Mass Media and Society

592 Words3 Pages
Mass media has definitely changed and shaped society and culture as we know today. Literature, fashion, entertainment, technology, politics, even art has been changed throughout the years. Media has opened the eyes of many people, and inspired many more. From Victorian women reading early romance novels at home to children today reading online books anywhere at any time. If it weren't for the media then society as we know it wouldn’t exist. The impact of media on the society extends to both social and political sectors. There are a variety of elements in each and media touches on both sectors and each element. It should be noted that the extent that it affects each element varies as well. It should also be taken into account that while there is a mass effect on everyone that media touches, the extent it affects the individual varies as well. On a social level, media has its greatest impact. Viewpoints have been shaped due to the representation of different cultures, races, genders, religions, and sexual orientations. The two main elements of this are entertainment and news. While the representations should be taken at face value when it comes to entertainment, some representations have led to unfair stereotyping which becomes a part of social norms and thinking for generations. One example is how a segment or culture within a race could and has come to represent the public’s view of that race overall — especially in the case of negative elements of that culture. Another example is both unfair standards of beauty for women as well as negative representation of women. In the case of negative representations, there might be individuals or groups that embody that particular element, but media is able to multiply the negative to the point where it becomes a public accept trait of women. When it comes to unfair beauty standards, women are viewed as

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