Okay, well the way I see it is the media is trying to make us all think the same about any subject. Like for example beauty. To be "beautiful" (in the medias eyes) you have to :
be tall, be thin, have nice hair, have nice skin, have nice teeth, have good looks, and you have to have nice clothes and shoes. Honestly the list can go on and on. So in other words, you have to look like a model to be "beautiful". But what if we don't have nice skin? Or nice teeth? Or have the best clothes? Or what if we aren't thin? What does that make us?
Now, it may not be that noticable, but the way media veiws beauty is among us all the time. Like in magazines, or in stores (malls, shopping outlits), T.V. shows, Artists (like Lady GaGa or Beyonce) or even in commercials that advertise makeup or clothes. You get the point. The media makes us think whats in style and whats not by using all sorta of advertisment. So now you see what I'm trying to say? The media can make us think something is beautiful (making us all think alike). If they can make us all think alike, then what else can they do? But going back to the main question.
Can the media be as good as it is bad? And if so how? Or do you notice anything about the media trying to make us think the same about certain subjects? Or what is your opinon about the media showing us what is cool or not?
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I understand what you're saying. Sometimes the media can be good and sometimes it can be bad; it just matters what the topic is. Let say, the example you brought up: Beauty. The media brings us down by saying all those things are beautiful and that we need all of those products to be beautiful. But why do they need to make us feel ugly just to get us to buy it?
ReplyDeleteBut, another example: Help for hurricanes or animal shelters. That is a way media is good! They put it on television so that we are aware of the animals and people in need; they put those commercials in random places, too. Just the other day I was watching music videos, and after a music video a commercial for SEAACA came on. They are trying to make EVERYONE aware of these things because then how else would people know? That's my opinion on how the media is good and bad. It just matters what they are trying to put into our minds.
I believe the media can benefit us, but is as easily unbeneficial. Likewise to what Brittany stated, beauty is a factor that may be unbeneficial, why should we have to be put down to have to buy the latest clothes? Another is the new game system that comes out that suddenly every child seems to want. For example my nine year old cousin just received a Nintendo DSi for this birthday, he's only had it for a couple of weeks but because a commercial came out advertising the new Nintendo DSXL he could care less about what he just got. The media makes us want things we don't even need, sales ads for Kohl's or IKEA come up on commercials and somehow we feel the need for something new, therefore making us spend much more money than what we intended.
ReplyDeleteAnd the media is beneficial as well. It can be benifitted by supplying us with the latest news; missing people, hurricanes, affairs over the seas, the media is able to inform us on things we NEED to know about. The media has it's strengths and weaknesses, in the end it is up to ourselves to know what is right from wrong, and what we want from what we really need.
I agree that the media can be both beneficial and degrading. As Brittany and Norma said, the media can benefit the whole society with breaking news, warnings of upcoming emergencies, and important events happening in our society. However, media can also stir feelings of inferiority among viewers, especially women, who are gullible enough to think that the only way to be beautiful is to acquire those products advertised on the television. The question is whether the media, is benefiting the whole society or not; in my opinion, it is more degrading than beneficial. Advertisements and commercials on television are not necessarily benefiting viewers - they are benefiting those huge companies more by luring people to spend tons of money on their products. Theose companies will do whatever it takes, even if they have to make us believe that we are ugly or fat, just to increase their revenue. In today's society, it is rational to say that money continues to be the top culprit of scams and deception.
ReplyDeleteI like how all the girls are commenting on this. Haha. Just like Brittany, Norma, and Louise, I agree that the media can be good and bad. Bringing up the subject of beauty, the media has definitely set a standard and definition of what is considered beautiful, especially among teenage girls. Those who do not meet the requirements are left saddened and determined to meet these needs, sometimes at all costs necessary. As a result, we hear cases of bulimia, anorexia, and plastic surgeries. (Just yesterday there was a story on the news about a woman who had plastic surgery on her face that resulted in damage on her eyes.) Although these negative effects have occurred, there has been positive comebacks to the media's take on beauty. Movies and shows such as Hairspray and Glee have emphasized themes of true beauty and a sense of identity. Even with the negative impact that the media puts out, the media does counterbalance itself and provides positive and encouraging messages to all those watching.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the media is both bad and good, but in some ways is truly beneficial. We can all agree that alot of things the media sends out or portrays is negtive, but some of it isn't. The media does set a standard to teenagers around the world about how they should eat and look, and sometimes it causes people to feel bad about themselves because of this. But there's also those cigarette commercials that tries to influence people to not smoke and live a healthier life, and the celeberties that are a healthy size and constantly use the media as a way to influence their fans to have more confidents, and thats it okay to be and look different. So yes the media can be misused, but it can also be used in a postive way.
ReplyDeleteWhether media is good or bad is really up to personal opinion. Fox News Channel, for example, is extremely popular yet is constantly criticized for having a right wing, republican, conservative stance on almost all political news. Many conservative Americans consider this "good" media because it conforms to their views. Many others(me included so this may be a bit bias) say its bad, hypocritical, bends the news to fit to its views. Media is not a unified medium but do generally adopt similar views on some things such as the "perfect" person. Not all media outlets agree on things, but they can still agree the perfect person to put out is thin, tall, and beautiful. Is this realistic? Probably not. Must be believe it? Absolutely not. Media is constantly bombarding us with messages but if we can turn a deaf ear we can keep our own dignity and be a little bit happier with ourselves
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