Influence of Media on Public Opinion - Research Paper Example

Influence of media on public opinion Introduction It is believed that media exerts a powerful influence to mould public opinion about an issue. Although, media is supposed to be impartial and objective, it has been often seen that media is being utilised by people with vested interests. These people use the power of media to influence people and create favourable opinion about their product or ideologies. Therefore, the general public should remain vigilant and always read between the lines to comprehend the entire story, rather than taking it on the face value. In this paper, the researcher would focus on the issue of whether media actually has the power to influence and mould public opinion, or is it just a perception in the minds of the people. In order to work towards establishing or refuting the hypothesis, the researcher would first describe the meaning of public opinion. Thereafter, the researcher would focus on the influence of mass media on public opinion. The paper would also look at the various limitations of media influence. It would also describe various theories regarding media influence on public opinion. Some of the theories that this paper would focus on are: cultivation theory, stabilization effect and agenda-setting theory. A small sample survey would also be conducted to find out about the opinion of people on the subject. This would further help in giving evidences to support or refute the hypothesis. Literature review Public opinion is described as the attitudes or behaviour of the people about various matters, especially politics and government. Often it is being referred to an idea or viewpoint that is the most dominant or popular, although, there might be other opinions in existence on the same subject matter. For instance, on the subject of heightened security checks due to risk of terror attacks, many might not support the idea. However, the popular consent is that security checks are essential for our own safety. Thus, the authorities may use the reason of popular public opinion towards implementing stringent security checks at key areas such as airports, railways stations etc. Therefore, it can be clearly said that public opinion is a major factor in influencing government policies, regulations and even product launches (Shively, 2005). As public opinion shapes the regulations or a product, it has been often seen that regulators and companies try to influence people and create favourable perception about certain rules and products. This sort of influence is being achieved mostly through the use of mass media. The media is said to have a great impact on the society and therefore, exerts equal amount of influence over public opinion as well. Media can also help in shaping the public opinion by molding the public perceptions towards the objectives of the idea (Severin & Tankard, 1997). For instance, in case of the 9/11 attacks, the media provided huge coverage on the incident and revealed that Osama had been behind the attacks. This created outrage against Osama and Afghanistan, where it was rumored that Osama had been hiding. Thus, when the US government decided to launch an attack against Afghanistan, the public provided all-round support to the government’s decision. This clearly shows the influence of the media in shaping the public opinion (Płudowski, 2007). However, such an influence can also be catastrophic. The post 9/11 coverage showed Osama’s image in a turban and long beard. This created suspicion and hatred for people sporting turban and beard. People especially from the Sikh and Islam religion were targeted because of their turban and beard. Many innocents were killed and hate crimes were at the peak during this time. Thus, the media’s role in over-sensitisation of the issue led to people forming negative opinion about Muslims and Sikhs and consequently attacking their homes and lives (Ellis, 2006). Another example of media exerting strong influence over the people is that of the loss of the popular Spanish party, Partido Popular (PP), during the 2004 general elections, due to the public perception generated by the media that the government had hidden crucial information about the Madrid train bombings. Right after the bomb blasts, the government blamed the attacks on ETA and continued its stance against ETA even after evidence pointed out the fact that the attacks might have been carried out by an Islamist outfit. The media kept debating on the issue and accused the government of hiding important facts from the general public. This resulted in a public outcry against the government and people took to streets demanding the government to tell them the truth behind the blasts. However, the government still maintained their stance and it resulted in PP, the ruling party, loosing the elections (Agence France Presse 2004). The instance, clearly points out the role of media in influencing public opinion about an issue. Thus, media’s role in creating public opinion and perceptions regarding various social as well as political issues has been subjected to several research and studies. This role of the media in influencing the public opinion and perception has been discussed and debated by experts such as Maeroff (1998) and Wilson & Wilson (2001). However, these experts commonly believed that our perception regarding the incidents or events that are happening outside the realm of our personal experiences are being influenced by the news we read, see and hear everyday. The newspaper, television and radio have become our lifeline that relays about the incidents happening throughout the world. As it is not possible to be physically present at these incidents, we believe in what is being reported in these news and our perceptions are therefore shaped by what is being reported (Spitzer, 1993). The media is regarded as a means through which the reality is being streamed into our lives and we perceive that the media is portraying the real world into our television sets. This type of influence of the media over the people is known as the Cultivation Theory (Gerbner et al, 1980). As per this theory, it is believed that media especially television exerts the power to influence the viewpoint of the people about various daily activities and create