The power of mass media has never failed to amaze me. It can prove very useful to both the sender and the receiver. For the sender its beneficial as it a means of communicating or publicizing certain information they wish to deliver. And for the receiver it can prover very informative sometimes. Media has far reaching effects on all of us who are on the receiving end of the messages conveyed by the mass media. This influence not only plays an important role in our decision making, but also shapes our perspective on various people and issues and also regularly modifies our lifestyles in many ways. Even our culture sometimes is influenced by the media.
There are different types of media- namely, the television media, the print media and the radio broadcast media. There are certain characteristics of all these types of media. Firstly, they all have 'invisible receivers' who are large, heterogeneous and anonymous. The media cannot individualize messages and their communication with the audience could be terminated at the will of the audience. Also another characteristic we should take into consideration is that all the different types of media use different technologies to send and receive messages.
Now that we have discussed the different types of media and their characteristics, lets talk about its influences on us- the audience. Just yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine and he mentioned that on of his friends said that he was acting like 'Dr. House' form the television series called 'HOUSE' which airs on Star World. When I asked him that why did his friend made such a comment, he said that because he was being very blunt and rude like Dr. House. It struck me that this was not the first time that i have heard someone refer to a famous character to describe someone's behavior. It is very often that we resort to such means of describing someone or something. It is because the globalization of media has brought the world together and we all commonly relate to most of them, despite of our cultural differences.
The media also influences our decision making. The media uses different strategies like, famous figures, credible sources, appropriate data and statistics which appeals to different aspects of different audiences. Your decision depends on what influences you, credible sources and information (appeals to one's logic) or celebrity endorsing the product (appeals to one's emotions).
Media influences us in both good and bad ways. Media plays a big role in the formation of our perceptions. For example if we watch a movie where the very handsome lead actor is seen smoking in a very stylish manner, the we start to believe that smoking is very hip and we should do it as well (this is a bad influence). On the other hand, if a famous celebrity talks on T.V about how smoking is bad for your health and not cool at all then you immediately might stop it. This proves how media constantly manipulates our perception and with that our habits.
There are different types of media- namely, the television media, the print media and the radio broadcast media. There are certain characteristics of all these types of media. Firstly, they all have 'invisible receivers' who are large, heterogeneous and anonymous. The media cannot individualize messages and their communication with the audience could be terminated at the will of the audience. Also another characteristic we should take into consideration is that all the different types of media use different technologies to send and receive messages.
Now that we have discussed the different types of media and their characteristics, lets talk about its influences on us- the audience. Just yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine and he mentioned that on of his friends said that he was acting like 'Dr. House' form the television series called 'HOUSE' which airs on Star World. When I asked him that why did his friend made such a comment, he said that because he was being very blunt and rude like Dr. House. It struck me that this was not the first time that i have heard someone refer to a famous character to describe someone's behavior. It is very often that we resort to such means of describing someone or something. It is because the globalization of media has brought the world together and we all commonly relate to most of them, despite of our cultural differences.
The media also influences our decision making. The media uses different strategies like, famous figures, credible sources, appropriate data and statistics which appeals to different aspects of different audiences. Your decision depends on what influences you, credible sources and information (appeals to one's logic) or celebrity endorsing the product (appeals to one's emotions).
Media influences us in both good and bad ways. Media plays a big role in the formation of our perceptions. For example if we watch a movie where the very handsome lead actor is seen smoking in a very stylish manner, the we start to believe that smoking is very hip and we should do it as well (this is a bad influence). On the other hand, if a famous celebrity talks on T.V about how smoking is bad for your health and not cool at all then you immediately might stop it. This proves how media constantly manipulates our perception and with that our habits.
4 comments:
It is absolutely true that media effects are immense on the audience.Lately television media has gained too much importance.Mainly it is received as an entertainment media.In my opinion this media could be used more moderately to benefit the receiver.I dare to say that it is more of an anti-social type. I see families spending more time in front of the television.Many not even bother to talk with each other.It is ironical that the mass media which communicates with it's audience has become the main reason for the interpersonal communication gap in the families.
i agree that it is received as an entertainment media and i also agree that in some cases the media has become the main reason for communication gaps in the families. but i also believe that in some families it is also the time where the entire family comes together and enjoys their common favorite show or a movie. this is when they actually spend time together and have fun together.
hey this is very interesting. I want to share with you. In the newspaper I read it recently that the sale of home entertainment media has increased in this economic downturn !! The reason mentioned was people are after entertainment more than ever before. This media comes as a cheap source and people want to have fun to combat the situation.More VCDs,DVDs and Video games have been sold these days. After all this is a smarter option than going out and watching movies in theaters.You save on the snacks too!!!
The most traditional of the Mass Media is the Print Media. Old is gold and is so valuable. I think the books and the newspapers are truly the Mass Media as far as the 'Good' influence of the Media is concerned.People receive it more sincerely.I think this Media is less likely to influence badly as it's user is more matured.
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