function, that way individuals in a community would have a chance to think about and analyze what is dished out to them in films, advertisements and TV programmes.

A basic education in media operations will go to make society aware of the aesthetic, social, cultural and techno-economic factors that are at play in media representations and which could prevent them from being straightforward accounts of reality and the world. Such would make society aware that a specific view presented by a film or a television programme on an issue is done on the terms, customs and culture of that medium.

Another issue worth addressing is that of media censorship and the difficulties faced by journalist. Censorship is today, viewed as an exclusive or special right or privilege enjoyed by journalists and editors about what is to be reported and what is not. And if the media does not talk or write about an event or person, then the person or event simply does not exist.

In conclusion, it could be said that media construction of reality is real and cannot be underestimated however it must never be at the expense of the social order.

2. Jankowski, N.W. (2002) Creating community with media: history, theories and scientific investigations’, in L. Lievrouw and S. Livingstone (eds), Handbook of New Media, pp.34-49. London: Sage

3. Babbie, Earl. 2005. “The basics of social research”: Third edition; Thompson Wadsworth press, Canada.

4. Gerring, J. (2001), Social Science Methodology. A Criterial Framework, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

5. Hughes, J. and W. Sharrock (1997), The Philosophy of Social Research (3rd edn), London and New York:

Longman

TYPE 1 DIABETES ON THE RISE IN GHANA, WORLDWIDE.

Source: Mashud Zakaria

If you think diabetes is common only among adults, then you are mistaken. Research shows that infants, right from conception risk developing Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes.

The World Health Organization estimates that 90-95 per cent of children under 16 years have type 1diabetes. But over the last three decades, there has been a threefold increase in reported cases of childhood diabetes worldwide and it is feared that the situation might get out of hand if the necessary public education on the disease is not upped.

Type 1 diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose. Because the pancreas has stopped producing insulin, a hormone needed to process glucose taken from food and the body literally starves. The common symptoms- Hunger, weight loss and fatigue, are consequences of the organs not getting the glucose they need to function properly. Frequent urination and thirst occurs for the body does all it can to get rid of the excess glucose by dumping it into the bladder.

In Ghana, the situation is not very different. A Medical Superintendent at the Ashaiman Polyclinic, Dr. Jarvis Abilla said the facility records five to ten suspected cases of type 1 diabetes per month; a situation he described as ‘alarming’. Such cases are referred to regional and general hospitals for diagnosis and treatment since the facility is not equipped enough to handle such cases.

Dr. Abilla explained that type 1 diabetes is as common as type 2 diabetes and the symptoms are very much alike. But one peculiar sign of the disease that can be detected at an early stage is when expected mothers with big abdomen give birth to very ‘tiny’ babies.

He stressed that if such a condition is not managed early on detection, a diabetic wound or diabetic foot ulcer may develop. He explained that such a wound is commonly seen on the soles of approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes. Of those who develop foot ulcer, six percent are likely to be hospitalized due to infection or other ulcer-related complications. Consequently, such conditions may end up in amputation.

WHO also estimates that 50% of people with type 1 diabetes die of cardiovascular diseases, 2% become blind and 10% develop severe visual impairment.

Dr. Abilla said, in the long run, type 1 diabetes is generally fatal unless treated with insulin. Though injection is the most common method of administering insulin, Dr. Abilla explained insulin pumps and inhaled insulin have been available at various times. But some experts link the development of type 1 diabetes to breastfeeding habits among nursing mothers.

They contend that infant formula may directly affect the chances of type 1 diabetes in children as they contain a base of hard-to-digest cow milk and that infants who had an earlier introduction of complex proteins, that is cow milk infant formula, grain cereals and fruits had a fifty per cent higher risk of developing B cell autoimmunity from which type 1 diabetes develops.

They argued that though it is suggested that the best way to avoid type 1diabetes is to breast-feed infants for the first year of life, they noted that infants given hydrolysed formula, or pre-digested formula, had a lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes. In this formula, the proteins have already been broken down and are easier to digest.

However, Dr. Abilla dismissed such assertion describing it as highly ‘hypothetical’. He said the development of type 1 diabetes is induced by a combination of several ‘complicated’ factors such as ‘genetic susceptibility, lifestyle’, use of unprescribed drugs likely to destroy the pancreas, among others.

But that is not all about type 1 diabetes. A worrying situation is the method of milk delivery to infants. Glass bottles or plastic baby bottles used to breastfeed infants as well as mode of preparation and preservation of baby formula also predispose children to type 1diabetes.

Dr. Abilla suggested that type 1 diabetes can be managed not only by relying on insulin. Mild exercises, psychological help and proper dieting can also help mitigate the severity of the disease. He advocated a Diabetes Fund to cater for the education and treatment of diabetes.

SELFLESS LOVE

Normally, people are reticent to speak derisively of the dead: their natural feelings hinder them. But when Jesus Christ, The Son of God, suffered agonizing pains while hanging on the cross, He was a target for man's contempt.

It was not only the soldiers and the common people who scorned Him there, but above all, the leaders of His people, too. They had seen how He had saved others, yet they refused to accept that he had performed those miracles with divine authority and power. Indeed, they had ascribed such deeds to demonic powers, simply because they would not acknowledge Him as the One sent by God.

Only a few hours previously, Jesus had caused the crowd that came to arrest Him to fall to the ground with His words 'I am He'. Now, apparently, they had Him in their power. Why, we may ask, did the Lord Jesus Christ not make use of His own Power?

The answer is: He wished to save us from our sins! that involved the righteous One not only bearing the scorn of men on the cross, but also the wrath of God over our sins, and sacrificing His life for us, the unrighteous. this means that now, because of His finished work of redemption, the call goes out to everyone who wishes to be freed from his guilt. ''Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Is the pursiut of happiness attainable. we often want to pursue what makes us happy and we eventually end up at discovering other complex things and questions about ourselves.

True, most people do not even know what they want and do not even care who makes their decisions for them. I have got no problem with that, but the inevitable question is: how long will you want people or some one to dictate your life to you? life is too short to allow someone makes mistakes for you while you suffer the consequence.

Happiness come our way every time of the day. we do not have to pursue it, otherwise we might end up becoming losers. It is up to us to make the best of every situation. Though sadness is inevitable, we have to harness it and use it to our advantage. Like children, they have a carefree life and it works for them. why can't the adult live be devoid of all unhappiness? we are definitely designed for greatness, and we have God to be grateful to.