Mass Media Essay

Mass Media and its Influence to Politics and Identity

Mass media is very influential. There have been many issues and policies that have been affected by mere media coverage. Since there is a freedom of the press, the media is always present to cover the news and report it to the public. The intention of giving media freedom is good because it is aimed at creating balance inside the society. However, media coverage does not always bring good effects to the issues. There are times when news that should be confidential is released to the public, therefore breaking the secrecy needed for that issue. There are also times when incidents are reported in a bad and biased way that manipulates how people feel about the issue, therefore creating major conflicts. Mass media not only influences the public but also the people’s identity. People think differently because of what is being seen and advertised in the media.

Politics have been increasingly influenced by the media in many ways. One example is the incident that happened when Osama bin Laden was killed. The opinion of the people and the anger towards the nations were largely affected by the mass media coverage and things would have been a lot better if the media just controlled their biased reporting and did not aim to get the interest of the people by forcing them to think in a certain way. This is one good example of mass media’s influence and deserves to be taken a look. The reporting of Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011 became more controversial than it should be because of the mass media’s actions. There was a debate on releasing the photos of Osama bin Laden's body as proof of his death (Sky News, 2011). At that time, the President and other government officials thought that it...

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... that this pointed influence cannot be simply avoided by not eating while watching. That is so because the ad effects can still linger even after viewing; they can still be encouraged to buy the advertised meal right after viewing. However, such a study has the limitation or real-world exposure to advertising stimuli. Other situational factors were not taken into consideration.

Media is a tool that is very powerful that it influenced politics and identity. It changes the way people think about things and it also influences our behavior to the point that it already changes a person’s identity. People now cannot stand and say that their beliefs are their own and the decisions that they make when it comes to consumerism have not been affected by the media in anyway. People rely on media on information and it necessarily affects the way people think, behave and believe.