Media's Influence of Society

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Imagine one day you lost your television, your radio, and your phone won’t get reception and your computer wouldn’t turn on. You’ve lost your music, your favorite TV show, your Facebook and lots more. As you can see the media is very important and popular. The media has been a popular creation throughout the decades. As time passed the media develops from magazines to the television to the internet. The media in our society is everywhere. We see it everywhere from the time we wake up until we go to sleep. We wake up, eat breakfast then we turn on the television or read the paper. From the drive or ride on the subway you could see the subway system infested with advertisements. In school when you use the computer or read the magazines you use the media. When you get home you either turn on your television or play with your video games. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, MSN, Hotmail, Gmail are just some of the social networking sites we use today. What is media? The media is the means of communication that reach or influence people. The media can help us get the news out for example the earthquake in Haiti we wouldn’t know about it without the media. The media helps us get the news out, entertain us throughout our lives and even helps us when we communicate. The media also helps people who are affected in natural disasters. Without them thousands of dollars wouldn’t be raised. People would have no idea what was happening in the world with no media. You wouldn’t know if there was crime happening near you or traffic in the 401.

The media is extremely influential but it can be harmful to society. For example violence in media has been growing. Violence today has been occurring more frequently especially with children today. Violence is eve...

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...h people learn to place a value on the size and shape of their body. Media messages like advertising and celebrity spotlights help our culture define what is beautiful and what is “good,” the media’s power over our development of self-esteem and body image can be incredibly strong. For example, following the introduction of Western television in Fiji there was a dramatic increase in the rate of eating disorders. This is destined to continue if the media does not relent in perpetuating harmful messages about attractiveness. As many people struggle to maintain a healthy weight, we are losing realistic perception of what a healthy weight is supposed to be. Today’s lean but muscular version of perfection is a very demanding standard for both women and men to meet. But ask yourself “If those bodies are impossible to achieve, how can you not feel bad about your own body?”

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