Impact: Mass Media Essay

The presence and intensity of media influences—television, radio, music, computers, movies, videos, and the Internet—are increasingly recognized as an important part of the social ecology of children and youth, and these influences have become more visible and volatile in recent decades. The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. Thus, it is important for parents to discuss with their children about their exposure to media and to provide guidance on age-appropriate use of all media, including television, radio, music, video games and the Internet. A child born in the 1930s might have spent as much as several hours a week listening to the radio; reading comic books, newspapers, or magazines; or watching a film at a local theatre. Since television was first introduced in the 1950s, the number of hours young people spend interacting in some way with media, as well as the range and capabilities of the many devices and activities that could be considered media experiences, have increased to an extent far beyond the imagining of today’s grandparents when they were young. Children today use electronic media from two to five hours daily, and infants—even in utero—are regularly exposed to a variety of media The objectives of this statement are to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of media on children’s mental and physical health, and to identify how physicians can counsel patients and their families and promote the healthy use of the media in their communities. Media: Media is the plural of medium and can take a plural or singular verb, depending on the sense intended. These are communication channels through which news, education, data, entertainment, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes very broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, TV, radio, magazines, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. Types of media: The four general types of media are * Print media * Electronic media Print media: Definition: Print media is a rather commonly used term referring to the medium that disseminates printed matter. In everyday life we refer to print media as the industry associated with the printing and mostly with the distribution of news through a network of media, such as newspapers and journals. People also refer to print media simply with the term â€Å"press;† it’s an intermediate communicative channel aiming at reaching a large number of people. History: The printing revolution started with Johann Gutenberg in the 15th century and became the base for the expanded role of the dissemination of news introducing the means that provide print media mass circulation. The physical presentation of most publications and print media in the 20th century has been very similar to those of the 18th and 19th centuries–printed on a large sheet of paper, and often folded to facilitate storing and carrying. Types: Print media include all printed forms of press: newspapers, newsletters, booklets, magazines and pamphlets as well as other printed publications such as books and printed literature. The vast majority of print media refers to the publications that sell advertising space to raise revenue. Most print media, with the exception of magazines and journals are local or national, while many magazines are international. Out-of-home media: Out-of-home media is also known as place-based media. This includes billboards, outdoor boards, transit posters, theatre and video ads, product placements in movies, aerial advertising, electronic kiosks, ads in elevators, banner displays on ATMs, sidewalk chalk messages, etc. Significance: Audiences learn and distinguish priorities from reading print media; it might be less obvious but the audiences committed to the press use it as a surrogate for their social entourage and the community. People adopt the press agenda of issues as their own. Different types of individuals become more focused on the same public issues, suggesting that the significance of print media is to draw people around the same particular public themes and issues. This role and function of print media has been important throughout the centuries and is likely to remain the same. Future: Towards the end of the 20th century, the sentence â€Å"press is dead† was found among many media panels around the world. In the 21st century, the development of Internet, electronic news and online publications have shown us that people resort to electronic media to gather information. However, reality indicates that although people read daily news online and check blogs and websites for information, they flock to the press stands when they want to hold news in their hands and want to read something they trust. Impact of print media on younger generations: The rapid growth of print media in almost all the major parts of the world was bound to create across-the-board changes in the life of people. Print media effects the youth both positively and negatively Followings are the positive effects of media: Language The first to benefit from the printed words is the language itself. Younger people are far from knowing the standard language of their land. The printing of books and letters in high number standardizes the languages and make them an effective tool of communication by setting certain meanings of words, phrases, symbols and signs. Knowledge of science and technology The newspapers and manuals proved a great success in highlighting the work of scientists and new ideas on technologies. Spreading the science ideas across the World, the print media worked as a catalyst