What role does media have on the society? There are popular metaphors that are used to discuss the role of media in society. A popular metaphor used in discussion is called the “Window”, what is meant by this is that the media gives us a wider view of the world which enables us to see more of the world than our experiences allow. Metaphors contain a wealth of information hidden in one seemingly simple concept.
The “mirror” metaphor is similar to the window metaphor which refers to media widening our horizons, for example, I have not been to the North Pole but I am able, through documentaries to have an …show more content…
Would-be persuaders are always looking for the magic key of persuasion in order to manipulate and control. In these theories, journalists are not critical of governments and big corporations making the media a lapdog of the elite.
The power of media has been affecting society throughout the ages, from the 1950’s where women were not as liberated as they are today. Today kids spend more that 45 hours in screen time, e.g.: (Instagram, Twitter, Television etc.).The average American spends 9 hours per day, using media. 50 per cent of children from ages 8 to 18 report that the television is on in their homes “constantly”. Outside of work and sleep, society is glued to screen time.
It is said that over 90 per cent of fourth graders were unable to identify an image of Abraham Lincoln and 75 per cent of 17 year old could not identify the head of the German leader in World War II. 30 per cent of high school students in the United States did not know how long it took for the earth to orbit the sun. The media is blamed for “dumbing down” society. However, 75 per cent of 17 year olds knew what city had the zip code 90210. This has made us substitute our fantasy reality for real reality in the fun house created by …show more content…
What this tends to do is create a compulsive behavior in which we are constantly checking our smart phones, email inboxes. We are living in this perpetual state of distraction and interruption. That mode of thinking crowds out our more4 contemplative calmer modes of thinking and that thinking is actually how we learn, it is a process called mind consolidation, which means the transfer of information from our short term, working memory to our long term memory.
It’s through moving information from your working memory to your long term memory that you create connections between information and everything else you know. Attention is the key, and if we lose control of our attention or are constantly dividing our attention, then we do not enjoy the consolidation process.
Many scholars today look at the internet and wealth of information there and see a perfect platform or forum for people to get their voices heard. Religious or political groups have their own media that serve as a signpost, essentially showing their way to their followers and explaining the world from their specific perspective. An example of this would be the political party press or church