How Does Media Affect The Media

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Allen Ginsberg once said "Whoever controls the media, controls the culture. In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, and the newspaper are different types of media. The term can also be used as a collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies. Culture, on the other hand, is frequently defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior. For most of us, the media is a significant influence upon our view of the world. The media is a primary source of information, which augments and alters the knowledge that we gain through more direct experience. Of necessity, this media view will always be a distorted one. The ramifications of this distortion can have very…show more content…
This is because we allow the media to create stereotypes, and change the way we act and think. Popular television sitcoms like “Simpsons” are constantly bombarding us with believable stereotypes and misleading images. For example, Homer, the father, is stupid, lazy and fat. Marge, his wife, is always nagging at him to do work. Lisa, their smart daughter, is unpopular at school. Many people in the US and in many other countries of the world are audiences of these kind of television programs that rampantly depict untrue yet popular stereotypes. People begin to have perceived views and even prejudices due to these depicted stereotypes. Stereotypes created by the media take away our individuality and instead, provides us with a common identity. When this happens, there is an erosion of our personal uniqueness. More often than not, we subconsciously integrate ourselves into the make-believe world that the media has successfully created. Hence, I agree that whoever controls the media, controls the culture. The culture in this case, is referring to the perceptions that the public has on other…show more content…
If we are to have control over our lives, then we must, as a people, have the right to freedom of information. We must be able to rein in the wild horses of the corporate and political media. We must have access to a wide range of alternative information sources beyond the mainstream ones. Our information must be free from censorship and available to all, whatever their economic or social status. To do this, we need to question and protest our present situation and to develop skilful means for assessing the media and all of the other information that enters into our lives. Skills in the use of media and information need to form a valued part of the education process. It is the combination of education and communications which are the keys to change. There is much less access to media and information resources within the developing world. This has led to the creation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) programs designed to eliminate this “digital divide.” Many innovative and exciting projects are now underway to bridge this gap but there is still a very long way to
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