How has the mass media impacted my worldview? Honestly
how hasn't it? The truth is whether we like to admit it or not we are all
significantly impacted by the media. Through the use of TV, radio, magazines
and computers we are all in contact with the media in some way and it is often
how our thoughts and opinions are formed on specific topics.
Think about it, when you watch the news or read the
paper, you read a story about something like a war, the story is written from
someone that is on one side or another and generally will lead you to believe
it the way they present it, but have you ever stopped to think of it from
someone else’s perspective? For example let’s say Canada goes to war with
another country, the news is going to present it that we are automatically in
the right and the other country in the wrong. They are going to make you
believe that they are doing it to protect you and for the sake of the country
but what if that is not true? We automatically take their word for it that we
are doing what’s best because they are the ones that are forming our view on
the world and therefore we believe what they tell us to believe. I’m not going to
pretend that I’m not guilty of this because I know I am. I often hear stories
on the news and just believe what they tell me, never taking the time to study
the details for myself and form my own opinion even though I claim to be
someone who thinks for myself.
Media impact does not end there it doesn't just impact
how you think it also impacts how you act. Media is often what tells us how
to dress, what we should look and act like and what kind of technology we
should own. From an extremely young age children (including myself) grow up
watching TV shows full of 30 year olds playing teenagers and acting much older than
they should be all for the sake of entertainment. This lead to kids growing up
thinking this is perfectly acceptable and normal and that it’s what they should
be doing when they are that age. In this scenario the media is actually
changing not only the thoughts of the public but also the actions. Whether on purpose
or not the media gives people misconceptions about what to believe and how to
act and then when the kids grow up and start imitating the behaviours from TV
they seem shocked and outraged and try to point the blame at that generation or
the parents when in truth they act the way they are taught by the media to act.
The media has a much larger significance on my worldview then I would care to
admit but that truth is it’s hard to avoid. You pretty much can’t escape the
media unless you decide to live in a cave in the middle of the woods for the
rest of your life and let’s be honest most of us really don’t want to have to
do that. No matter how hard we try to change it the media will always be the most
significant impact on our view of the world.
