Media Studies:The role media has on society

The media is a vital tool needed for companies and some individuals to have contact with the public. The media plays an important role in society because without it communication would cease to exist. Media could be used both positively as well as negatively. 

Personally the media has had a great influence on who I am today. No1 could ever say that the media has not influenced them. If you open a magazine, turn on the television or even listen to the radio the media is bombarding people with messages on how they should live, how they should dress, how they should interact, where they should be going and dictating to people what is supposed to be seen as socially acceptable. Without the media people would not know about things that were happening around them nor would they know about things that were happening internationally. The media plays the role of an informer. 

The role of the media can be divide into five subheading being distributor, social, political, economical and environmental. Socially the media influences people’s behavior. For example fashion trends that were prominent in the 60’s is now back and eating sushi has become the new norm.  People are always buying the latest technology and everyone wants to be like some celebrity. On that note, the media has the ability to make or break you. Let’s take Miley Cyrus for instance. She started off being a sweet innocent girl that all pre-teenagers looked up too and it was the media that promoted her and made her famous but now as she rebels it’s the very same media that’s disgracing her and suddenly opinions are switched. Also look at Oscar Pistorius, when he did our country proud at the Paralympics he was the hero but even without being found guilty yet we have all turned our backs on him because of what the media made him out to be. Cosmopolitan is one of my very favourite magazines. It’s influenced what I believe fashion should be like and how a ‘real’ woman is supposed to look. The main features being fashion, lifestyle and sex it’s no wonder why women (and men) of today have so many insecurities. Imagine if everyone woke up happy with themselves, how many industries would close down?

Politically, the media has to be there to inform citizens about changes, additions, the state of the country, neighboring countries and also to inform us what’s happening on a global scale. Economically the media informs us about the value of currencies and financial figures of companies that could affect us. Environmentally the media plays a role in educating an informing us about Green initiatives. 

While watching a series called ‘The Arrivals’ Anchrnahr claims the media is being used to brainwash us, the public, from what’s really happening in the world. According to Anchrnahr the media brings about a distraction for the greater things in life. In my understanding, the role media plays in society is that it’s important yet we need to find a balance between the negative and the positive.

We blame society but we are society.