Media Influence on Public Perception of Global Events - Term Paper Example

Media influence on public perception of global events By Introduction With the huge developments in technology, media influence has taken a rapid growth over the past five decades. It all started with books, then newspapers, followed by magazines and photography. The sound recording developed and later came the television. Currently, we now have the so-called new media. The new media are the internet media and now the social media. Just about everyone depends on the information from the media today. This consists of the social media, websites as well as the online blogs (Yoo and Samsup 2014). Therefore, it is important that the public gets aware that the values it holds, the belief it holds as well as the decisions, it makes, are based on assumptions, experiences, education, and what the public knows for a fact. The public today completely depends on mass media for updated news and essential facts about things that the public wants to know or should know. The public trusts the media as an independent authority for information and education apart from just entertainment. This gives a picture of how powerful the media has influence over the public’s perceptions (Yoo and Samsup 2014). From history, the media has been well known as the public’s watchdog. The media was to examine all the activities of the government and present them all to the public. The media was assigned the duty of informing the public; informing the public about what is to happen. What to expect and what to do. Therefore, the public has long trusted the media from history. The media is still acting the public’s eye. However, in order to sell and gain market share in the industry, the media has been very fast in manipulating public opinion on various events and issues (Yoo and Samsup 2014). Current research, (Romain and Hassell 2014) reports that media is currently shaping peoples perception than it did before. The media is taking advantage of the public trust to influence how the public thinks and how the public understands current global events. For example, media is very quick in changing world events such as the economy. The media makes billions of money through the adverts. On the other hand, the public buys what the media advertises and regards as the best. By purchasing these advertised goods, the alternative products face a reduced market share. The advertised goods, on the other hand, gets more market share. On the same, the public might be consuming what might not be safe. However, the fact that the media declared it good in the advert, the public gives the product preference. Economic experts (Romain and Hassell 2014) have consistently claimed that the press is sometimes to blame for some economic downturns. For instance, when media makes an adverse publicity about a place, the place will certainly lose population and visitors. Some nations are politically stable and solely depend on tourism as the main sector of the economy. When media reports a small crime from such places and exaggerates it to take another form of high-level terrorism, they tend to scare people away from such places. The economy of such a place will indeed be paralyzed. Therefore, the influence of media on public perception is responsible for the global economic trend. Media houses through their reporters need to be objective (Bain et al 2014). They should not incorporate their view and thoughts regarding a particular issue. This has been a rare quality today in the media. Today, reporters and anchors give their ideas that strongly manipulate the public’s perception. For instance, some global conflicts today have resulted from the media’s influence on the public opinion. Media platforms such as the electronic media have to present complex issues and topics in the shortest time possible. Therefore, it is common that sometimes the reporters have very limited access to enough information. Inadequate presentations might result from the absence of clarity in the conflict itself. Continuous coverage of complex events frequently misses the wider context just because of the press and media limits. The placement of the story and the associated visuals greatly influence the public’s perception. Single-sided coverage of a conflict can as well be misrepresenting information hence leading to more conflict. Bain et al (2014) also claim that political relationships, attachments and trends have for a long time been under the control of the media. To all the current presidents and other heads of states, media has made a significant contribution in making them what they are today. It is through the manipulation of public perception through the media that the leaders get to win their political seats. For instance, during political campaigns, every party stands with the best constitution and manifesto. However, the global politics is currently driven by the media. The party that wins the most publicity and well-designed lines of thoughts carries the day. Today, politicians rush to the media to get publicity. This is because they are certain that the public entirely trusts the media and will go by what the media mandates to be good. Therefore, they approach the most popular television channels to provide them with publicity. The media manipulates the public by providing them with a candidate that they need to vote for into the seat. Due to the long existing trust, the public goes by what the media sets to be right. Therefore, the media has played a huge role in manipulating public’s perception of global politics (Bain et al 2014). The medias impact on the perception of the public is not all negative. There are dozens of positive effects that the press has caused on the public’s perception. Through the media, the public perception of the governments is currently taking a new shift. Centuries ago, governments had ultimate power to do anything. Public funds were used irresponsibly in the public offices, and the qualities of services provided were inadequate and poor. This is not the case today. The media has completely changed public’s perception. The media has educated the public on its human rights and other important rights that the government need to respect (Williams and Hudson 2013). The press has as well educated the public on how the public funds are spent. The media has additionally kept the public up to date with the current financial statements hence improving transparency in many public offices. The media has given the public a new