Mass Media Effects Essays

Mass Media Effects Essays Mass Media Effects Essay Mass Media Effects Essay Media has been an integral part of the world we live in today. It has been so since World War II when Nazi Germany used different kinds of propaganda through media to portray their message to the nation. Since then many breakthroughs have been made with televisions, radios and, newspapers. Today, media is the most important element and the most organized form of communication in our modern society as a source of information, especially in category of politics and government. The media sets all kinds of trends and decides â€Å"what’s in and what’s not. It also serves as a representative for political socialization. There are many differing opinions about the workings of the media; some negate the media and some shed positive light on the role of the media. Mobilization Theory and Media Malaise Theory are two contradicting schools of thought. While one supports the media as being a gateway for knowledge and information, the other pins it as a useless commodity. The medi a is supposed to mobilize the people but instead it performs malaise, which turns many people off politics, which can lead to the mass population avoiding media as a whole in the near future. Media can become an unwilling servant of the government,† (MacLean Wood, 2010; Pg. 193). Modern mass media has an influence on people far and wide, that is why the government can use the media to broadcast what is in their best interest. The government can control the flow of information that is released or they can choose to hold back information that might be sensitive and too valuable to expose to the public eye. The media malaise theory touches on similar topics. Media Malaise theory suggests because of the media, people’s trust and interest n politics, government, and policies has declined. Media is responsible for the negative light shed on some of these topics, which causes people to avoid the media and its stories altogether. Newton (1999) states that media is always in search of bigger and better audiences so generate more reputation and better numbers and rankings, so the media is forced to â€Å"dwell on dramatic news especially bad news about crime, and conflict, death, and disaster. † (Newton 1999). The media picks and chooses its stories according to the number of viewers it will grasp. The media also tends to exaggerate the stories in order to achieve an even greater effect. Newton 1999). And generally people are interested in the worse of the world to overlook their own shortcomings. â€Å"Attack Journalism† is also another term that ties in perfectly with media malaise and further clarifies why the media plays such an important role in situation of avoiding the media. Newton ‘s (1999) says this tactic is used mostly in the world of politi cs to highlight the weakness o political opponents and institutions, which will generate a negative opinion in the public mind about that particular politician. The modern mass media world is a fast-paced and ever changing world. News comes and goes like traffic on the highways. Once a piece of news of passes it highly unlikely it will be seen again. So the public is presented with so many world affairs with very little information. â€Å"The ‘fast forward’ effect is used to create political confusion and distrust among citizens who lack certain kinds of information† (Newton 1999). The media preys on people and their naivety, and try to confuse and manipulate people on certain topics when they do not have enough information to formulate an opinion of their own on political affairs. For some people certain kinds of information plus the ‘fast forward’ effect creates too much information to handle so people start to avoid the whole affair altogether. Mobilization theory strongly contradicts the media malaise theory. Newton (1999) argues mobilization theory is a combination of rising educational levels and easier access to larger amounts of political information has helped citizens mobilize. Mobilization theory states knowledge and education causes people to get together and challenge each other intellectually on political affairs with discussions, which concludes in the people getting mobilized. Unlike media malaise theory, mobilization theory tends to focus on the ‘good. ’ Even though the public is exposed to every kind of mass media, they still choose to read newspapers and watch television news to further increase their understanding of politics. People with better understanding of politics tend to read more in comparison to watching television (Newton 1999, Table. 2). Since there are so many different kinds of modern mass media covering every single thing going on globally, it becomes hard to keep track of everything. But it is not the form of which news is received in that matters, instead it is the content that matters the most. â€Å"If it is content that matters, then there is room for both good and bad in each type of mass media and, therefore, for different kinds of effects caused by the same type of media. † (Newton 1999). Content is probably the one thing, if controlled, can have the kind of influence and effect that the media conglomerate wants. Controlled nformation is a way of getting the public under control and it also manipulates the public opinion in the sense that there is a limited amount of information released, so based on only that an opinion is formed in the mass public. It is almost like the media is forcing a particular thought into the minds of the people. Then again the government or politicians can also influence the media. Governments tend to control more information on the issues of war, while in the political world an opponent is exposed through weakness or scan dals. Another argument that occurs in between these two theories is that, which form of media develops more malaise or which one mobilizes more. Is it television or newspapers? Television is the strongest form of media malaise according to Newton (1999). Television is used for entertainment, but it also creates a lot of confusion and political alienation. It serves as a very big distraction since people isolate themselves from society, so that they can watch something on television all day. There are so many different kinds of channels that entertain that people tend to get sidetracked from the news and political affairs. As Newton (1999) quotes Postman, â€Å"Modern television must be entertaining by nature. † On the other hand, people who watch less television read more newspapers. Reading increase political knowledge and understanding. The newspapers give a better background story so the whole situation is understood on a different level. But among all the argument, no precise argument can be made on what or who affects the malaise or mobilization. The reason the media was created in the first place was to inform the public of the different situations around the world, let them be a disaster, scandal, or death. Media was the third eye for everyone, catching every little detail and reports it as they see it. But somewhere along the way the initial meaning was lost. Media became a competition and ulterior motives started forming. It started to matter who had the highest numbers or the bet reputation. The media world changed completely. Everyday became a race with no finish line; the news became choppy with no explanation. Especially in the political world the media was used as a spy, to expose people and opponents and political parties, so the other one could have an upper hand. Media started to do more harm than good, the media started to create malaise. Today it works the same way, the public does not decide for themselves what to think, the media does it for them. And the media itself is a puppet for someone with power and reach. In conclusion the media is not doing its job, it is supposed to mobilize the world and show every side of the story. But instead the only side shown is the one that benefits a certain somebody the most. So eventually the public does get tired of this fast paced news world and start to avoid the media altogether also called creating media malaise. Word Count: 1400 Bibliography. * MacLean, G. A. , Wood, D. R. (2010). Political Socialization and Culture. Politics: an introduction (p. 193). Don Mills, Ont. : Oxford University Press. * Newton, K. (1999). â€Å"Mass Media Effects: Mobilization or Media Malaise? † British Journal of Political Science, 29, 577-599.