Media Models In Everyday Life

The movie Invictus brings up several key points about the media in everyday life. One of the most prominent points brought up in the film is that sports have the power to bring people together and unite them with a common goal. Sports are an enormous part of the media and cultures all over the world. Whether it be the Super-bowl, World Cup, or Olympics, millions of people continue to unite and cheer for the teams they support. The reason in which sports often unites people is that it gives people something in common with one another. No matter what race, age, or gender, people of all types enjoy watching and supporting sports teams which is why it is such a powerful means to unite people.

The majority of viewers are never able to witness these events first hand, which is where television comes into play. Without television, the people who are able to view sporting events would be restricted by the size of the arena. However, television allows sporting events to be broadcasted to millions even billions of people allowing them to experience the events and feel more connected to the teams they so dedicatedly support. Without television, people would not have as much access to sports, and therefore the ability of sports to unite people and nations would not be nearly as successful. Sporting events are one of the biggest media spectacles in world culture. Douglas Kellner writes “media spectacles are those phenomena of media culture that embody contemporary society’s basic values, sever to initiate individuals into a way of life, and dramatize its controversies and straggles, as well as its modes of conflict resolution” (108). The movie Invictus depicts how Nelson Mandela used sports, in particular rugby, as a means...

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...ll of South Africa was unable to watch the Springboks play, blacks would probably continue to view them as representing apartheid. Television and other forms of media allowed the meme of the Springboks to spread to all South Africans both black and white and united them. Through the use of television and sports, Nelson Mandela was able to start a meme through the use of a spectacle that had an impact on the entire culture. Without television and other forms of media, memes would be incredibly difficult to spread. However through the use of television, internet, and other forms of media memes are able to reach many people in a short amount of time. When the memes involve social or cultural change, the media plays a huge part in revolutions and can sometimes change and unit a country, just like what happen in South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.