In modern society, the mass media is of central importance in informing, educating and entertaining the public through reflections of different aspects of the society, such as educational issue, economic circumstance and political affair. Benefiting from the development of new media technologies, the power of mass media to shape public perceptions on broad issues has been considerably strengthened by the achievements as a wider coverage of media audiences and the competence of instantaneous information transmission and updating. Besides the functions like entertainment and public service announcement, the mass media is also mainly used as an effective tool for the purpose of advocacy which includes advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations and political communication. In particular, propaganda, which shoulders the task of creating and directing public opinion as a certain form of communication, can be regarded as one of the most important aspects of policy management that might affect people’s ordinary life easily and directly.
Referring to the behaviour of civil government which could be defined as the management of one specific political party, public image plays a vital role among different spheres of political affairs. For instance, the efficiency of a democratic government to deal with the regulation and governance of a nation, the protection of its citizens in their own rights, the preservation of its safety, prosperity and resources, the defense of its own sovereign rights against foreign control, the improvement of citizen morals could be tremendously influenced by the public image of the political party which is in charge of the government. Therefore, in order to maintain a public image which is not only ma...
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In the chapter entitled “The Public Presidency Communications and Media,” Matthew Eshbaugh-soha argues that media coverage is extremely essential for presidential governance. However, it is challenging to control and adjust to serve presidential purposes, for it is driven by different motives. A president’s goal is to increase coverage surrounding him to obtain support for his policies, while the media wants to sell the best headlines to increase their profit. Eshbaugh-soha argues that even though presidents have developed different tactics to maximize their media coverage, they often face failures in doing so. In this chapter, Eshbaugh-soha analyzes the different mythologies, through which presidents attempt to increase their communication with the public. He accomplishes that by examining specific examples and statistics from different presidential eras, as well as these mythologies’ successes and limitations overall.
The base of all propaganda is to shape the information in such a manner that it manipulates the viewers into believing what the propaganda wants them to believe. Its persuasive techniques are regularly applied in day-to-day life by politicians, advertisers, journalists, and others who are interested in influencing human behavior. Since propaganda is used with misleading information, it can be concluded that it is not a fairly used tool in the society.
“Constructing Canada: Do we need a public broadcaster to enhance democracy?” written by David Taras, a professor at the University of Calgary and director of Alberta Global Forum. Taras reinstates the turning point of Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and their relationship with the Canadian parliament. He addressed on the developments and struggles Public Service Broadcasters (PSB), specifically CBC, encounter in order to continue to telecast. Lastly, he explains that PSB has a major role in maintaining the balance of power between the government and the mass media. PSB were created by the public for the public because a democracy can only happen if everyone cooperates.
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In today’s world it may be strange to suggest that the study of propaganda has anything to do with contemporary politics. When most people think of propaganda they think of the campaigns of Hitler and Stalin in the 1930’s. Since there are not many campaigns today that can be compared to these, many people believe that propaganda is no longer a problem. The persuasive techniques of propaganda are usually used by politicians, advertisers, and journalists who like to influence human behavior. Uses of propaganda can be used to accomplish campaigns to reduce drunk driving, laws against bearing arms, and other things. They are also used to...
Public relations have been a prominent aspect of society for millennia, dating back to 50 B.C. with Julius Caesar and referred by the Ancient Greeks as “semantikos”, which is the practice of persuading people into a belief or action (Witman, 2000). Public relations is still been influenced by the contributions of key historical and contemporary figures including Benjamin Franklin and Ivy Lee.
In the book, Propaganda, author Edward L Bernays, who is nephew of Sigmund Freud, transcends the public relation industry. This short, 13-part instructional manual delves deep into the intricacies and usage of propaganda. Bernays claims that the public is in a constant state of manipulation. He argues that in order for a society to be highly functioning and stable, public opinion must be manipulated and swayed. While I find his claims disturbing, it was refreshing to read something so blunt. Bernays’ use of psychological techniques to work the mechanics of public opinion truly classifies him as the “father of public relations.”
Propaganda and mass media has come to form around every aspect of modern day society. The media uses propaganda to influence and transform a human being while creating a public opinion. “Everyone civilizations creates a social character type.”
There is an association between the development of mass media and social change, although the degree and direction of this association is still debated upon even after years of study into media influence. Many of the consequences, either detrimental or beneficial, which have been attributed to the mass media, are almost undoubtedly due to other tendencies within society. Few sociologists would refute the importance of the mass media, and mass communications as a whole, as being a major factor in the construction and circulation of social understanding and social imagery in modern societies. Therefore it is argued that the mass media is used as “an instrument”, both more powerful and more flexible than anything in previous existence, for influencing people into certain modes of belief and understanding within society.
Propaganda is neither positive or negative and can be used to persuade the audience to turn away from products such as cigarettes or alcohol. Commercials use propaganda to promote their products, which in a way gives the broadcaster control over the media and public opinion, also known as the “Dune Effect.” However, it is still a double edge blade and is misused to trick or manipulate the audience who use the media daily. Therefore, the use of propaganda over the mass media is wrong if it benefits one instead of a
Each classical theorist brings with them their own definition of propaganda. The first of these, Jacques Ellul saw propaganda as a process, technique and sociological phenomena that short-circuit rational thought continuously. In 2010, propaganda is still a process but a different one than that used in Ellul’s time. As public view shifts, technique must as well in order to encapsulate the intended audience as effectively. Views continue to shift and with them, the processes used to market things to the public. Edward Bernays defines propaganda as “…a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group.” Bernays documented interactions between people who were part of the public. His conclusion was that people, in general, are uneducated and “follow the herd.” In order for propaganda to be successful, the emphasis has to be on what the corporation wants the individual to need as opposed to what the individual actually needs. In this...
As a conclusion, influence and persuasion will be work closely with the media world to gain the media effect to audience. People nowadays are connecting closely with three different forms of media, especially the electronic media. People will watch to the television and browsing to internet or social network for everyday. So, media will become the easiest way to influence and persuade the audience.
Basically, the media performs three functions to inform, to influence and to entertain. But effects of these functions are multidimensional in modern times. It has provided awareness about the whole world. In twenty-first century, media has a tendency to shape political, economical and social values of an individual. Moreover, media has eliminated the boundaries of information, so that a person can become an active citizen of the global economy. Hence, it is logical to state the media has become a basic need of human civic life.