Maybe you don't remember where or what context you saw an advertisement, but next time that product appears on the grocery store shelf, you recognize it and are more likely to try it out.
It's also easy to be sucked into a one-dimensional view of the world through the media. People who strictly watch Fox news or only tune into CNN will never get both sides of the story.
If people only listen to the media that they already agree with, then they are only reinforcing opinions and aren't learning anything new at all. Media has an unavoidable impact on us, but one thing the audience can do is at least seek out multiple sources so they aren't only getting one message and can make choices about what to think.
If you are still skeptical of the power of the media's influence, take a look into history. President Wilson's WWI propaganda had a huge impact on Americans.
But it's not necessarily a good thing. Mao Zedong's use of media and propaganda during the Cultural Revolution in China kept his communist regime in power because he was able to convince people he was doing the right thing.
Perhaps the scariest example is Adolf Hitler, who blinded the German people to his wrongdoings with nationalism.
So don't just take what is fed to you. Sometimes it's easy for the subconscious to take over, but if you are aware of how pervasive media is in your life, it will be easier to ask questions and make logical decisions about politics, world issues or even what shampoo to buy without just accepting the media's opinion as pure fact.
Obviously a newspaper can't print something that isn't true. I'm not arguing that every reporter is out to get you. I'm just saying you don't have to agree with everything that reporter writes.
When you read an article, think about where the sources come from. Read an opposing argument. Then once you see the best of both sides, make a conscious decision about how you feel.
Maybe that celebrity doesn't deserve his bad reputation. Or the candidate you thought was a sleazeball has some good qualities, too.
Make sure you get both sides of the story. That way when you come across someone who disagrees with you, you can back up your opinion with a well-researched argument. Then they will be the ones standing open-mouthed and struggling to find an answer.
Continue Reading: « Previous12
Leave a comment 4 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
"The media loved Barack Obama." The highest rated cable news channel is Fox News (to much of my disgust). All of NewsCorp (one of the largest media conglomerates) fully supported McCain. Part of the media supported Obama and part supported McCain. We have freedom of the press in this country, so both sides of an issue are presented in the media. Comparing American media to Mao or Hitler is just embarrassing. I find it ironic that this article is part of the media (the CT is a newspaper) and is telling me not to trust the media. Overall, this is not a well written article and the editors should do a better job of making sure only quality work gets published.
Reply to this Top
I voted for Obama for the free entertainment. That drug-addled comedian and media god Rush Limbaugh and that she-male media darling Ann Coulter hate him and I want to keep laughing for the next 8 years. Just the thought of the material to come makes me smile.
Reply to this Top
I worked in the propaganda buz for 5 years and it is scary at how easily people are duped with words. Just ask any chick that has been dumped and has sobbed the words to her friends "He said he loved me." That is why there are so many people complaining about the media- what they say makes a difference. It's the simple fact that there is not enough time in the day to study for school and take the time to think for myself. Thankfully there are trained professionals on tv to do that for me. We should be thanking them for the public service they provide and not thinking making them out to be the villains.
Reply to this Top
Detecting changes in a photo is possible nowdays with proper forensics software. For examples, with site <a href="http://www.pskiller.com/">Photoshopped Image Killer</a> you can tell whether a photo has been Photoshopped or not. The software works by doing pattern recognition, since digital camera's tend to have specific patterns in the pictures they create. Most image manipulations will change these patterns which can be recognised. The software should even be able to give some indications what kind of manipulations have taken place.
Reply to this Top