the perceptions as desired (Infante, Rancer & Womack, 1997). According to this theory, among the mass media, television has particularly influenced our lives as it has become a part and parcel of our lives, especially in the recent few decades. However, some also believe that this theory is flawed as they believe that the concept of mass media influencing our opinion is an exaggerated one. Thus, experts have advocated another theory, known as the Agenda-Setting Theory. As per this theory, the media does not have much influence over the public opinion instead the focus is on the issues that are being covered in the media (Dearing & Rogers, 1996). As per this theory, the media may not influence people about what to think or perceive, but it gives enough content to people to think about. It gives the fodder for thought, the material on which the people can debate on and arrive at a conclusion. Further, as per this theory, it is important to analyse the content relayed by the media, as it helps in establishing the agenda behind particular news. For instance, people might be interested in knowing about issues such as taxes, inflation, falling standard of education, teenage drinking etc. However, the media stresses on issues such as war in Afghanistan, Iran or tracking the everyday movement of the celebrities. Thus, the media tries to focus on news that they think are important. It prioritises the news and only showcases those it thinks are important. Such news however, does not influence the people, instead only create a buzz around the incident and gives material for people to discuss about (Gunther, 1998). As per another theory, media creates stability of opinion among people. This effect is being called stabilization. According to this belief, media merely reinforces the conviction that the people already believes in. Although, it is difficult to measure such a theory, it could be stated that people have certain biases and convictions that are ingrained in them. The media often just acts as a medium to reinforce these beliefs. For instance, most believes that bureaucrats are considered to be incompetent. Thus, any news about the failure of a bureaucrat or corruption in the government reinforces the already held belief and creates a stability of opinion among the people (Shaw, 1999). However, there are certain limitations as well with regards to media influence over people. Only few people are able to analyse or understand the public affairs matters discussed in the media, as it requires knowledge to understand the context. Most of the news sent to the media are not shown or written about. The editors only take up news that is interesting in nature. Therefore, often informative new articles, especially on some policy change or implementation of a new policy are given low priority as compared to a speech by the president of a country (Wilson & Wilson, 2001). Thus, the literature review revealed that media does exert influence over the people and shape their opinions and perceptions about various issues. In order to establish this hypothesis, a sample survey has also been conducted in the next section. Sample survey In order to understand whether media actually exerts influence over the people to form certain perceptions or opinion, it was necessary to conduct a small sample survey as well. Such a survey not only provided information about the perceptions of people regarding media but also supplied data to find out whether they correspond with the theories propagated in the literature review section. This method is also helpful in measuring the general perceptions of the people. The central emphasis in this case is on collecting data and responses to find out whether media had influenced the respondents or not. For this purpose, the researcher used a structured questionnaire with multiple-choice questions. Further, a few questions were left open-ended so that the viewpoints of the respondents about certain issues could be understood. The questioner used for this research has been given in Appendix I. A total of 20 people were interviewed for this study. Findings and discussions Most powerful media Predictably, half of the respondents stated that the most powerful media was the television, followed by radio and newspaper. The new media such as Internet only received consent from one respondent. The power of television implies that the audio-visual medium may create greater influence among the minds of the people. Using media for finding important information When asked whether the respondents look forward to finding out important information about events from the media, 75 per cent responded with a yes. This shows that the media plays an important role in providing information to the people. Discussions regarding important events On being asked whether the respondents discuss important events such as a terrorist attack or a Presidential election with their peers, friends and family based on the information provided by the media, around 85 per cent answered in affirmation. This further strengthens the idea that media provides the basic content for the people to discuss about. Influence of media on your perception/opinion Although, 50 per cent of the participants said that their perceptions or opinions are being influenced by the media, it is interesting to note that around 40 per cent were also unsure about this view. Further, 10 per cent in fact said that they do not believe that media influences their opinions or perceptions. When asked why they think that media has influenced their opinion or perception, the people who affirmed this view stated that they believe media portrays the correct picture of the everyday happening. They think that the television especially project the right image of the day-to-day event, as the images are relayed live to the television sets. They believe in the stories being projected in the media. Further, they often rely on the media to form certain opinions about an event or product. For instance, a respondent stated that he was unsure about the candidates in his constituency and therefore, followed their movements through the various media reporting and finally, it was these media reporting that helped him in deciding about the right candidate. On the other hand, 10 per cent people stated that they