Week 01 - Media Unlimited

I find that Media Unlimited is somewhat strangely non-linear.  The author, Todd Gitlin, definitely has his own voice in explaining his points with a series of stories and examples.  I feel like it becomes confusing, on several occasions, when reading Gitlin’s style of flooding the reader with examples in both literal and synonymic ways.  He starts out by labeling in bold what his next few pages will be about.  Eventually after the first few paragraphs, though I still understand what he’s trying to say, I begin to loose track of what the main subject of any given section is about.  I find that a few times his writing drifts into what would almost be a real person drifting off into a tangent with their discussions.  On top of that he often quotes from several unfamiliar names.  There’s nothing wrong with that but the way he has them inserted makes me think half way through his paragraphs about why Gitlin always has to refer back to those names.  In other words, I never remember or know the significance of most of the people he wants to mention and quote from. 

            I do find the book entertaining to read regardless of the occasional confusions brought about by his style of writing and quirks.  The book contains more than just information about the evolution of modern media.  A lot of the examples he brings are also interesting history trivia you don’t usually read about elsewhere.  After reading most of the book, the one part that really stands out for me the most is still the section titled Trucks.  True or not, I find that story very fun, though I still wonder how exactly he intended for it to be relevant to the topic of the book.