CC Conclusion: The Grand Finale

Consumers are considering some media channels as "lifelines." Is this a bad thing that consumers are becoming so dependent upon these media channels?

I want to respond to Leah's question above. I think the jobs and lifestyles of each particular consumer has to do with their reliability on certain media channels. You can't judge whether or not it is a bad thing until the consumers' jobs and lifestyles are considered. For example, students in elementary school, middle school, and high school spend most of their time in school, doing extracurricular activities, and doing homework. These students are learning the basics and should not be dependant on media channels while they are learning the basics of education. If these students are so focused on television or text-messaging, they may miss out on the basics. To take this example to the next step with college students, I think it is okay to depend on some media channels because these students have already learned the basics of education and communication without media channels or with limited access to media channels (at least for my age group and older). Adults should be able to depend on media channels to manage their time with their jobs. Blackberries can be used to take advantage of long car rides and get some work done (especially for party planners or jobs with similar requirements). Other types of jobs like babysitting do not require the use of media channels as much and it would be adverse for those people to depend on media channels because it would distract them from their jobs.