Wanted: The media we need

In today’s society, we are surrounded by media trying to inform us about important social, political, cultural, and/or economic matters. Many individuals such as our grandparents tune into the news every night at six. Our family members watch news networks faithfully every night because they enjoy staying informed and finding out what is happening in their own city. “Like when one watches TV, no one watches shows that they do not find interesting and if there are boring ads people change the channel” (http://boston94.blogspot.ca/). In comparison to news networks, is that type of media we want the same as the media we need? I believe that even though people like to watch the news and keep themselves updated with what is going on around them, we do not need this type of media. While reading my fellow classmates blog posts, I stumbled across this very point. “Ever noticed how lately when you watch the news it seems like nothing good is ever happening? It is only ever tragedies, wars and despair” (http://brockbadger.wordpress.com/ ). Though we may want to watch the news, we do not need to surround ourselves with all these negative thoughts.

My personal media choices do not better inform me about important social, political, cultural, and/or economic matters because I choose not to find out about this information. I do not like hearing about the latest murder downtown but the news pushes those types of stories on us because of the ratings the network will receive. Everyone would rather hear about that murder, than hear a heartwarming story about a fireman recusing a cat out of a tree. “In terms of politics and news, most conservatives will only consume channels like FOX, and most liberals will only consume channels like MSNBC or CNN, this is why there is bias in the media, because it’s what society wants, this restricts people from seeing both sides to a situation and can lead to ignorant people “ (http://ihadatoughtimecomingupwithanameformyblog.wordpress.com/ ). It is not difficult for us to find information about what is going on around us, but we do not need to watch the news each night. By watching the media we ‘need’, we are only hearing one side of a bad story. The media we want is not the same as the media we need. Our society needs to become surrounded by the good things that are happening in our neighbourhood, not always the bad and scary.

The Media We Want?

When it comes to the media, society is surrounded by it. It can be seen in forms such as television shows, press, radio, and the cinema. The main question surrounding the media, is do we get what we want? “The media are one of the social forces that produce popular common sense, the general social beliefs and feelings of a society” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, Pg. 59). Every individual has different feelings, needs, emotions and ambitions but when it comes to the media, society is looked at as a mass. In relation to television, cable makes a variety of different networks available to individuals. Those separate networks air television shows that portray what the network stands for. The network also attempts to relate to a certain demographic. For example, Space is a television network that airs television shows such as Paranormal State, Doctor Who and Destination Truth. These shows attract individuals that may believe in supernatural phenomenon such as ghosts and aliens but due to different social classes and interests, this network may not interest everyone. “The media producers, in constructing their images and stories, are reflecting various social ideas and beliefs that are held by different social groups” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, Pg. 59).

                Media producers realise that every individual is different, so they continue to release new forms of the media that will relate to each individual. Producers and television networks have conducted surveys to determine the age, income, interests and feelings of their viewers. Once the results get analysed, this gives the producers and networks a general idea of which type of television show or movie they should release next. “If people do not like the product, they will look elsewhere for one, so the media must satisfy their popular audience, which is predominantly working-class and about 50 per cent female” (O’Shaughnessy, Stadler, 2012, Pg. 37). The media focuses on making television shows, movies, and radio stations that targets the interest working-class females but not all media is like this. New websites, radio stations, television shows and movies release frequently and they come in all different genres. These also target different audiences with different personalities. Society is so diverse that there is something out there for every individual, and we do get the media we want. Every media form may not attract the interest of each person, but that individual will continue to search for that form of media until it is found. 

O'Shaugnessy, M., & Stadler, J. (2012). Media and Society (Fifth ed., pp. 37-59). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Media Impact on Others

             When reading my other classmates blog responses about how the mass media impacts their lives, I found many varying thoughts and ideas but one main concern from many stood out the most; The impact that the media has specifically on the body image of women.

Personally, I was never impacted by the way the mass media portrays women. The mass media seems to have a large effect on my classmates that are women.  I was aware even at a young age that not all women could be skinny, weigh one hundred pounds and have the best clothes. By reading the blog posts of others, I realized that this was not the case for everyone. For some, the mass media becomes not only an entertainment source but an obsession. “From a very young age I was very insecure about my body and it did not help that on the television you would see half naked girls dancing on all the boys.” - http://montanahighley.wordpress.com/. It never occurred to me that other women could tear themselves apart so badly due to what they see on television or in magazines. Not only do these individuals think that they are not pretty or skinny enough but they become convinced that everyone around them believes the same thing as well. “I’ve been pulled into this black hole where all I care about is how I can look better.” - http://societythroughmyeyes.wordpress.com/. Depending on how extreme this student felt about herself, it could have been possible for her to develop diseases such as anorexia and/or bulimia in which she would starve herself in hopes to become skinnier. This could become very dangerous and ultimately lead to the individual to become hospitalized. "One of my closest friends fell into a trap of being obsessed about her weight and looks. Media took over her entire outlook on life; she became a victim of the media’s unrealistic view on image.” - http://kw12hb.wordpress.com/. Many people do not realize that this is happening to their family member or daughter because the individual does not want to bring attention to themselves.

The mass media’s impact on women is a huge issue that I never seemed to notice because it never affected myself or others around me. After reading the blog posts from the other students, my view on the mass media has changed drastically. I now understand how much of an influence the mass media has had not only on my classmates but on women all around the world. I used to believe that the mass media was always a positive thing but now I am beginning to realize that there are negative points to it that everybody might not be able to see.