Media Impact on Others

After reading several of my classmates’ blog entries, I realized that many individuals also believed that media has a huge impact on them and society.  I chose three blog entries that had similar thoughts as me on mass media, but they also discussed how media has affected them differently from me. Each individual discussed how the media provides us daily news and updates on the world we live in. We can obtain this information anywhere – such as through our phones, computer, and television. We are constantly checking up on media so we can get our information on events like natural disasters, sports, and celebrity gossip.

I really liked how Brandon Lewis said “…media has become a way of life for everyone” (http://brandonlewis94.wordpress.com). Some of us may disagree on this statement, but what he said is true. We cannot get away from the media even if we try to avoid it because it is everywhere around us. Even Kelsey Spanik said, “…it may seem difficult to ignore what the media has to offer us, we still cannot help but read the latest magazine…” (http://kelseyspanik.wordpress.com). We like to know what the latest news is and what society has to give us– we’re human beings, we’re curious individuals. Kelsey explained how the media portrays ideal body images of both men and women. She said how the media today does not affect her self-image, but it is difficult to ignore the media such as watching her favourite television show. Her thoughts are similar to mine because I learned that everyone is beautiful in their own way, but I still depend on the media to know the latest fashion trend. Kelsey also notices that media affects individuals differently. I agree with this because many individuals have a harder time coping with the disadvantages of media (ie. telling females they need to be super skinny to be beautiful). This leads to many problems such as depression, eating disorders, and even suicides. As much as I love media, knowing that they are sending messages of ideal beauty upsets me because we’re all unique in our own way.

We all use media for a reason. Brandon’s reason was he used media to get his sports updates and he is always checking his phone to see if there is any news on the sports world. Ingga Ngo uses media to stay connected with her high school friends by going on Facebook and she uses media to get information on the lives of her favourite celebrities. She stated, “the media has made our lives more public…” (http://inggango.blogspot.ca).  I definitely agree with this. It is easy to find people’s information on social networking sites such as Facebook, even if we have never met them before. It reminds me of an episode of “Modern Family” where the father Phil, is trying to sell a home. With the help of his daughter, he tries to sell the house by finding information on the potential buyer by using the Internet (creepy? Totally.) This is where media could be a positive thing, or a negative thing. Positive, because it can help people get to know someone but negative, because it is invading their privacy.

My classmates’ worldviews of the media did not change my impression of the media’s impact on me. We all have a love and hate relationship with the media.

- Jen