The mass media, including
television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's
ideas.
To
what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give
reasons and relevant examples to support your answer.
Model
Answer
The
mass media have a tremendous influence in shaping our mindset. We all depend
on them to get information and for entertainment, and for this we permit them to affect the important aspects of our lives.
The
undeniable usefulness of the media is to provide information almost instantly about events around the world. But in our
dependence on the media, we have let them to mold our notions and opinions
of events, places and people. Though few of us probably think about it, our
conceptions of, say, our elected officials spring from television images and
newspaper stories. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents,
but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will have an opinion of them.
When it is time to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on how the
media portray the candidates. We are similarly swayed by coverage of wars. The
media, representing the values of their owners, societies and governments, tend
to report wars with a bias; which is the 'good' side and which the 'bad' is
determined for us by reporters, editors and commentators, and sure enough the
public begins to form opinions that reflect the coverage they see, hear and
read in the major media.
The
media are also influential in the way they facilitate the spread of culture and
lifestyle. The so-called 'global youth culture', in which one finds young
people around the world displaying a common interest in music, clothing styles
and films, is an example of the media's enormous sway in this regard. A popular
figure such as Michael Jackson would never be so well known were it not for the
media's extensive reach into every society on the globe.
Thus
I would argue that the mass media's influence is certainly great. Indeed,
technological advancements, such as the Internet, is bringing more forms of
electronic media to our homes and workplaces. It is likely that the media's
influence will grow even stronger with the passage of time.
