Introduction
It has been said that technology becomes the primary factor of shaping the world and people’s consciousness. Since, our society now is on the period of post-modernity, everything seems so rapid and borderlines were already unimaginable. What I mean is that, because of the rapidity on the development of technology, everything are reachable and accessible in any point of the world, even to the remotest place a man will be. Technological advancement brought by the wonders of man’s rationality, though, how small the mind is, its capacity to create grandiose invention and innovation cannot be denied. The unending struggle of anyone to provide a better place and better world is the byproduct of man’s ingenuity.
By and large, technology indeed occupies the best position of influencing and shaping the structure and system of the present civilization, bringing it to the place wherein no one is private and inaccessible. Everything revolves around the world of technology, it even dictates what we should think of, and what behavior are we to act. Nonetheless, we owe significantly to the advantages of technology which makes one’s life easier.
Cinema: Ancient yet powerful
Our idea of cinema springs from different theoretical and conceptual constructs. However, we can further understand the theoretical constructs when we personally experience what we call cinema. In the age of industrial revolution when the idea of cinema came into existence, but, long before the scientific discoveries and technological development, cinema is already in existence. Furthermore, Greeks and Romans popularized the idea of theater in which in the new age known to be a cinema. There are at least two concepts closely related to our idea of cinema– cinema as a medium and as a technological structure.
Although, we understand cinema as ancient and old, yet, performs powerful role in the society.
The cinema as a medium plays a vital role in the social and political life of the society. This medium purposely helps discharge ideologies, political beliefs, and cultural beliefs in which strengthens the life of a society. On the other hand, can be an agent for radical and revolutionary programs pursued by few political maneuvers and social-oriented groups. The rolling of films can be seen vividly through the use of cinema. Moreover, cinema as a medium does not forfeit its ideological and social use and purpose although quite clear is the economical side of it.
The cinema as a technological structure purposively aims to generate economical abundance and profits. Audiences who are more inclined to hang out in movie cinemas or theaters contribute to the profits and income of the owners. Borrowing the Marxist doctrine, capitalists acquire more profit with the structure and at the same time the production of films contribute much income to its producers and executives.
Advantages
There are at least four important advantages of cinema both as a medium and a structure.
First, as an entertainment, cinema provides a wider screen and great soundings for visual and auditory effects. People frequently used to go to cinema prefer the more enticing and exciting visualization and auditory gratification rather than buying a DVD to watch it in small screen. The level of entertainment goes not only on the film which people are interesting to watch but also the fact that cinemas enhances viewers gratification to watch certain films by giving them wider screens and digital sounding effects.
Second, cinema as a medium fosters awareness to its viewers. Yes, cinema as a structure does not explicitly promote awareness because without the production of films, cinemas are futile structures. But, because cinema becomes a medium of another medium, it concretely and significantly, fosters awareness to its viewers. The fact that we watch a film in a more interesting place like cinema, unconsciously it affects our behavior and mental rubrics. In every encounter of any genre of film, we are oriented to different level of awareness. Although, we only recognize the superficial thing of watching a film in a cinema, but in deeper level, we adopt and form a kind of awareness;
Third, cinema promotes knowledge development. Again, our notion of cinema as a medium purports its promotion to knowledge development and formation. The more we are engage in watching films the more we are oriented to different realities of life. Whether theses films are fiction or non-fiction, it contributes to further harness our knowledge. Cinema, in this case, helps us development our knowledge. Moreover, our exposure to wider screen and digital sounding effects also contribute to our understanding of realities presented in the films we are watching. Hence, more than our ability of figmentation is the benefit of knowledge we can gain.
Lastly, cinema promotes value formation regardless of what kind and what effect. Cinema as both a structure and medium plays a vital role in the value formation of an individual and the society as a whole. Through the rolling of films, we are slanted into processing the visual and auditory utterances in our mind and whether we are conscious or unconscious with this process, it gradually forms a kind of value that later on will manifest in our behavior.
Disadvantages
There are also at least two major disadvantages which I think are beyond our usual and superficial views about its advantages
First, cinema is used to produce and advance the economic interest of the few. Since, only few individuals in the society can able to establish the structure, the more movie goers go to cinemas, the higher the profit is gained by the owners. Moreover, owners’ power to permit films to be premiered manifests their advancement of economic profit rather than their social responsibility.
Second, cinema as a medium can be use to promote hegemony. This only means that since films to be shown in cinemas should undergone several evaluation and selection process, in most capitalist society, films that bolsters higher profits are permitted while films that are low in budget but offers substantial and relevant issues about the society are deem to ignore. Moreover, those films which carry messages and ideologies favorable to the few are pushed and promoted while films that are dangerous to the status quo are prohibited.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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