for informing the youth as well as everyone about what’s going on around. Due to all this awareness, mostly younger people become enthusiastic to perform and help in the development of their homeland. Politics Print media plays a very important role in developing a sense of politics in youth. Gathering all the political news for print media such as newspapers, magazines etc. they become aware of their country’s political situation and about what’s best for their country. They understand who to keep and who to put away. In this way they become a key to their country’s success. Education The print media has been largely responsible for running educational campaign for ordinary people. Not only pieces of information or news are conveyed to readers, experts from almost all the major fields of life, medicine, education, environment, economists and religious scholars write in the print media. This is an enormous thing to be done by the media. Younger generations, after picking all this from print media, lean more towards education. So, print media helps in developing interest of education in youth. Bring world closer The media has been responsible to bring the world closer. It tells similarities in human living and the differences so that people intending to travel due to business, health or educational purposes know in advance about the new land. It tells interesting features, discoveries and historical heritage to urge people to visit each other’s lands and thus know each other better than before. In this way youth gets connected for education, health, business or just-for-fun purposes. In this way, the whole world excels better in every field. Promoting Literacy Print media such as newspapers and magazines can promote youth literacy. In rural communities in the developing world, for example, illiteracy rates may be high in the absence of any reading matter. In such cases, having any kind of readily available print media can be a great benefit. Sports and entertainment: Not that the media is always busy in serious and rather sober matters of education and politics, it has done a great deal of entertainment by reporting articles and information about music, sports and other recreational activities. Younger generation learning all about sports, become enthusiastic to work out and take active part in sports which makes healthy both physically and mentally. Followings are the negative effects of print media: Exploiting Wealth and Beauty: Unfortunately, print media can negatively affect youth. Magazines publish images of women who are abnormally tan, thin and blemish-free. Amid a wealth of such images, girls tend to believe they must look this â€Å"perfect† to be found attractive. Similarly, wealthy, muscular men are portrayed as the ideal in print media, which can emasculate financially struggling boys or men who don’t have â€Å"six-pack abs.† Publishers have set a standard for what â€Å"beauty† is and continue to send unrealistic messages about physical perfection. Promoting Unhealthy Lifestyles: The print media emphasis on wealth and beauty can lead to unhealthy behaviour. Fad diets, for example, may encourage people to lose weight too rapidly. And the status issues and consumerism encouraged by popular print media may encourage people to work longer hours, sacrificing sleep and exercise. And younger people are affected by all this the most as they are not very mature. Wrong Message: The negatives in society are highlighted with the purpose of awakening people about them. For example, the negative effects of addiction are portrayed through advertisements. But unfortunately sometimes, the message is misconstrued. It reaches the masses in the wrong way. What is shown with an intent to ‘spread a message’ ends up becoming a bombardment of the bad, the ugly. The bad is overinflated and the good goes unnoticed. Depiction of the bad has a negative impact on kids not mature enough to interpret what they are being shown. So they may indulge in negative activities. Electronic media: Introduction: In a world influenced by satellite and cyber-space technology, electronic media has a highly significant role to play in shaping the life and destiny of nations. The visual media, notably television, has a stupendous, impact upon moulding human minds and opinion. In the given scenario the electronic media has an onerous responsibility in addressing the socio-economic problems of societies and disseminating unbiased information. This responsibility can be effectively shouldered if the media treads the path of accuracy and objectivity in transmission of its programmes. Definition: Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user (audience) to access the content. Types: The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general public are better known as video recordings, audio recordings, multimedia presentations, slide presentations, CD-ROM and online content. Any equipment used in the electronic communication process e.g. desktop computer, game console, handheld device, television, radio, telephone, may also be considered electronic media. Electronic media can be subdivided into two main categories: Broadcast media: Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via radio, television, or other, often digital transmission media. