The Role of Mass Media - Essay Example

The influence of mass media on shaping people’s ideas has been a hotly debated issue. Many scholars have writen articles that agree or disagree on aspect of media shaping people’s ideas. This paper consents that the mass media including TV, radio, and newspapers have great influence in shaping people’s ideas. The paper also includes views on the role played by the internet in shaping people’s ideas. (Chomsky and Herman, 2002) It is very rare to find homes in the twenty first century that do not have either TV, newspaper or radio. These are mainly bought to help householders to get information concerning occurences within and without the nation. Some poeople purchase them for entertainement purposes. (Kellner, 1995) In the quest to get information and entertainment people spend so much of their time listening, reading and watching the mass media at their disposal. Resaerch carried out by Ruth shows that mass media has great influence in shaping people’s ideas. This is more so in ideas about beauty. (Preiss, 2003) The media has played a very big role in idealising the female body shape to be thin, skinny or slim. It gives the cultural standards of the ideal beauty. This is seen in through movies, advertisements that are in newspapers and TV shows. This has resulted in many ladies believing that only a thin slim body shape is beautiful. This has made many of them to use all means to look thin or slim. (Bordo, 1997) Some even go to the extent of taking or applying medicine to reduce their size just to look ‘beautiful’ as shown in the media. Resaerch has shown that many women are known to go through surgery just to get the right size of breats, hips etbeing asked why they took up such a step, they said that they just wanted to look beautiful like the ladies in newspapers and on TV screens. On This actions show that mass media has had great influence in shaping women’s ideas about beauty. (Grogan, 1999) Mass media has also played a very great role on people’s ideas about performance of products. Televison is one of this medias that has really been influential in this aspect. This is because it is audio visual in nature. Most organisations are now advertising their products through television media. (Kellner, 1995) The adverts show products that work ‘miracles’ overnight or even within a few minutes of use. This is more so beauty products that who ladies and men who after using the products their beauty enhanced overnight! Some edible foodstuff and drink adverts give the wrong message to viewers on instant energy after taking them. This makes people to think that these products are very good and effective. They end up purchasing them even for family use. This shows that the mass media has really influenced people’s ideas about performance of products. In most cases, these ideas are false as the performance of these products is never as illustrated. (Kellner, 1995) The media normally has stories about crime. In this series, they even show the tools that criminals use and how they use them. Sometimes they even go as far as telling where the equipment and machinery used by criminals are sourced. This is somehow very dangerous information to be released to the public. This is because the information influences people’s ideas on how they can go about crime and how they can source the equipment. (Alexander, 1978) This explains why there are many and frequent terrorist attacks all over the world. It is very common for school students to shoot their friends once they have a small conflict. This problem can be traced to the degree of information illustrated by media in the name of being a mirror of the society. The media has therefore played a great role in influencing people’s ideas about crime and even how they can evade the law. (Alali, 1999) It is quite essential to note that in this twenty first century, majority of children gwow up in families where television, newspapers and radios are at their dispoasal. Children watch, listen and read nespapers as they desire. One finds that the media starts shaping these children’s ideas at a very tender age. Children read, listen and watch pornographic programs from a very tender age. (Delano, 2007) They therefore grow up knowing that it is okay for people to be immoral. This basically explains why children as young as five six years know and engage in sexual activities. Their minds have been made to know that it is very okay to have intimate relationships with the opposite sex at any age. This explains why very young boys easily have intimate relationships with older women and some of them are even married. According to research carried out by (Fiske, 1989) showed that majority of children in elementary schools had already had sexual relationships. (Fiske, 1989) Sixty eight percent of them consented that this was influenced by the programs that they watched on television screens. Twenty percent of the students agreed that the ideas about sexual behaviour emanated from newspapers. The rest said they were influenced by language and stories that they heard over radios. This clearly shows that mass media has played a greater role in influencing ideas in children about their sexuality. (Preiss, 2003) It is however very essential to note that the media has not just influenced negative ideas only. The media has played a great role in influencing good and positive ideas. Many of the prominent global businessmen consent that their business ideas croped up as they watched televion, read newspapers and listened to their radios. Through these media they knew of business opportunities in various places and their business ideas were conceived. Other people’s business ideas were conceived as they read about the success of other people in various parts of the world. This therefore shows the degree to which the media has been influential in shaping positive business ideas in people. (Gauntlett, 2005) On many occasions, the media has highlighted stories of people who did good, were noted and rewarded either by individuals, non governmental organisations or the government. For instance media depicts stories of people who went out of their way to rescue others in trouble, provide food or just be there for them. This information is very inspiring and as people listen and continuouly watch, they have the idea that it is good to do good. This therefore plays a great role in influencing the idea that it is good to do good as this could lead to rewards. (Preiss, 2003) The media has influenced ideas about education. This has been very common in African countries. Many old men and women who never had the opportunity to step in class are joining school. This is mainly because the media showed a man of eighty who joined primary school and got publicity. This made others to have positive ideas about joining school even at their old age. (Kellner, 1995) The media has influenced the current move of women going for further studies. This is because of success stories illustrated by the media of very learned women who are successful and enviable. This shows that the media has played an upper hand in enhancing ideas about advancement of education both for the young and old alike. The internet is also a form of mass media that is quite common in the twenty first century. While it is good to embrace technology, it is good to note that the internet has also played a great role in influencing people’s ideas. The information on the internet is diverse ranging from sports, money, education, music, art, games and lifestyle among other topics. (Kellner, 1995) Many people spend many hours on personal PC searching for any information one desires. One can communicate to different people across the globe through email. While in other mass media, people are confined to what journalists write, the internet offers information from virtually any person. It is not regulated such that anyone can post articles on what he or she thinks. (Preiss, 2003) The internet has played a great role in shaping children’s ideas about sexuality. They easily access internet at home, at school and also in cyber cafes. It is very common in pornographic sites and watching pornographic movies accessed on the internet. They just google any information that they want about sexuality. This has led to children having bad ideas about sexuality. It is very common for most of children who access pornographic sites to engage in lesbianism and homosexuality wihout any apology. The internet has therefore been a key player in influencing young and even old people’s ideas towards sexuality. This explains why some parents and school adminstrators have resorted to censoring of the internet. (Preiss, 2003) On the positive side, the internet has been so influential in giving scholars ideas about various educational topics. Initially, one had to go to the library and flip through every book to get ideas on a topic or would be compeled to purchase books and keep at home. Through the internet, one can acess very many books. It has influenced upcoming author’s ideas on their topics of interest. This is by accessing what other people had reaserched and writen about a specific topic. This includes the theories in the field of study. Further more there are online courses that are offered for anyone who desires education or information in any field. The media has therefore played an imperative role in influencing scholars’ ideas on different educational topics. (Kellner, 1995) The internet has also been very influential on shaping people’s ideas about jobs. Through the internet people get to know of various ways that they can make money. By simply googling one gets more than enough ideas on business ventures. It has also influenced business men’s ideas on how to market their businesses online where a wider population in the global arena can access the information. Researchers have asserted that the internet has been more influential in shaping people’s ideas as compared to the other media like radio and newspapers. (Preiss, 2003) In conclusion, mass media like TVs, internet, radio, newspapers are easily accessible in this twenty first century. People spend so many hours watching televison, listening to radios and accessing interent sites. This has resulted in media influencing people’s ideas. The influence has both been negative and positive. It is therefore very important to use technology carefully by analysing all information before keeping it in the mind and using it. Where negative influence is on the increase, especially on children, censoring may be necessary. Mass media has also played a great role in shaping good and positive ideas in people in the society. Read More