The Effects of the Media
By Mohammad Sairafi —
“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind”
(Jim Morrison)
Media plays a vital role in changing the lives of more than a million audiences. Morrison mentions the fact that media has the strength to influence the thoughts of people. Media with its desirability, charm, and fascination affect the thinking of people. Media affects our lifestyles by the inclusion of celebrities and fantasies in advertisements and social media, which motivates people to emulate such lifestyles.
The Effects on People’s Personalities
Media affects our personality through celebrities, shows, and other media avenues by emphasizing how to feel the way they want to feel. Teenagers consider themselves as superpower individuals; media promotes secular views and alters their minds. They are affected by the themes and concepts used in films, video games, and cartoons: violence, possession of weapons, and other destructive themes. These themes cause children to adopt aggressive and brutal attitudes toward each other’s. Violence is idealized and presented as an appealing factor to adopt (Kirsh, 2010, p. 218). Girls attempt to compare themselves with fashion models and seem obsessed with their physical outlook; they desire to be skinnier and always strive to wear fashionable and branded accessories. Thus everyone and anyone could be affected by the media and want to adopt the ways of the stylish and seductive media. The person who is totally affected by media can lose his/her own distinct personality and belief.
The Effects on People’s Buying Habits
Media manipulates how we purchase and when electronic gadgets must be bought. The media should serve to inform us about products; however, the media goes beyond information and influences are perception of the product. Media affects our choices and preferences by prioritizing our choices about what to consumer. A person buying any item considers the media’s standards of which item is more popular and of higher quality. We are now buying those brands that are most often advertised. The majority of the time advertisements depict wrong, incorrect or incomplete information about the product, but unfortunately, our appetite outperforms our rational mind, and we are attracted to a product without knowing the complete details about it, and we simply want to emulate what the media tells us to do. Media sometimes underestimates us and compels us to believe that our culture is outdated. We are bombarded with the message that we should change our values and adopt the new styles and fashion.
Effect on People’s Overall Satisfaction
Self-satisfaction is drastically dropping in people due to the media’s powerful manipulation; one is always thinking that he/she does not fit in society. People feel less happy and contended with their own choice; they are often dependent upon the media to direct them to what is good and what is not. People consider themselves inferior and have less confidence in themselves if they don’t follow the trends the media sets as the standard.
Conclusion
The media can have positive effects if people simply see it as a source of information. Awareness of the media is key, but when we allow its influence to change our personalities, dictate mindless buying habits, and lower our overall satisfaction of our lives, the media has because too powerful.
Mohammad Sairafi
UST, Cameron School of Business – Undergraduate student
Works Cited
•Kirsh, Steven J. Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective. Malaysia: John Wiley & Sons. pp.218 2010. Print.
•Morrison, Jim. Quotable Quote. goodreads