The Media and Me
There are various forms of media, and it has vastly evolved over the last decade to the point where it dominates most of our lives. Some forms have had a strong impact on my life whereas others have not directly affected me as they are mediums that are beginning to fade as technology progresses.
Newspapers:
I personally do not read newspapers, and therefore it has not had a huge impact on my life. However, my parents used to purchase 'the guardian' newspaper, which they told me was far more reliable then newspapers such as 'The Sun' and 'The Daily Mail' which have strong conservative ideologies. When I go into my local post office, I see the front covers of the range of newspapers that are available and their harsh criticisms they use as headlines to manipulate consumers political views. From both seeing these headlines that contrast greatly between newspapers and listening to my parents opinions, I know that newspapers can be negative if they are completely trusted as they are biased and one sided. They haven't changed my personal views as I haven't solely relied on them for information, but many people do read them and blindly follow everything they see.
Music Videos:
Music videos have helped me to understand the struggles that people go through from a new perspective. They have allowed me to feel more empathy for people in certain situations as artists are able to express the meaning of their song lyrics through their music videos. Music videos can also be used as platforms to criticise aspects of society, for example, Beyonce criticises the ridiculous standards of beauty forced upon girls in her music video 'Pretty Hurts'. This has effected me personally as the video has the aim of bringing girl's confidence up and ridicules the notion of girls not needing to care about their education if they are pretty.
Beyonce 'Pretty Hurts' music video:
The singer 'Logic' created a music video to his song '1-800-273-8255'. The song title is the number for a suicide help line, and the video tells the story of a boy who is struggling with his sexuality and bullied for it, making him on the verge of suicide. This had an impact on me as I was able to see what he was going through from his perspective which I had never experienced before, and I feel that if there were more music videos like this one, people could become more openminded and empathise more with others situations. Many people no longer watch music videos, due to the popularity of streaming apps such as Spotify. Music videos used to be used to promote the artists and express their style, but in 2018 there are many other platforms for promotion such as Instagram.
Logic '1-800-273-8255' music video:
Advertising:
Advertisements have had an impact on me as over the years, they have made me buy various products. When I was younger, I used to see adverts for toys in the breaks of the TV programmes I would watch; they were tailored to promote products that I would like, based on the show I was watching. This made me want the toys that were advertised and I would ask my parents for them as they made having hundreds of toys seem normal, which in fact it wasn't.
Example of an advertisement aimed at young children:
As most TV programmes are now watched on demand, I am able to skip through adverts so it is now uncommon for me personally to see advertisements on TV. However, I do see adverts on YouTube that promote products I may be interested in depending on the type of video I am watching e.g. makeup products after watching a beauty based video.
Advertisements can be manipulative as they have the power to make products feel essential even when they are designed purely to make money. For example, Listerine uses the term 'halitosis' to describe bad breath, making their mouth wash appear to many as a medicine and therefore, an essential. Many adverts affect the way people view themselves due to the use of photoshop to enhance the actors/ models appearance. By filtering the flaws of those in the adverts, viewers change their expectations of themselves, lowering their self worth as they don't match the unachievable standard of beauty that is portrayed in these advertisements.
Video Games:
Video games have impacted me as growing up there has been games available for social interaction, fitness and competition. For example, when I was around the age of 9, my friends and I played 'Club Penguin' which helped improve my social skills as it was multiplayer and we were able to partake in activities together while in an online chat.
Video games have impacted me as growing up there has been games available for social interaction, fitness and competition. For example, when I was around the age of 9, my friends and I played 'Club Penguin' which helped improve my social skills as it was multiplayer and we were able to partake in activities together while in an online chat.
CLICK HERE for more information about Club Penguin.
My family also have a Wii fitness plus which has benefited my health and fitness and allowed me to enjoy exercise which is a necessity in life. It also encourages fun activity between family members and friendly competition, increasing relationships within my family. When visitors have stayed before we have even played against them as it is a form of entertainment with the benefit of connecting people.
However, video games can be detrimental to the mental state of a person if they have a violent tone, which in many cases they do. By using soldiers firing guns and stealing cars as well as other petty crimes, gaming companies promote violence and felony. They normalise these acts and can desensitise impressionable teens if they are exposed to too much brutality from such a young age. These games can also teach immorality, for example, in the game 'Grand Theft Auto' any in-game money earnt can be spent on hiring a prostitute for your character which is not an act that should be encouraged.
CLICK HERE for more information on 'Grand Theft Auto'.
Radio:
I usually listen to the radio when I am in a car; there are a variety of channels to listen to depending on personal preference. I tend to listen to 'Connect fm', a local broadcast as it plays music that I like and talks about situations relevant to the area I live in. It has an impact on me as it can improve my mood when travelling to school in the morning by playing songs that wake me up. It can also cause me stress as, for example, when GCSEs were approaching, radio channels were using statistics to predict results and debated how they may differ between genders. This put me under pressure which was unnecessary as it had no positive affect on me. Overall, the radio has not had a huge impact on my life as I do not listen to it enough for it to strongly affect me.
The Internet:
Because of the internet, I am connected to people through social media and I am able to send instant messages at no cost, which is both efficient and taken for granted. With the many benefits that the internet brings, there are also negatives. Although social media has the intention of bringing people closer together, I feel that it actually can disconnect people from each other. The ability to digitally communicate via typed shorthand and abbreviations gives a false sense of social fulfilment which can lead to a compulsive addiction to using social media to communicate since the user's innate desire for social activity can never be satisfied.
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