As a society, we live and breathe the media whether we like it or not. The media can bring people together as well as tear people apart. The media is also good at telling us what to think and how to feel. One of the first times that we witnessed the media bringing people together was during the John F. Kennedy assassination, in which most of America shared one emotion. This past year, America has witnessed the media bring out the worst in people. I am not saying that all media is “bad” in today’s society, but it can be quite dangerous if one does not question its message and check the facts.
As long as the information conveyed is valid, then generally, there is no intended harm. However, we definitely should not be scared of the media, if anything, we should challenge it.
For example, Facebook has been an advocate for sharing “fake news.” The reason that Facebook is one of the problems is that people tend to see a headline for an article that they like or agree with and they click the share button without even reading the whole thing or checking for accuracy. Although the negative aspects of the media often times seems to be the focus of our attention, the media can also be beneficial to society. The media has provided many jobs, allowed us to share information quickly, and reach a wider range of audiences.
Society has experienced media like no other throughout the 2016 presidential election. The “political media” has even brought about new vocabulary such as “fake news” and “alternative facts.” Politicians have taken advantage of the media, specifically social media, like never before and for the most part, they have benefited from this. President Donald Trump is notorious for his outspoken tweets, and even though many people find his tweets offensive, he is still amongst the conversation, which generally has kept Trump popular within the media. Nevertheless, President Trump has expressed that he is not fond of the media and has begun an ongoing war with them.
When I think of the word “media”, I no longer think of print-based media such as newspapers and magazines. Now, when I hear the word “media,” I think of things like television, Twitter, and Facebook.
In my opinion, the scariest thing about the media is that with fake news becoming more common, will it get harder and harder for people to distinguish between what is fake and what is reality? I do not think the solution to our problems are not to necessarily resort back to print media because the technology age has indeed helped us come a long way.I also would like to reiterate that I do not think that the media causes all of our world problems. In reality, the media is a business and they are just trying to do their job.
Still, the time of mostly print-based media, did seem like a world of simpler times.