Media Supported Soldiers During Deployments Iraq and Afghanistan - Essay Example

Media Positive Aspect on How the Media Support Soldiers and their Family during Deployments Iraq and Afghanistan to and Since 9/11 Submitted to: (Professor's Name) Submitted by: (Author's Name) 20th March 2009 Abstract This paper is an analysis of the new revolutionary role of media especially in context of its effectiveness in reaching out to people and creating awareness. In addition even channeling support to soldiers and their families in the United States. With the IT revolution access to information has become very easy this paper discusses the various types of media and how successfully they were able to support soldiers and their families in Iraq and Afghanistan. Introduction This paper would seek to analyze the positive impact that the media has had in terms of how the Media Supported Soldiers and their Family during Deployments Iraq and Afghanistan to and since 9/11. The media is a source of information and the way it played a key role in depicting the key role played by the US in the war on terror resulted this war gaining immense support from different regions and established a positive image of the US's achievements worldwide. The US army played an instrumental in weakening one of the largest terrorist organizations in the world; Al-Qaeda. The use of images, interviews and consistent reporting from the war on terror-afflicted areas created a connection between the public and those deployed for the purpose of eliminating the roots of terrorism. The sense of empathy and national pride that came into being was as a result of the successive efforts of the media forces. Media is an important tool that was available to the government to create an understanding between the public and the government regarding the effects and consequences of the war on terror. And the media certainly rose to the crisis as from programmes such as the Larry King show, Oprah Winfrey show, and news broadcasts of BBC, Sky News, and Fox News all outlined the risks borne by the army and the sacrifices which were being made for the sake of eliminating terrorism. Social Networking Communities MySpace and Face book are two social networking communities which have millions of users and this very access makes them a significant media force. Users of these networks include international users from all age groups hence, making the access all that influential. Face book in reference to the role that was played by it in terms of making the nation and the international world was certainly significant. Numerous supporting groups were created for the army forces and many groups were created by all those proud of the efforts of the army hence, initiating a positive movement. (Techtree News Staff ,2008). MySpace being a social networking website with a interactive set-up allows the users to create vides, pictures and profiles. During the war on terror, there was an influx of images and videos which were uploaded which were all connected to the actual sacrifices and efforts which were being undertaken by the US troops in order to create an understanding amongst the people of what the actual picture was. The communities that were created were as a result quite successful amongst the users and the influx of popular votes for polls conducted regarding the war on terror were actually used an indicator regarding the public opinion of the war. The comments page, blogs, groups and bulletins were all used as a technique of gathering public support and hence, the role which was played by these social networking websites was much greater than could have been deduced. All those soldiers and their families were able to receive support from unknown users of these websites who had been unaware till the active use of these websites which awakened a sense of social conscience. (Story,2008) The international users were able to have access to these videos and images as well and the users in fact created groups to show support for the soldiers who had made so many sacrifices for the sake of others. This sense of realization was played on through the use of live-feeds and images which were in fact updated by the same soldiers who were caught in the war areas. Iraq and Afghanistan were areas which people were not aware of to the extent that knew about the actual dangers that belied the troops way and it was through the videos, images, shows that were shown on different media forums including the social networking websites such as MySpace and Face book that the US public realized the dire situation that these troops had gone into. The images of the rocky terrain of Afghanistan and the turmoil-affected Iraq acted as a wake-up call and hence, when some of the troops did manage to come back they receive widespread public support and the heroes' welcome which was their due was provided. Instant Messaging Service Another source of information which really acted as a wake-up call and connected millions of people in a support system was the instant messaging service. Millions of messages were exchanged regarding the war on terror and in fact, the government used these shows of public support as a measure of the support for the war on terror. The people of the US use these text messages as the most basic form of communication and the service providers made use of that to portray the war on terror's real picture. With each message exchanged, more and more people came on board to highlight the plight of the troops and in fact pressurized the government to bring "the boys back home". Coverage of Soldiers Killed in Action This slogan once initiated had no end as thousands of people exchanged messages in order to get more and more people on board in order to help the families of these troops in getting their sons back. The families were made to realize that they had the support and conviction of thousands of people behind them and hence, could use that support in order to convince the authorities that it was time to bring back their respective children. The interviews and videos of soldiers who came back was enough to create frenzy as they made appearances on different shows ranging such as the Oprah Winfrey show and movies were made regarding the repercussions of war which attracted thousands of viewers creating a feeling of empathy for all those who suffered more than physical repercussions of this war. Shows such as brothers and sisters included these elements and hence, became even more popular for that reason as these war-stricken heroes became the focus of the entire American nation. Rehabilitation centers were set-up in order to provide them with the facility of reconstructing their lost lives and it was done after the massive propagation by the media which took on this task. In fact, after highlighting the immense losses that the US army was suffering public outrage resulted in withdrawals from Afghanistan and the US administration handing over major power to the Iraqi government. This transfer of power and withdrawal of US troops was initiated as a result of the public support which was inspired in turn by the media shows, movies, interviews, images which all showcased the actual bitter image of the war on terror. The difficulties being faced by the US soldieries were highlighted along with a criticism of the recruitment process which targeted young boys from the lower strata of society. Conclusion The above details confirm the increasingly significant role that media has to play, using different channels, from text messaging to portals like Face Book and other services which led to creating greater awareness among the masses which was not possible in the past. Information technology and its constant evolution has made media a connecting force, especially in the case of situation in the post 9/11 period. References Techtree News Staff (2008). "Facebook: Largest, Fastest Growing Social Network". Techtree.com. ITNation.http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Facebook_Largest_Fastest_Growing_Social_Network/551-92134-643.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.^ http://siteanalytics.compete.com/facebook.com+myspace.com+TWITTER.com/metric=u Story, Louise( 2008). "They Know More Than You Think" (JPEG). http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/03/10/technology/20080310_PRIVACY_GRAPHIC.html Story, Louise ( 2008). "To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10privacy.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-09 Long War Journal - The Long War Journal is dedicated to providing original and accurate reporting and analysis of the Long War (also known as the Global War on Terror). This is accomplished through its programs of embedded reporters, news and news aggregation, podcasts, and other multimedia formats. Read More