Media in Today's Society Essay Example

The media has proven to be an advantageous apparatus in today's society. It is vital to explore this claim because the media has been a crucial part of the social improvements of advanced civilisations. To be convinced by the statement, the first thing a reader needs to know is that, historically, media have been necessary to the rise and fall of domains, negotiations, war, the spread of dialects and social standards, and the process of globalisation and advancement (Flew, 2018). Furthermore, the point of the media is primarily to facilitate communication across a distance or for the purpose when the sender is not present as the communication is recorded and transmitted (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler & Casey, 2019). Akram and Kumar (2017) suggest that media is a platform for the public to discuss different issues and opinions worldwide. O’Shaughnessy et al (2019) recommend that the development of new forms and technology shapes and creates innovation within the media, which can positively and negatively impact forming of open supposition. There are long-held fears about the media’s influence on politics, morals, culture, contemporary consumerism, and advertising (O’Shaughnessy et al, 2019). These variables have a perplexing impact on society, and the media can affect them. This essay begins by discussing the effects of the media through contradictory historical views. It then discusses the fear politics has over media through its control and the spread of fake news. In addition, it explores the fear media has on the influence on morality through the material individuals consume. 

The effects of the media are twofold as there are positive and negative perspectives. Analysts and commentators have been conflicted since the advent of the printing press on the two views of the media: concern and fear of the media's risks and consequences versus an idyllic belief in the media's benefits (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2019). During the nineteenth century, romantic novels became popular, but there was a concern that these novels would influence the minds of young women. Jude the Obscure (1985), written by Thomas Hardy, was disapproved for its moral harmfulness, but some individuals believed the novel would broaden females’ minds as part of the move towards women’s liberation. Unfortunately, this pessimistic outlook can lead us to ignore the many positive things in the media and the world.

This paragraph follows from the previous section, which outlined the two significant aspects of the media during the nineteenth century. Little progress has been made as there are ongoing debates today over the effect of the internet and computer games within satellite communities. According to Lingampalli, Potdar & Thelkar (2018), computer games have more violent themes. They are accused of being more forceful than televised violence and increasing a person’s antisocial behaviour. Alternatively, in a positive light, they allow for the development of computer literacy and swift reaction skills and engage people much more actively than television (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2019). Akram and Kumar (2017) suggest that citizens should be encouraged to avoid the adverse effects of the media and adopt the positive aspects instead. The contradicting views of the media have not changed over the progression of time. People still disagree on whether the media plays a positive or negative role in society. This paragraph analysed the reasons for opposite opinions of the media and has argued that it would be beneficial to look at the positive outlooks instead. 

The next part of this essay will discuss the effect of politics due to the influence of the media. In addition, it is pertinent to ask if political parties control the media. According to Wang, Pang, and Pavlou (2021), the news was previously owned by official news media, such as newspapers or television stations, and the public read-only that official news. O’Shaughnessy et al (2019) argue that media can be used as a platform for political parties to control people through advertising which is seen as a form of propaganda and brainwashing that supports capitalist consumerism. There are many debates on whether controls should be placed over the media so that their influence is not misused (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2019). Media outlets can influence how government authorities disseminate information before, during, and after an event (Williams and Nelson, 2020). Citizens believe that the government uses the media to control them to potentially take actions that may not be in the individuals’ best interest. This paragraph has demonstrated how the media is controlled by political figures, which negatively impacts individuals that contain less power. 

It is now necessary to explain the course of the media’s power on politics regarding fake news. Politics is one of the most prominent topics in the media. For a democracy to succeed, Baugut and Scherr (2019) argue that citizens and political leaders must connect through the media. Williams and Nelson (2020) suggest that the media's portrayal of the government can influence public perception and control government response efforts. Fake news has been around for a long time, but social media have exacerbated its effects, especially regarding political decisions and their impact on society. The spread of fake news on social media has become a major political problem. Fake news is partially distorted or fabricated information to mislead its audience (Wang, Pang, and Pavlou, 2021). To demonstrate this, during the 2016 U.S Presidential elections, anonymous users released fake news on social media platforms which attracted millions of page views to their websites and ultimately misled the viewers (Wang et al, 2021). According to Wang et al. (2021), the websites gained substantial revenues from the advertisement, making it difficult for any social media platforms to implement the gatekeeping process of news production. 

Having discussed the contribution media has to politics, the concluding section of this essay addresses how media influences morals. It is argued that the media is a corrupting force that causes concern of moral fears to arise. People believe that values can be tarnished by the material they absorb (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2019). O’Shaughnessy et al (2019) revealed that young people have less developed critical thinking abilities to position fiction or other media content about external reality and less experience to base sound judgment, leading to moral panic on the effects of media consumption. O’Shaughnessy et al (2019) assert that the increasing impact of viewing media that contains sexual or violent content is especially harmful to younger viewers because of the tendency of the youth to learn by mimesis. Another perspective on this issue is that certain content in the media desensitises the material and makes it comparable to behaviour in real life to seem acceptable, regular, and natural (O’Shaughnessy et al, 2019). O’Shaughnessy et al (2019) explain that the danger is that media may unintentionally promote the use of violence as a method of conflict resolution or the lack of respect for one’s sexual partners. This section analyses the impact of the media on morals and argues that the information individuals absorb can lead to uncertainty about what constitutes good ethics.

Media can have a positive or negative effect on society. Despite the progression of time, media still has conflicting views that affect individuals today. The negative aspects of media appear to outweigh the positives leading to long-held fears about the detrimental influence on society. The control of media by political figures has contributed to the inequality of individuals. Fake news is also a contributing factor to today's unfair political decisions. Morals have been tarnished through the consumption of media through different platforms. The media has proven to be an advantageous apparatus in today's society that negatively affects civilisations.