The Authors of Reality: Media, Politics and the People - Essay Example

The Authors of Reality: Media, Politics and the People There are many people who distrust politicians. Often, the political leaders of a nation do or say something that only proves why some people dislike them. Even though the American government is not a dictatorship and the country has never had a king or queen, there are some politicians who carry an undue pride. They feel as if they are the ultimate authority, but such is not the case. The American government was set up as a system of checks and balances to ensure that no single person or party could gain too much power. However it has not stopped some politicians from having a big ego. Even in nondemocratic countries the masses have the power to revolt (if they are brave). They choose, even if it is an unconscious choice, to obey the rule of the person in charge. Every person has free will. In a truth, people have the power to decide reality for themselves. In a report from Stephen Duncombe he speaks about a comment made by an unidentified aide. This aide, in a conversation with a writer boasts that politicians create reality (Duncombe n.d). The aide goes on to say that those who work in media simply report on what politicians do. The comments of the aide were somewhat of an insult to those that work in the media. However, it also shows a disregard for the people that are governed. The issue is rather or not the claim of politicians is true. Their arrogance is easily recognized. It is the opinion of the author of this paper that the falsity of the aide’s claim is easily proven. Politicians do not have as much authorship on reality as they would like. The media has more effect on the lives of the people than they. Ultimately, it is the people who decide what reality really is. Political leaders assert that they have the power to create reality. This claim is only partially true. For while they may make decisions that effect the general population, the influence that the media has on reality cannot be ignored. The general population also has an effect on media. The politicians may be the ones to set regulations but the people have their say. They are the actors. While the government may seek to direct reality, the can not stifle the creative control that the people maintain. Any government agent that believes that reality is at the sole discretion of the government is living in an illusionary world. For only in such a world can this be the case. The people have the power to rise up in protest against the actions of the government. In reality the government is composed of a few people. Without obedience to their rule they have no authority. Governmental agents may enjoy boasting about their power but such an egotistical claim cannot be proven. They have deceived themselves because they are honored. Their power has done them no justice. As it has been noted, “Research on internet politics has found that digital media have contributed to a hybridization of the organizational practices of parties, movements and interest groups”(Vacarri 2011; p.981). These groups do not leave the government in total control but press them for what they want reality to be. They have a say in what goes on and they cannot be ignored. Clearly it cannot be denied that the causes of several interest groups have been heard and their desires for reality have been accomplished through the use of the government. If all groups were ignored there would be an uprising. Those claiming to create reality would soon be removed from their posts. Take, for example the Revolutionary War. The British government had the desire to rule over the new world and create reality for the resettled people. However their rule was resisted and their laws were ignored. The reality that they wanted to create did not come to pass. They might have maintained their pride, but they were soon put to shame. America became its own country, a democratic nation whose government had to listen to the people by design. How ironic it is that the agents of this very same government are the ones to boast that they create reality. It is a delusion of the best sort. The role that the media played in the transformation of the new world to an independent state cannot be ignored. It was by this very forum that the peoples communicated their desires to others and were able to rally together to enact a change. The media has a great influence on reality, but even they are not responsible for creating it. However, it can be stated that the media has a much larger effect on reality that media. This is an assertion that political leaders would deny (Duncombe n.d). Regardless of politician’s claims, media influences the opinion of the people and often inspires them to action. Take, for example the case of Uganda. Leaders there called for a shutdown of Facebook and Twitter because they were concern about the actions of the people (Naturinda 2011). The uprising of the people is an occurrence in reality. Without such media as Facebook and Twitter many would not have been encouraged to take action. Their protest was against the government. The government had not called for such actions from the people. Their actions sought to prevent a response. Obviously, no matter how much they claim to be in control of reality, the government does not have as much say as they would like. If the government was in complete control of reality, then they would not be worried about the media. Clearly, it was the media that influenced people to take action. The media’s responsibility for reality is therefore more supported. There have been many studies about the effect that media had on the general population. It has been reported that “…the agenda-setting influence of the media has been well documented; the issues that the media report often, though not always, influence the public’s subsequent assessment of issue salience” (Uscinski 2009; p. 797). The general public receives many reports on governmental activities by way of the media, who presents the information as they choose. The way the media presents issues has an influence on the thoughts and actions of the people. What the people do is reality. Media’s influence on reality is clear. The claim that the government is solely responsible for the creation of reality is absurd. In making such a claim they deny the inherent free will of the people and assume that they are given absolute obedience. Had the claim been that the government has a significant impact on reality it would have been closer to the truth. While governmental agents may look down on the media the fact of the matter is that the media also has a great impact on reality. However, people have the freedom to listen to the media or not. They do not have to read the paper, watch the news, or be involved in internet discussions. The people also have the right to decide rather or not they will listen to the government. There have been instances when a law was ignored by the masses, such as the Boston Tea Party. The people can revolt and rebel. They can remove officials from their posts and appoint new ones. The people even have the authority to change the very design of the government. Whatever reality is, they are the ones that act it out. Therefore it is the people that have the most influence on reality. This is a truth that possibly many politicians would hate to acknowledge. Works Cited Naturinda, Sheila. “Uganda: Communications Commission Orders 25-Hour Shutdown of Facebook Over Protests” allafrica.com” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011 http://allafri ca.com/stories/201104190053.html. Uscinski, Joseph E. “When Does the Public’s Issue Agenda Affect the Media’s Issue Agenda (and Vise-Versa)? Developing a Framework for Media-Public Influence.” Social Science Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited) 90.4 (2009): 796-815. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. Vaccari, Cristian. “The News Media as Networked Political Actors” Information, Communication & Society 14.7 (2011): 981-997. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. Read More