were not influenced by the media at all. In fact, they said that they do not trust the media to report the events correctly and in its true form. They believe that most people have some vested interest and those are being reflected in these media reports as well. They pointed mainly towards the commercialisation of media and using of the media to project their products and services. They stated that most companies use the media to project a positive image about their products so that the people would be influenced enough to buy them. Often the products although being mediocre or of inferior quality is being projected in positive light. Thus, they feel that media is playing a dominant role in cheating the people and not portraying the right picture. There was also a large section of respondents who were unsure about the influence of media on their opinions and perceptions. These people stated that the influence of media is based on the news being shown or the event being projected. For instance, in case of a mass event such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster, most said their opinions or perceptions about such events were based on media reporting. However, in case of political events like elections, these respondents stated that they rely on their own opinions rather than the one being projected by the media. Although, half of the respondents were either not sure or did not agree that media influences their decision, they did acknowledge the power of media and its influence on people. The affect of media on a person’s decision or opinion might be individual in nature; however, collectively media does influence the psyche of the people to certain extent. Impact of 9/11 images shown in television Again, predictably almost all the respondents stated that they were impacted by the 9/11 images shown in the television repeatedly. This clearly points out that a major event of such a huge proportion would have certain impact on the people. The respondents were also of the opinion that 9/11 was a major incident and the images of the twin towers being hit by the airplanes and getting smashed to the ground were something that they would not be able to forget for a long time. They considered the act to be too heinous and most agreed that the US government was right in attacking Afghanistan for sheltering Osama and other terrorists. Conclusion Media has a strong presence world over and exerts certain amount of influence over the people, especially the audio-visual medium which relays the events directly to the television sets. The stark images combined with compelling commentary creates a very influencing set-up and in most cases people are affected by it, which eventually shapes their opinion or perception about a certain event. For instance, in the sample survey, it was revealed that 50 per cent of the respondents considered that media showed them the true picture. This finding establishes the Cultivation Theory, according to which the viewers perceive that the media is portraying the real world into their television sets. (Gerbner et al, 1980). Further, the content shown in the media provides the material for people to discuss about the event and create their own perception about it. The survey also establishes the fact that people discuss the information provided by the media with their friends and family. It provides the fodder for thought, especially regarding a political party or a candidate during elections. The paper establishes the fact that the image presented by the media during election times about a candidate may ruin or create a favourable image for the person in the minds of the people as shown in the case of the PP party in Spain. Thus, media has become a strong campaigning ground in many countries to influence the opinion of people. Further, media even exerts certain amount of control, especially while reporting about major events, as was seen in the case of 9/11 incident. The reporting of 9/11 created on one hand favourable public opinion about wagging war against Afghanistan by the US and on the other created the wrong image of people sporting turbans and beard, which resulted in hate crimes. Thus, the paper establishes that media does exert influence over the perceptions and opinions of the people, either in a positive or a negative manner. Appendix I 1. Which is according to you is the most powerful media? Television Radio Newspaper Internet Others 2. In case of an important event such as a large-scale terrorist attack or a Presidential election, do you look forward to finding out more information from the media? Yes No Maybe 3. Do you discuss such information with your peers, family and friends? Yes No Maybe 4. Does the information presented in the media influence your opinion or perception about an issue? Yes No Maybe Give reasons 5. 9/11 was a major event that was relayed throughout the world by television channels. Were you impacted by the images shown by the channels? Yes No Maybe Give reasons References: Agence France Presse. Madrid blasts tear hole in record of Spanish right. 13 March 2004. Dearing, J. & Rogers, E. Communication concepts: Agenda-setting. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996. Ellis, Donald G. Transforming conflict: communication and ethnopolitical conflict. Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. “The "mainstreaming" of America: Violence profile no. 11.” Journal of Communication 1980: 10-29. Gunther, A.C. “The persuasive press inference”. Communication Research 1998: 486-504. Infante, D. Rancer, A. & Womack, D. Building communication theory (3rd ed.). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1997. Płudowski, Tomasz. How the world's news media reacted to 9/11: essays from around the globe. Marquette Books, 2007. Severin, W. & Tankard, J. Communication theories. New York: Hastings House, 1997 Shaw, Daron. “The impact of news media favorability and candidate events in presidential campaigns”. Political Communication 1999:183-202. Shively, W. Philips. The Craft of Political Research 7th edition. 2005. Spitzer, R.J. (Ed.). Media and public policy. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1993. Wilson, J. & Wilson, S. Mass media, mass culture: An introduction (5th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Read More