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof. Broadcast media includes radio, television cable, satellite services and cinemas. Interactive media/Social media: Interactive media is two-way media that allows both companies and customers to send and receive messages between one another. This includes websites, mobile phones, telephone etc. Significance: Life is not a simple thing as it used to be in the past few centuries. People had less demands and less requirements in the past as compare to today. Today people know about their rights and they are also very well aware of their requirements and demands. The importance of education and science cannot also be denied. So far your question that what is the role of media in our life can be explained like this. Media is playing an important role in the systems of present life. People want to remain informed about everything and news, which is taking place anywhere in the world. The world has become a global village and this is because of media only. Now people living in different countries know everything about the people of other countries sitting at home with the help of media. Education has become very easy and understandable with the help of audio and video media because children understand things through them quite easily. The main advantage of media is current information, which is available round the clock and people remain informed about important news through radio, television and other sources. So we can say the role of media is very important in our life. Impact of electronic media on younger generations: The attentional demands of electronic media range from rapt (video games) to passive (much TV), but this is the first generation to directly interact with and alter the content on the screen and the conversation on the radio. Teenagers emotionally understand electronic media in ways that adults don’t — as a viral replicating cultural reality, instead of as a mere communicator of events. For example, portable cameras have helped to shift TV’s content from dramatic depiction’s to live theatre, extended (and often endlessly repeated and discussed) live coverage of such breaking events as wars, accidents, trials, sports, and talk-show arguments. What occurs anywhere is immediately available everywhere. Our world has truly become a gossipy global village, where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Here is how electronic media effects the youth negatively Blind Imitation: When you try to imitate your role models from the glamor industry, do you give a thought to whether you are doing right or wrong? It is often seen that young girls and boys imitate celebrities blindly. The impact of media is such that the wrong, the controversial, the bad is more talked about. Sometimes, little things are blown out of proportion thus changing the way they are perceived by the audience. Media highlights controversies and scandals in the lives of celebrities. The masses fall for this being-in-the-news and end up imitating celebrities without much thought. Those at a vulnerable age, especially children and teenagers are highly influenced by anything that is put before them in a jazzy way. At that age, they are attracted to anything that’s flashy and anything that can make news. Negativity: To some extent, media is responsible for generating negative feelings among those exposed to it. An early exposure to bold or violent films, books publishing adult content and news portraying ugly social practices has a deep impact on young minds. If children are bombarded with fight sequences, stunt work, sex and rape scenes, suicides and murders through books or movies, they are bound to leave a scar on these impressionable minds. And not just children, the unpleasant can impact even an adult’s mind. Adults may have the maturity to distinguish between the good and the bad, but bombarding only the bad can affect anyone at least at the subconscious level. Haven’t you had experiences of a bad dream after watching a violent movie? Or of imagining something scary happening to you after watching a horror film? Or a sudden fear gripping your mind after reading about a murder in your city? The reality should be depicted but not so gaudily that it’ll have a lasting impact on people’s minds. Health Problems: Media has negative effects on the physical and psychological well-being of society. People spending hours in front of a television or surfing the Internet experience eye problems. Lack of physical activity leads to obesity problems. Media influences public opinion and impacts the choices that people make. The media does play a role in portraying thin as beautiful and fat as ugly. It has led to a general opinion that size-zero is the in thing and fat and chubby are out. This makes the overweight feel out of place. They are ready to starve themselves to lose weight. This can and has led to increasing cases of anorexia. An inferiority complex and lowered confidence in people with not-so-perfect bodies can lead to eating disorders. In a survey done on fifth graders by the National Institute on Media and the Family, it was found that kids had become dissatisfied with their bodies after watching a video of a certain very popular artiste and a certain scene from a popular TV show (names omitted on purpose). Right or Wrong Dilemma: The media is so overwhelming that the masses end up believing everything it says/shows. Media sources are so many in number and all of them so convincingly make their point that it is hard to distinguish between right and wrong. The media is constantly bombarding us with information. How far do we go to check its authenticity? How deep do we dig to get to the root of something that’s making news? How critically do we judge the reality of reality shows and the truth behind true stories? We don’t think, we believe. We don’t judge, we get influenced. And that’s how impactive media is.