Media Power and Its Impact on Society - Research Paper Example

? Media power and its impact on society Media power and its impact on society Media may be defined as a means of mass communication. It can be classified into social media and industrial media (Kietzmann et al, 2011). Social media may be viewed as a group of interactive platforms formed by internet based applications through which individuals and communities create and exchange user generated content. Examples include Facebook and Twitter. Industrial media include newspapers, film and television, which are comparatively more expensive to own, operate and access than the social media (Kietzmann et al, 2011). Industrial and social media can come together to form a hybrid known as community media, which is community owned. Community media make use of both industrial and social media frameworks. This paper will describe the power of the media and the impact it has on society. The media are an authoritative tool of communication. It helps promote what is right and exposes to the mass audience what is wrong. The media are known for spreading good and bad, true and untrue news in equal measure (Benkler, 2006). Any form of media has a capacity to reach a worldwide audience. However, industrial media use a centralized structure for organization, production, and broadcasting, while social media are less hierarchical in nature, more decentralized, and notable for multiple production and utility points. Industrial media’s means of production is the government or privately owned corporate bodies. The time interval between communications produced by industrial media can range from days to months, and once an article is printed and distributed, changes cannot be made to that same article, but social media can get instantaneous responses, comments and editing (Benkler, 2006). The influence of social media can be felt in businesses. It has changed the way public relations professionals conduct their work by providing an open arena where people freely exchange views on companies, products and brands. It has granted an environment where consumers and public relations professionals can converse. The professionals can, therefore, promote their brands and develop their company’s image through listening and responding to what consumers are saying regarding their products. The media has increased the communication speed and widened connectivity among business organizations and their consumers (Kietzmann et al, 2011). A Web site gives a trading company international presence through internet marketing. For consumers, this has simplified the search for the least prices for goods, making the search quick and affordable. It has shortened the purchase, marketing and selling processes for businesses. Online shopping gives individuals the comfort of shopping from their homes and offices, thanks to the social media. The print media also creates awareness and promotes new products by use of posters and billboards (Kietzmann et al, 2011). In corporate communication, power is shifting from those in public relations and marketing to communities and individuals that create, exchange and use blogs, Facebook entries, tweets, pictures and movies. The term social business is increasingly being used, and it suggests that engagement with social media is significant and affects people working in sales, research and development and human resource management (Kietzmann et al, 2011). Through their reporters and correspondents, the mainstream news media are often the first to arrive at, witness or describe breaking news events, local situations or new developments. Their definition of the situation is the key contributor to shaping the public opinion of what took place. This also displays the power of the media. Television journalism and news media have been in the forefront in shaping the collective memory of America for the larger part of the twentieth century (Kitch, 2002). From the colonial era of the United States, news media and public images have influenced the memory discourse on both national development and trauma. Social networking sites are providing a steady supply of alternative news sources for users. Mainstream journalists have retained an authoritative voice as the narrators of America’s past (Kitch, 2002). Their detailed revelations, documentaries and position in the present make them key sources for public memory. Among the beneficial roles the media plays in society is acting as a mouthpiece for social issues through news channels and newspapers. This has helped the society to estimate real scenarios of life (Kitch, 2002). With the growth of media freedom from past eras, media houses can freely and fairly explore social issues. Indeed the growth of mass media has influenced social change by showcasing social issues. On the political front, the media plays a significant role in updating the public on campaigns and elections with timely information (Compaine, 2002). The media have impacted an influence on the issues voters care for in elections and the criteria they use to evaluate their candidates of choice. The media continue to influence how the government handles its agenda even past the elections by highlighting issues and directing political and public concerns. This can be achieved in some incidents by the media’s coverage of issues the government is reluctant to put focus on (Compaine, 2002). An example of this was shown through the media's coverage of the United State’s interventions in Bosnia and Somalia, with the media exerting relentless pressure on the government to take action (Compaine, 2002). Even though the media may not be the key source of new ideas to the government, it still impacts considerably on policy making. This is because the public awareness of political affairs has a close relation to the quantity and duration of attention the matters command from the mass media. In yet another example, in the 1990 coverage of Somalia’s starving children by CNN, the media initiated political action by sending humanitarian relief and military personnel (Compaine, 2002). This action shows the media to be more than just a driving force responsible for social and cultural change, but also as a key factor for political mobilization, not only domestically but beyond the borders too. Media also has its way to