The Type and Form of Media Consumption - Essay Example

Gender, Media and Consumer Societies In the 21st Century, the media has taken center stage as the widest mode of communication. From the simple everyday electronics like phones to online streaming of videos, society now has access to nearly all kinds of information at whatever time and whichever place. This access to information is shaping society in many different ways. The different contents which viewers consume from movies, television series, daily shows, soap opera has been shown is shaping the world we live in (Carter & McLaughlin, 2013). The content that we consume from media modifies our perceptions, beliefs, and principles and even imparts certain hopes and aspirations among us (Grill, 2007). These effects are especially pronounced in the young who learn by emulation. Continuous exposure to particular forms of media models the child`s perception of life as a whole and even influences the profession that he or she ends up pursuing in future. There is a disparity in Australia in the type and form of media consumption. People of different ages are being exposed to diverse types of media and this is creating a generational drift between the young and the elderly (Carter & McLaughlin, 2013). The young predominantly prefer movies that are either bought, from the internet via downloading or streamed. They are also active in consuming online television which composes of streaming and others such as catch up TV. The younger generation is also more active in social media such as Facebook and Twitter more than the older generation. The elderly prefer older forms of media such as newspapers and free television. This has led to diverse impacts in terms of gender in different age groups. Conflict hence arises between the expectations of the elderly of what society should be and what the young consider as acceptable ideals. Media directly and indirectly affect the career paths that children ultimately follow in future. Young girls and boys tend to develop particular preferences at an early age. In this age and time these preferences are either enhanced or modified over time by external influences. At a time when parents focus more on their careers than on family, the children are left without role models ad people to look up to except the ones they see in the television or from the internet (Carter & McLaughlin, 2013).Research shows that children watching cartoons that depict princesses and fairy tales in the long run prefer to be stay home at wives. Cartoons such as the magic Riddle in which the main character undergoes a lot of suffering in her youth but finds love and lives happily ever after, influence the perceptions of the female gender as a young girl making her believe that true happiness will come when she finds a spouse and gets married. Many of these young ladies hence value the institution of marriage to the extent that they prefer to stay at home and take care of the children rather than to pursue other dreams. In the cartoon the magic riddle the male gender is also portrayed to be heroic when the prince saves Cinderella. Themes such as heroism come with concepts such as responsibility and self-dependence. Cinderella is however portrayed as being frail, weak and dependent on her ‘hero’. This message seeps into the subconscious mind of the young girls hence as they grow up they tend to be more reliant on the male figures around them. In the end, they do not pursue a career they would have pursued. As the girls grow up and begin watching more mature content such as movies, soaps operas and television dramas. The beliefs that had been incorporated into their subconscious at an early age are re-enforced by more content from these other media platforms (Grill, 2007). Australian films such as The Great Gatsby depict a society in which wealth is everything. The main character which is acted by Leonardo Dicaprio, comes out a as hard and diligent self-made millionaire while the antagonist is a lady who does not work but is attracted to wealthy men because of money. This movie depicts ladies as not being hard workers but just dependent on men. Movies are truly a motion picture representation of what society is made of, its morass and the hopes and aspirations of its people (Hendricks & Al-Deen, 2012). Movies such as these show just how low the feminine gender is placed compared to the masculine. Music videos have also greatly influenced how ladies see themselves and how society perceives them. Currently, music artists shoot music videos that show ladies half naked and in some cases with the completely lacking cloths. These videos have reduced the acceptable codes of conduct in society nothing s and brainwashed the youth into believing it is okay to fall below the moral bar (Hendricks & Al-Deen, 2012). Such videos have influenced the careers of some ladies making them join the music industry. Action movies depicting soldiers as only men thwart the dreams of very capable female police and or army recruits. These movies send the message that the female gender is incapable of certain activities which are noble and selfless. Girls who were exposed to other activities other than television tend to have a more holistic view of life rather than a fantasy view as compared to their counterparts (Grill, 2007). They