Media is simply a way to communicate information from person to person. The media has a major responsibity in that it shapes many people’s beliefs and opinions. The media is responsible for what you see on television or in movies. It’s also responsible for what you hear in music. The media is so influential that politicians use it to help them get elected. Using the media helped many presidents to get elected. One of the big reason John F. Kennedy won his election is because the media made him to appear as a better canidate than his oppenent.
When Obama ran for president, he had a plethora of media coverage. Oprah Winfrey, who has her own media company, helped Obama greatly by giving him money to campain with. The media controls what we see and hear as a people. This is a form of utilitarianism in that it affects our society as a whole. When we see current events in the news we assume the information is correct. However, a lot the information we are exposed to is false or manipulated. Big media companies, such as NBC or ABC, control what the public actually sees. When we see coverage of the war efforts, we assume that what see is true.
However, the news doesn’t cover all the aspects of the war. The media always wants us to think we are the “good guys” in any conflict. But, there are always to sides to a story. Today we have social media outlets, such as Facebook or Twitter. These media outlets are so influential that every big business has a Facebook page. Politians, actors, and musicians all have a Facebook or Twitter page, because they know how crucial it is to be on social media. There are some advantages to social media. Many stories that we would never hear about are on social media.
The mainstream media only covers stories that they want us to see, however now with social media we see stories that would otherwise know nothing about. The mainstream media rarely covers cases of police brutality, but on social media (Copblock) we can see rampant cases of police brutality. Social Media is so prevalent that the FBI often uses it to track down criminals. In one particular case, a woman made a post on Twitter asking people where to find some marijuana. The police actually responded to her post. Celebrities often use Social Media to connect with their fans.
Almost everyone in the entertainment industry uses social media to help them build a fan base. The media can influence deontology, shaping what we think is right or wrong. The media is especially to the younger generation. The younger generation is very influential and impressionable. The media has a great responsibity towards our youth. When asked what the younger generation thinks is most influential, they responded that music and movies are the most influential things to them. With this in mind, the media is of upmost importance.
In some cases, young people have no adults in their life to help guide them in the right direction. Hence, they turn to the media to show them what is acceptable or unacceptable. The media can influence what we buy or consume. Commerials are a form of media, which tries to influence what we purchase. With social media we can actually control the media to a certain extend. We can choose what media outlets we are exposed to or we can start our own media outlets. Before the revolution of social media, it would be impossible to start a media outlets without major funding.
Social Media has changed music also. Now with social media an independent artist can build up a network on Facebook or Twitter and post their music on it. Before the social media revolution it would be impossible for a musician to get their music out to the masses without have a major record deal. I’m an independent artist and have used sites like Facebook or Twitter to get my music out there. The media has a great responsibility, in that it shapes what we are exposed to and in turn shapes out society.
Media is so influential that in some cases the government steps in and regulates what we are exposed to. When the rap group “2 Live Crew” came out the government stepped in and censored their music for being so vulgar. The rap group responded with a song entitled “Banned in the USA”, a parody of the popular Bruce Springsteen hit “Born in the USA”. When the show “Beavis and Butthead” aired a young viewer actually caught his house on fire, mimicking what he saw on the show. The show was consequently cancelled. Some of media most avid viewers are young people, who are very impressionable.
Many young people dress and act according to what it thought to be “cool” in the media. The last trends and fashion are glamorized in the media and have a great influence on the younger generation. The first every transmission of media was over 30,000 years ago, which was a cave painting. The first alphabet was created over 3000 years ago. The first ever book was printed in China with woodn blocks in 868C. E. Today’s media mostly depends on technology, with the internet and social media. Technology is advancing increasingly, hence mult-media will expand and grow likewise.
Theorists such as Louis Wirth and Talcott Parsons stressed the importance of media. Wirth and Parsons suggested that the media was an importance instrument in “social contol”. The media can influence politics greatly, which can mold our society. Adolf Hitler used media to brainwash the German citizens into thinking the way he wanted them to think. Hitler used a combination of hate and propaganda to force his political views. With the rise of the interment people are becoming more interactive with mult-media. New technologies such as blogging have become very influential in media.
Anyone who has access to a computer and the intermet and start their own blog and publisize their own media. The internet has been a game changer in the media world, empowering everyday people with a voice and influence. Media outlets like Twitter and Facebook are big business with affiliate programs geared for everyday people who want to earn money on the internet. Revenue sharing sites like Youtube and Blip. tv give entertainers the chance to earn money doing what they love. I, actually have made money on the internet and have an active Google Adsense account.
The thought of making money while I was asleep was very intriguing to me and I thrived to make that a reality. However, when Facebook took over Myspace, it became much more difficult to make money on the internet. Now the internet is flooded with “get rich schemes” and gimmicks. Online shopping has grown tremendously over the years and Amazon. com recently surpassed Wal-mart in revenue. The media has an effect on our judgement, hence big court cases are very private. The media can have an effect on our body image. A body image is “a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established oth by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others”.
Body image can greatly influence one’s self-esteem and self-concept. Many women have placed unrealistic standards upon themselves due to advertising constantly glorifing super thin models. Young women suffer from anorexia trying to live up to the models they see in magazines and on television. The media is constantly pushing new diet drugs on people like Hydroxycut, which has proven to be deadly. A lot of the supplements pushed in the media have new been FDA approved and are very dangerous.
The media machine isn’t concerned with public heatlth, but the revenue which can be gained by decieving the public. Countless medicines have been re-called after further investigatoin. Advertising companies use the media to influence what products we spend our money on everyday. The media is overbearing and unvoidable. Many people choose to live without the internet in order the avoid the cons of the internet. The internet has worked it way into our cell phones and television. The internet it actually taking over traditional television.
Big businesses, like Blockbuster, have closed their doors due to the rise of the internet. People that once went to Blockbuster stores were now ordering movies online thru outlets like Netflix. The use of Redbox machines also detered people from going to rent movies at Blockbuster stores. The media has a great influence on what products we buy. Companies know this and use the media to influence people to buy their products. television, radio, music, video games and the Internet. Physicians often counsel patients and their families about the healthy use of the media in their communities.
Not all television programming is negative, however a lot of programming is filled with inappropriate sexuality and offensive language. When used the right way, the media can be a powerful teacher. Television shows like Sesame Street can teach valuable lessons about racial harmony, cooperation, kindness, simple arithmetic, and reading skills. On average a child sees 12,000 violent acts on television annually. Studies have shown that exposure to television increases aggressive behavior. Excessive exposure to television takes away from physical activities which can lead to weight problems.
