Sound and Images, the Culture and the Role of Media

Due to the fast evolution of the technology in the society, there has been an increasing integration of sound and images in the media that people are exposed to. The film industry started only with moving images. Later on, as technology progressed, it became possible for sound to be integrated to it, making the experience of watching these movies more pleasurable. Naturally, the integration of sound and images also helps create a greater level of the believability of the movies that people watch. This means that people are able now to suspend their disbelief more easily and immerse themselves into the movies that they are watching. The message that images carry in this regard become more pronounced since they are able to manipulate sound as well. Given the joining of these disjointed features of film that may be generated in different times and in different locations, such an interaction of sound, space, and image reinforce the postmodernism ethos already affecting media, culture and the awareness of people around the world (Darley, 2000). The recent innovations in sound and image integration also give power to the visual digital culture being propagated among young people nowadays. A lot of media platform use this integration such as music videos, film, video games, and other platforms. With the changes in digital visual culture, there has been a change in the way that story, representation, and meaning are being presented to the audience. This is remarkably different from the way that traditional visual culture enhances the experience of audience (Darley, 2000). Audiences now are more critical of style, sensation and image performance. According to Frith, Goodwin, and Grossberg (1993), studying sound and image would require the serious student of mass communication to look into the nature of music television and the way it shapes perceptions among people young and old. Music videos, particularly, are making it possible for young people to redefine their styles and their views. Such approach would of course take a look at particular aspects of the development of young people’s personalities and views. In this kind of analysis, psychology and sociology come into the fore to analyze the impact of sound and image integration into the lives of those who adhere to this form of media. Modern video, with its integration of music and sound is now emerging as an important platform of mass media being analyzed by mass communication practitioners and theorists in the world today. The role of sound and image in this area of media production cannot be discounted. As such, these two platforms become carriers of meaning, which can be more easily understood by viewers and audiences alike (Cubitt, 1993). With sound and image, the practice of the imagination to recreate a place or a scene in the mind is no longer needed. In fact, since the setting, the actions in question, and the dialogues of the characters are played out as clearly as possible, little is left in the imagination as to how it could have occurred otherwise. With books in the form of novel and short stories, the viewers participate in the creation of virtual worlds in their minds. The way that the protagonist looks and how he speaks are all objects of imagination which he has to recreate based on the text that he reads. With image and sound, however, this is done away with. He just have to keep his eyes wide open and ears listening and he will understand what is being played out in the movies or shows that he is watching and enjoying. The emergence of video where sound and image interaction is already a given also has an important impact on how people make sense of themselves as members of the society and as individuals trying to make sense of their world. Through the movies and shows that they watch, new variables and ways of looking at things are being brought to the fore. Where will these mediations lead them? Do these mediations lead to a better understanding of their lives and their world? Or do they introduce new practices and views that undermine the prevalent understanding regarding their world and their environment (Cubitt, 1993). Through these videos also, there are cultural practices that are evolving. Such practices help artists and their audience find expressions for their passions and the way in which sound and image interact in creating cultural items. These movies and shows then carry cultural weight with them, which can fill the curiosity of students of mass communication for years to come. Conclusion People never imagined that image and sound can attain the heights that they have already achieved so far. There are still advancements along the way. Whatever forms of progress this will take, for sure, videography, and the way that sound, image, and motion interact with each other will challenge traditional perspectives in trying to understand mass media and the impact that it exerts on the development of the culture of society. These changes may be little but they are all significant. Reference Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Bedford: St. Martin’s Press. Cubitt, S. (1993). Videography: Video Media as Art and Culture. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Darley, A. (2000). Visual Digital Culture: Surface Play and Spectacle in New Media Genres. London: Routledge. Frith, S., Goodwin, A. & Grossberg, L. (1993). Sound and Vision: The Music Video Reader. London: Routledge. Â   Â   Â