Effects of News Media

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Introduction

The effects of the media in society have been a topic in the center of most debates today. This is because the media is known to influence people, as well as, their way of thinking regarding a particular subject matter (Curran & Gurevitch, 1991). As academicians would explain, the news media can make or break a nation owing to the high influence they have on the society. Accordingly, most have identified the need to control information passed by the media to the people, as it can be destructive, as opposed to, being constructive. Because the role of Media personnel in the world is to provide the world with all information regarding the events taking place all over the world, there is need for control of information passed to people, so as to avoid negative effects.

This paper presents a discussion of the diverse effects of the News media on the society. Specifically, the paper examines how information and news media have affected American culture and shaped political opinions. The paper also examines the media’s social responsibility and concludes by explaining how electronic media and its convergence have transformed journalism and news consumption.

Effects of Information and News Media on American Culture

Recent studies explain that the media has a great effect on public opinion as it shapes the way people think concerning the issues presented (Curran & Gurevitch, 1991). Accordingly, the effects of the media have been identified as being both positive and negative depending on the viewpoint the media takes in certain issues. Americans today tend to believe every bit of information presented in the media, which has in turn influenced the overall American Culture. The American society today is very dependent on the information presented in the media, and for that reason, each American’s daily activities are determined by what is presented in the media. Examples of how the media has influenced American culture include determining how Americans purchase goods and services, politics, and entertainment among other things. Specifically, researchers have identified the media’s influence on body image and beauty as the most significant one in modern America (Curran & Gurevitch, 1991). A thin body has been posed by the media as being the beautiful, and for that reason, most Americans are looking into ways in which they can have or maintain a thin body figure. Empirical research on the issue argues that this implausible body ideal presented by the media has had a negative effect on the thoughts and perceptions of Americans, especially women, regarding their bodies.

How Information and News Media has Shaped Politics

The influence of the media can best be seen in the field of politics, as it is clear that Americans rely on views from the media when deciding their political affiliations (London, 1993). The media is known to criticize political groups, by identifying the said groups’ failures with regards to their political achievements for the state. One show that has taken the frontline in illustrating how the media has influenced American politics is the Colbert report, a satirical news show aimed at providing a sardonic view of the politics practiced in the United States (London, 1993).

News Media’s Social Responsibility

Just like any other corporation, institution of organization, the News media has a social responsibility with which they are expected to adhere to at all times. According to Middleton (2009), there media’s social responsibility ranges from bringing to light real issues affecting the public to providing proper guidance to the people to whom the information is presented. These issues should, however, be accurate and patent, so as to, ensure that minimal negative effects to the society. The Media’s social responsibility also includes working towards the resolution of issues, as opposed to accelerating the issues in such a way that affects the public (Middleton, 2009). The media is also expected to promote social responsibility among individuals that make up a nation through creating awareness on certain social issues that are of concern to the society.

How Electronic Media and Its Convergence have Transformed Journalism and News Consumption

Owing to technological advancements, the electronic media has undergone various changes. This means that the electronic media in the modern society is much different from that of the older times. Unlike the past, where electronic media only consisted of the television and radios, the current forms of electronic media have advanced to include the internet (Curran & Gurevitch, 1991). As a result of internet news reporting, individuals today have easy access to news happening all over the world. Further still, individuals do not need to have their computers to access news from the internet. Instead, they can access news through their mobile phones, which is either sent directly as a message to the phone or through mobile internet access (Curran & Gurevitch, 1991). Notably, the current electronic media forms have transformed journalism in such a way that Journalists have an increased market with whom they report information to. This has, in turned, influenced how news is presented both positively and negatively, as more journalists seek to influence the thoughts of their audience to suit their own.

References

Curran, J. & Gurevitch, M. (1991). Mass Media and Society. London: Edward Arnold.

London, S. (1993). How The Media Frames Political Issues. Retrieved from:

http://www.scottlondon.com/reports/frames.html

Middleton, M (2009). Social Responsibility in the Media. Retrieved from:

http://www.cimethics.org/en/docs/SR_media.pdf