The Influential UK Media

612 Words2 Pages

The Influential UK Media

The media is one of the most pervasive and persuasive influences on

life in the modern world. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines,

the Internet and advertisements play an important role in the quality

of life for many people. We are exposed to the media in one form or

another from an early age and it influences our thoughts, our

attitudes and sometimes our behaviour.

Advertising on both television and radio often uses celebrities and

well-known people to promote products and as people of the modern

world we look up to celebrities and want to be like them. Therefore

when we see people we look up to wearing or using something we want it

and consequently go out and buy it. However, the Independent

Television Commission (ITC) and the Radio authority check up on

adverts to make sure that they are honest, decent and do not include

any form of discrimination or anything that may be harmful to

children, mentally and physically. Therefore, even though advertising

is influential, adverts do not tell us to go and buy products or go to

events that can be harmful to others and ourselves but just inform us

of what is available and what is going on around us.

Along with advertising is propaganda, which is the organised

circulation of information designed to influence people. Even though

it is controlled by the State, propaganda usually attempts to appeal

to people's emotions or prejudices, and it may contain huge

distortions of the truth. Propaganda is influencing people through the

media with information and facts from the State that are not true but

is clever enough to make the public believe it.

Newspapers are read all over the world and the UK is no exception. In

the UK there are many different papers but they often biased towards

different political parties. This means that political parties can

influence the public so that they can obtain more votes in elections

and so that they have more people on their side when new plans are

published.

Open Document