influence the development of children. In a child’s world, the television is always present. A study has shown that television viewing in the United States among children under five years old stands at an eighty year high (Kietzmann et al, 2011). The children are spending an average of twenty eight hours per child per week watching television and videos or using a game console. The greater part of this time, 97 percent, is spent viewing live television (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). It can be educational, entertaining or detrimental. It also opens up a new world for children, availing to them an opportunity to travel the universe while learning different cultures and getting exposed to ideas that may never be seen in their own communities. Television programs containing socially and ethically healthy messages will have positive influences on children’s behavior (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). Positive role models will also shape children’s choices of lifestyle. However, the reverse of this fact can also be true. With their inquisitive nature, children are prone to learn things on television that their parents do not want them to learn. This is more probable if they go unsupervised. Studies have shown that long hours spent viewing television has an effect on children’s sleep patterns, performance at school, weight and personal conduct (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). On a negative note, time spent watching television eats into time that could be spent on healthy activities like playing with friends, having dinner together with the family, or studying. Television viewing among children also keeps them from participating in art, music or sports and activities require time for practice to gain skills. Mass media has also impacted the quick spread of knowledge and education (Potter, 2008). By use of search engines like Google and yahoo, users can access instant information that was once the preserve of voluminous text books. Online learning tools and research papers enable the mass audience to get affordable learning materials, which can in turn be distributed further to the general public through email and blogs. Instances of people earning online degrees from reputable institutions of education are on the rise (Potter, 2008). In terms of job seeking and employment, there once was a time when a job applicant would go and collect an application form at a local company, talk to the manager, fill the form by hand and submit it in person (Kietzmann et al, 2011). That was the only opportunity for an employer to meet a potential employee. Nowadays, with the advanced technology in communication and social networking through the internet, companies look beyond an interview and resume of a potential employee. A person’s online profile will serve to create their first impression even before sitting for an interview (Kietzmann et al, 2011). Although the social networking sites are intended for interactions with friends and peers, a survey conducted by Microsoft Corporation found that 79 percent of U. S employers use them to evaluate would be employees. The survey also found that 70 percent of recruiters and hiring managers reject applications based on an individual’s information posted online (Kietzmann et al, 2011). Although this is not the decision making stage of the recruiting process, it has facilitated a speedy means of short listing candidates who get to sit for the interview. Just like most influencing attributes of social life, media also has their negative side (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). Although media has almost single handedly contributed to the growth of information accessibility, it has also inflated certain scandalous and unhealthy matters like violence and pornography. Unfounded allegations and rumors spread dangerously fast in cyberspace. The paparazzi thrive on sensational news. To increase their sales and earnings, they make their publications “juicy” by being biased and exaggerated (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). For example, in the Fifa World cup of 2006, news presenters and journalists gave more attention to the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane’s attack on Marco Materazzi, the Italian defender, instead of concentrating their focus on the results of the match itself. This led to the public drawing negative images of the player. In another example, mass circulation of videos showing the massacre of the South Korean Cho Seung Hui in Virginia Technical University led to the loss of 32 other lives. This proves the point that the media may inadvertently influence the public in general by sanctioning or advocating indirectly acts of violence and other anti social activities (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). Another negative impact of media is deterioration of people’s privacy. Among the social media users, there are not only increasing incidents of identity theft, but also users’ willingness to allow the world into their lives, leading to unnecessary exposures. In conclusion, while it is acceptable that the media has both its merits and demerits, it must be appreciated that the former outweigh the latter (Kietzmann et al, 2011). It has influenced all aspects of life from social, political and economic. We could be living in a blind world without the information they bring to us. With the media being such a powerful tool, it is prudent for consumers to exercise caution when choosing how to respond to what they receive (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986). References Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks. New Haven: Yale University Press. Compaine, B. (2002). Global media. Foreign Policy, No. 133. (Nov. - Dec. 2002): pp 20-22. Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (1986). Prejudice, discrimination, and racism. New York: Academic Press. Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social Media? Get Serious! Understanding the Functional Building Blocks of Social Media. Business Horizons, 54, 241-251. Kitch, C. (2002). Anniversary journalism, collective memory, and the cultural authority to tell the story of the American past. Journal of Popular Culture, 44-67. Potter, W. J. (2008). Media Literacy. California: Sage. Read More