The Social Media Report and Families

764 Words2 Pages

Growing up, we rely on our parents to teach us the ways of life. Not only that, but they show us how to dress, how to speak, what is considered good or bad, and help us to determine how we see ourselves. As children, our parents were our guardians, teachers, and caretakers. Unfortunately, once we grow up we stop depending on our parents to teach us the ways of life and start relying on the media instead. In the 21st century, mass media is the informational outlet to all human beings in the world. It teaches us how to dress, how to look and act, what is identified as good or bad, and how to think. The significance of society’s reliance on mass media determines how tightly the world is connected to each other. With such dependence on mass media, it is questionable if the mass media is really influences our lives for the better or hindering our lives for the worst. The influences of mass media promote not only products, but the moods, the attitudes, and the determination on what people should believe is and is not important.
In today’s society, we as individuals are spending a lot of time with mass media. Supported by Nielsen’s , State of the Media: The Social Media Report 2012 in July 2011, US consumers spent a total of 430.4 billion minutes on the Internet whereas in July 2012, just one year later, we spent 520.1 billion minutes, an increase of 21% (Barozzi 2012). Within that 21% increase of media use on the population in just one year, the youth represent majority of that population. Today’s youth represent the past and future culture of society. They also represent the targeted group that mass media place such a high role on. Because this group includes individuals who minds are still underdeveloped, who deals with low self-es...

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...vents, people, fads, and trends that capture the public imagination […] and also used to describe current cultural trends, and cultural trends of the past that have achieved enduring status” (Glynn 2008). Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society. Today’s popular culture is created by the acceptable behavior, look, or whatever fashionable trend there is. As a result, it comes under heavy criticism from individuals who do not follow the accepted fashion of society. Fashion trends do not have to be clothing or even hairstyles, it can also be accessories. Examples are the hula hoop, silly bands, rainbow looms, and even brightly dyed hair styles. The media takes popular culture and exploits people’s ability to become aware of their own cultural values, beliefs and perceptions by their desire to be accepted.

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