dfged

I believe the mass media has an effect on the public much more powerful than we know. In the 21st century we are surrounded by non-stop advertising, media, electronics, and connectivity so we can hardly find a quiet moment. The television brings us news, entertainment, and advertising all wrapped in a pretty, colorful, and noisy bow. Cellphones, especially smartphones, allow us to text, email, call, take pictures, watch videos, and read the latest in the palm of our hand. Newspapers and magazines now have color, are distributed daily, and have a section for every interest. We are surrounded by mass media to the point it is suffocating. To sort through the conglomeration is frustrating and tiring at times but it seems we enjoy it since we keep coming back for more.

Now just because the media is everywhere does not mean it is all bad, nor does that mean it is all good. There is quite a bit of personal work involved when someone needs to decide whether the content a media is delivering is good or bad. Of course this is all objective as each person has individual tastes and values. I personally feel there is more negative media out there right now than positive media. I say this because media is often paid for by advertising thus it is fraught with the agendas of the financial books. Magazines constantly run articles about how to lose weight, why to buy a particular clothing line, or how to improve your love life by spending money. These may not seem like negative aspects, and in reality they are not always reporting negative information, but I feel they are having a negative impact on society even though they are not inherently negative topics.

Media is powerful, it always has been, and can make a world of confident, ...

... middle of paper ...

...is demand from the public would force a company’s hand to change and go back to the drawing board. In addition, this will also help companies reach their target markets, display their values and beliefs clearly, and keep themselves from coming under fire when an item outside of their values acts against what they believe. A perfect example of this would be the Duck Dynasty fiasco in 2013. A star on the show gave an anti-gay statement that did not fall within A & E’s, the network’s, beliefs. This called for some fire control on the network’s part and thus left a bad taste in consumers’ mouths. This proposition would be more of a call to self-motivated action than anything else. It would ask individuals and media to clearly decipher what they believe, support, and wish to display. I believe this would help create a more positive environment in the media world.