perception of the government. People are now aware that they pay taxes that need to reflect on developments. People also understand that the public offices are corrupt and need close watch. The public is currently aware that governments owe them quality services. The public is aware that it has the right to good and safe services. Therefore, it is through the media that the public is now vigilant with the governments (Williams and Hudson 2013). Socially, the media has also done a lot in manipulating people’s long held beliefs and thoughts. There have been different myths and beliefs along various diseases and practices. For instance, there were a lot of myths on HIV and how to treat HIV patients. With the help of the media, the right methods and ideas were communicated to the public, and the public’s perception changed. It is this that the media has been taking part in. The media has been improving people’s social lives by changing the improper views that people held on particular social barriers (Williams and Hudson 2013). During national and international calamities, the media has changed people’s perception and the world is now a family. Fighting discrimination based on gender and race. Media tries to bring people together during national and international disasters. For instance, when there is a global outbreak of a certain disease, the media is used to communicate to people how to treat and protect each other. The media is also used to clarify the myths or false beliefs about the current state of the situation. This shows how much the public has put a lot of trust in the media. In whatever the media sides with, the public will back it up. It is to that extent that the media can manipulate the public’s perception. Among the greatest way in which press is influencing the public opinion is through globalization (Mullins 2014). The media has made significant contributions in helping globalization stabilize successfully. Globalization is the process of world interconnection that comes as a result of an interchange of ideas, services and goods. It is through the media that the public gets to access the information and the unfolding events from every corner of the globe. The public receives comments and information on lifestyles, technology developments, fashion and other fields. The public compares with the local trend of events and forms an opinion in line with that of the media. Through this, the media has been able to improve the quality of lives as many people today go for fancy lives. Just as shown through the media. Therefore, the media has influenced the public perception to the extent that it has globalized the world. Fashion trends are now global. Lifestyles are now similar from one continent to another, and cultures are now more common than before. This is because the media connects the world and dictates what is good and bad. The public trusts the media. The media has transformed many societies by manipulating their perception on the long held beliefs (Moussaïd 2013). The media has realized this by fighting for rights such as gender equality. In some societies and cultures, men and women had different chores and roles separately. However, the media has been preaching for gender equality in the recent decades. This has been strongly backed up by dozens of facts from the parties enjoying support from one another. The outcome of these campaigns has been the equality of both genders in duties. The media has also taken advantage of its manipulative power to fight against unsafe cultural practices such as the female genital mutilation. The practice is cultural in some communities. Through the media campaigns, people, who historically believed in such cultures, are now picking up civilization. Conclusion Historically, the media had clearly set roles. The media had the duty to act as the public’s eye and inform the public. Some of the other roles were to educate and entertain the audience. However, the main role was to act as the public’s watchdog and inform the public of what is currently happening around the globe. It is from this that the media attracted trust completely from the public. Therefore, the public will trust and follow whatever the media gives. In the case of the advertisement, the public is currently using products that are even more harmful. This is because it is advertised in the media and declared to be the best. When it comes to international conflicts, misrepresentation of information by the media has caused a number of conflicts around the globe. Media has as well played a great role in the political relationship of the public. Politicians are currently using the media to carry out their campaigns because they are aware of the trust the public has in the media. Globalization has only been successful because of the media. Globalization has now reached the most remote places on the globe. Through globalization, people make choices of lifestyles and fashion trends. Some long-held beliefs that have been a threat to human rights have also been eroded. The media have fought these beliefs by consistent campaigns. Some of which have been won are the gender equality and the abolition of female genital mutilation culture. The trust, the public has in the media, has greatly influenced the extent to which the media influences public perception of global events. References Bain, A, Robinson, B, & Conser, J 2014, Perceptions of policing: improving communication in local communities, International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 16, 4, pp. 267-276 Moussaïd, M 2013, Opinion Formation and the Collective Dynamics of Risk Perception, Plos ONE, 8, 12, pp. 1-8 Mullins, J 2014, The power of the media to shape perceptions of mental ill, Mental Health Practice, 17, 8, pp. 34-35 QUATTROCIOCCHI, W, CONTE, R, & LODI, E 2011, OPINIONS MANIPULATION:: MEDIA, POWER AND GOSSIP, Advances In Complex Systems, 14, 4, pp. 567-586 Romain, D, & Hassell, K 2014, An exploratory examination of the sources of socialisation influencing juvenile perceptions of the police, International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 16, 1, pp. 36-51 Williams, M, & Hudson, K 2013, Public perceptions of internet, familial and localised sexual grooming: Predicting perceived prevalence and safety, Journal Of Sexual Aggression, 19, 2, pp. 218-235 YOO, J, & SAMSUP, J 2014, HOW DO JOURNALISTS EXPRESS THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ON TWITTER?, Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 42, 7, pp. 1175-1182 Read More