The last several weeks I have been doing a lot of reading about media and culture. I have read a ton of Marshall McLuhan and my brain hurts. What I have learned through this study is that we don’t have it figured out at all. I am so quick to jump on the latest fad and newest media. I have a video ipod, know how to make a podcast, use constant contact and even have this blog. But, how much do I really think about what the “Message” is of the media which I am choosing to use.
Here’s some thoughts.
Magazines with a different focus:
These three magazines were picked because they fit along a scale of cultural interaction. On one side of the scale is Relevant magazine which attempts to interact with culture but at the same time is very committed to creating its own culture via its publishing company. It has a very overtly Christian tone and a desire to “impact” culture. Risen magazine is in the middle of the scale where it attempts to allow culture to be “real” but tries to interact with it on that level. Because of that they will interview people who have no Christian beliefs but still ask them what they think about God. Paste Magazine is on the far side of this spectrum. It is not a magazine that has any overt Christian tone. It’s interacting with culture is done in a very different way that allows culture to speak for itself without any questions about belief. It also doesn’t present only the best marketed and faddish artists and is committed to finding real and good musicians.
Relevant Magazine Enhances: Relevant enhances the interaction between popular media and the 20-something Christian generation. It gives opportunity to analyze culture through a distinctly Christian lens. Retrieves: For a generation that is not very discerning about media it retrieves the ability to recognize things which have Christian messages. Reverses into: there is a “big” tendency for an “Us vs. them” worldview. Also trying to create our own culture. Obsolesces: On some level it makes it obsolete for the person reading to think on their own. This can be a “hot” media that discourages interaction and thinking. We must be careful when a magazine tells too much what it thinks and sets up its own scales.
Risen Magazine Enhances: The ability for Christians to interact with culture on its own footing without us creating a “straw man” for us to knock over. Retrieves: Real questions for real people. We read interviews where people who are not Christians are asked (and answer) hard questions about God. This brings back great interactions. Reverses into: A tendency to allow for other beliefs to be ok. By not asking hard or enough questions we could be setting the stage for acceptance of all beliefs. Obsolesces: Our own community of artists, musicians, actors and athletes who don’t have the marketing campaigns behind them don’t get opportunities to be in a great magazine.
Paste Magazine
Enhances: the ability for culture to be what it is and for Christians to interact with it on that level. The discerning Christian must think and interact with culture. Retrieves: The 20-something generation must think about culture and music and not simply be “fed” what ever is the most hyped and faddish. Reverses into: There can be the tendency to lose sight of what is Holy and pure. It allows for a much greater belief system because nothing is talked about as being “true.” Obsolesces: Music and culture that is put out by the Christian community.