also tend to know the career they want to pursue since their judgment is not clouded by external influences The use of social media platforms such as Facebook and twitter is still a young form of media however its impact can be seen across the age groups .In particular, Facebook has had an interesting psychological impact both positive and negative (Hendricks & Al-Deen, 2012). Confidence in ladies is boosted when they post their pictures and are appreciated. The reverse is also true when a lady posts her picture and is not appreciated. The dependence of one’s confidence on the opinions of others has affected the confidence levels of teenagers and young people who are the majority users of social sites. Social media platforms have also been used to drive societal transformations. This is seen in Egypt when in 2013 the Egyptians organized a revolution using twitter. This shift from a face to face kind of search for justice to the use of social media as a tool for social justice is a positive impact to the consumer society (Wilson & Calvert, 2010). The society is modeled by the media in terms of expectations and morals. Portrayal of attractive ladies and gentlemen in the media as having particular qualities has made these qualities likeable in society (Wilson & Calvert, 2010). These qualities range from physical attributes such as height, weight and skin tone to behaviors such as masculinity, tenderness and kindness. Consumers are placed in a delicate position where there preferences and likes are directed by the media owners. This is unhealthy since it leads to poor self-esteem in individuals who lack these particular qualities. An example is an advert by Nokia in which all the ladies are noticeably slim. This advert sends a subliminal message to ladies and even men that slim ladies are attractive. This message is also evident in fashion magazines and television programs where the idea of slimness is depicted as attractive. The effects of these media are a low self-esteem in plump ladies and a discriminatory attitude towards them in men. This can also be seen in some African countries where lighter skin is deemed to be attractive. Skin care manufactures advertise their products using models that have naturally light skin to show case the amazing transformative ability of their skin care products. A good example is Nivea in which the adverts depicts a dark toned lady whom after applying the lotion becomes lighter and suddenly men are attracted to her. This advert models public opinion in a way that lighter skinned ladies are particularly deemed more attractive as compared to their counterparts The behavioral influences of media on society are also evident in the expectations that are exhibited. Soap operas and other love related media have created a list of qualities which ladies particularly are interested in. It has led to end of relationships as the ladies expect their spouses to emulate the behaviors of the men in the programs watch and vice versa. The first class source used in this paper will be Barbara J. Wilson and Sandra L. Calvart`s Handbook of Children, Media and Development. They give substantive evidence based insights into the learning process in children showing the divergence of preferences as they grow up and how media plays a crucial role in this process (Wilson & Calvert, 2010). My second class source will be John Allen Hendricks and Hans S. Noor Al-Deen`s Social Media: Usage and Impact. They give a succinct study of the psychological and mental modification of the thought –logic stream of young adults by information from social media platforms and the causes and cures of social media addiction. My third class source will be Lisa McLaughin, Linda Steiner and Cynthia Carter’s Routledge`s Companion to Media and Gender. In their findings, they show how mock scenarios can be used to direct consumer behavior in a particular direction or use adverts to influence consumer purchasing behavior (McLaughlin, Steiner & Carter, 2013). I will also use Daniel Romer and Patrick Jamieson`s The Changing Portrayal of Adolescents in The Media since 1950.This gives an in-depth analysis of the effects of media such as visual media, motion pictures and television on adolescents over the years. It also tackles the metrics of diverse reactions among adolescents towards the same media content (Jamieson & Romer, 2008).Lastly I will look at Rosalind Gill`s Gender and the Media. The book illustrates the conflict between what the media portrays as the roles of each gender in society and the reality. She also touches on the delicate issue of transgender behavior and how the media has contributed its propagation. The book also gives insights on how media contributes in shaping societal norms, expectations and beliefs on the roles of different gender in society. References Carter, C., Steiner, L., & McLaughlin, L. (2013).The Routledge Companion to Media and Gender, CA: Corwin Press Gill,R.(2007).Gender and Media. Durham, Duke University Press Hendricks, J., & Al-Deen, H. (2012).Social Media: Usage and Impact New York: Hampton Press. Romer,D., & Jamieson, P. (2008).The Changing Portrayals of Adolescents in the Media since 1950. Impact New York: Hampton Press Wilson, B., & Calvert, S. (2010).The Handbook of Children Media and Development Oaks, CA: Corwin Press . Read More