Media influence on modern culture Essay

In the last 50 years or so engine room had contrisolelyed to the exp 1nessntial harvest-feast of the business deal media where what started out with the telegraph was subsequently keep an eye wizd by the intercommunicate, the intelligencepaper, magazines, television receiver and the forward-looking comer the mesh.The upshot of each these subsequent introductions had make hostel to be forecastant on in figure outation and parley for all the major(ip)(ip) steps they be ta female monarch and beas often(prenominal)(prenominal) as work, health c atomic acquit 18, education, interpersonal comparisonships, untenanted time much(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as cheer, travel and so forth, doing business, investing, and intimately of the things spate be doing be based on f crooks, information and recomm closingations they shoot for from the conf employ hole media. This actor that, although speckle working it is authoritativei stic that great deal dep re principal(prenominal)der on what they selected and the subsequent incline across they gained, when it comes to their mundane sees they, for the n previous(predicate) get out, rely on the media to come on out as to what is present-day(prenominal) in the impertinents and opposite facts that cleverness relate their lives, the nightclub as a whole and if thither ar theater of operationss that they dumbfound to be aw be of.Beca social function of that it is assertable to popularize that golf club had developed a hope towards the media e rattling engineer time to much(prenominal)(prenominal) an completion that it has perform an authority in providing up to the minute parole, entertainment, education, information and so on to the testify where the invite of clutch media on society and stopping point had suit very signifi female genital organt. This muse allow try to spicylight whatsoever of the makes propeling conclusi on directly and which one of them construct commanding outcomes or former(a)wise. historical BackgroundThroughout the years mickle had their proclaim ways of communicating amongst apiece other and when the megabucks populous of apiece given community is involved the refreshing form of communicating, exchanging information and knowledge had been evolving over the years. The very early form of dialogue involved one able mystical who could withdraw a special learn and would be at the service of the king or the religious establishment that aboutly used to be the ones who would stool any(prenominal)(prenominal) important marrow that is beneficial to a large quid of stack.Whether what is communicated is a mess date or word that the existence b omit market be lodge ined in, apply a single case-by-case to address the human class at a gathering was the most(prenominal) popular way to relay anything of inte lodge to a ga at that show upd exoteric that had b een invited to catch such gatherings or it exponent make full federal agency where state gather to do other things such as trading.The most critical announcements of the olden days were news about faraway colonies, if in that respect run intoed to be a sudden death among the populace figures such as kings or queen or if thither is an activity such as a war that use ups the involvement of more or less of the members of the populous. What re simplytocksd this old rule of chat was set a start outting the news in any(prenominal) kind of print format where kinda of mint converging at a given place to receive messages, news, instructions, and so forth whatsoever was to be communicated started to go wherever the slew ar in a form the earliest news letters.When flavour at what is taking place in sophisticated days, the emergence of the raw mass media was the outcome of an advancement in technology where the convergence of motley technologies such as print medi a, electronic media, advertising, unexclusive relation and presently the meshing formed what is like a shots mass media. The current mass media has sundry(a) outlets such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and earnings that are easily convenient by the semi universe and what is communicated through such median(a)s and how it is communicated had fail very complicated.Since the personify of acquiring such averages had ext completion affordable by the masses, the cost of communication had likewise gone beat making communicating among raft or those who clear particular messages to the mass abstemious and sack up be done at a desired frequency without lamentable about a very tall cost. When facial expression at gloss it is attainable to perceive it as value that follow sealed(p) pattern and could have original goals, beliefs, deportments coupled by knowledge and genepace that a given group leave alone concede to share among themselves.The same could put on to establishments that are out to set up accredited tasks where they volition have legitimate determine or missions that make up their corporeal c meet and they impart have to put to work these values and mission statements in install to meet the expectation of the normal and community they are serving. That world as it is modern media has a con military positionrable fix on such agri glosss to the point where it could dictate what the semi familiar as well as foundations should be doing to the point where the media index sire authoritative and a rack to estimate with.If that is non the case a authoritative member of society or an institution could get a bad coverage that would refer the image of those involved and since the media had deliver the intimatelys an authoritative location it finish baffle the cordialization of the great unwashed, communities, as well as establishments that are out to serve the public. If that public has bad sentimen t about them because of what the media reports or preaches they pull up s paying backs find it difficult to impart on out their duty.This demonstrates that on that point had been interdep checkence among media and market-gardening that was outcome of the media dictating what the public and others that have mixed roles to play should do or defecate fast to. Since the number of media outlets had increased the outcome had been the sources where hoi polloi are getting their information had besides increased. This by itself had forced individuals to identify with more or less of the information and messages they get from the unlike media outlets and that had pull up stakes in influencing how they do things and their overall culture.Media submit on Culture McQuail (2000) uses the gratification object lesson why the public or a given audience would requisite to decimate what the media avails through a given medium. night club as a whole, groups or individuals want to reinf orce their basic behaviour and to accomplish that they start out by identifying themselves with roles or role players, the kind of value they hold or communicate and just aboutmultiplication their energize activity and ethnicity might likewise be taken into take ination.A nonher reason why whatsoever the media comes up with is pointd by members of society is there is always a need to move with other people through what the media avails, whatever medium is used such as television, newspapers, magazines, movies, net income etcetera It is withal practical members of a given society as a group or by the piece would need slightly kind a security source that leave change them to enhance their knowledge about the earthly concern they are living in or they might need information to carry on with their lives or with whatever they are doing.When that is the case there is no cleanse source to resort to other than the media and its various mediums or outlets that implicat e books. It is also possible from a very early age people had been reliant on any(prenominal) form of entertainment so that they spate use it to pass time, as an work or they might need turned on(p) release such as excitement, suspense, joke etc. Based on such findings it is not difficult to surmise that the solve of the media on culture is at the very high level currently, because the earlier days did not have to deal with such barge of media broadcasting victimization various mediums on a fooling basis.Because of the high level of pictorial matter people are getting to modern media they stoogenot avoid their culture being heavily persuaded by what they induce from the media. This pass on make it possible to label that the way people behave in modern times is the gleamion of the kind of influence they receive from the modern mass media. The modern media deals with daily politics, current affairs, it is the major source of entertainment and the like where people that i nteract with a authoritative medium would also pass what they encountered to others that could allow for in geological formation how such individuals interacting with each other would behave.Use of Entertainment to Influence ethnical Practices Entertainment had been one of the effective vehicles the media uses to influence culture. All entertainment programs aired on television, the music played at the home, workplace, in vehicles and at entertainment venues, all the stories pen on newspapers, magazines, even books depart affect the move publics culture to the point where it is possible people could learn new and better(p) things that will force them to drift away from the older values their culture holds that will pass in people adopting new behaviour.What had been taking place was that the media had managed to shoot down together what is taking place around the world on one platform so that people can compare various cultures, outlooks, and way of doing things and alte r to the ones they find to be palatable to their savoring and understanding(a). This is accomplished on the part of the media by employing surveillance on what various groups of people are doing and exposing these activities to others use various mediums to an intent that round groups could be encouraged to caseful their culture to others who could ultimately adopt them if they progress to a liking for them.How Media Educates People to extend Their Daily Activities The media could also modernise people how to do current things by cover them how to handle it better or conduct veritable activities where it is possible to show people to conform to original ways of doing things that could leave behind in changing their way of keep. This would enable people to adapt to what is taking place in the grater world in spot of being confined in their own culture sole(prenominal) that will result in people adopting new cultures because of their being loose to the modern media. mod ideas will not only be peculiar(a) to those who will only have a premierhand encounter to various happenings, as these people will pass what they maxim or learned to others. such transferring and communicating of information had been do faster because of the advance into the picture of the Internet, busy tele resounds, TV that can be accessed from anywhere as huge as there is Internet connection, radio that could be broadcast globally and magazines that could find their way into the global marketplace. Conflict occlusion Among the various advantages media avails to communities one of them is conflict resolution.most world communities are afflicted by various kinds of conflicts that could be the outcome of op localize or rivalry among various groups. Such conflicts will result at times in mass killing or unjust practises taking place that would affect innocent civilians. In a stake like this, the media can play an intercessor role by exposing bad practices and by comi ng up with just solutions where it could possible to utilise the introductions to solve conflicts. The media is in a position to use effectively various mediums such as films or stories written on newspapers, magazines, news broadcast etc.to serve a given design in curbing abandon and bring back normalcy to besieged communities. The media had also been actively influencing the political sphere and can put pressure on various governances, especially in democratic countries such as the US and the UK as to how to implement certain policies they come up with. Whenever there is an election the media also plays a crucial role by allowing the candidates and electorate to interact with each other through interviews, debates or head teacher and answer secessions where the audience participates live.This kind of an motion picture is capable of change the culture a certain group is practising, including the stand of political parties and their leaders. Furthermore, occasions such as de bates, gesture and answer periods or broadcasting speeches make by prominent individuals for mass using up will all result in nurturing the opinion, the outlook and the culture of the participating public that will lead in modify the participants to take certain actions that are in return beneficialThe media also had been playing a crucial role in change peoples lives, by advocating that the public as a whole has to be responsible about what would happen to the environment. The media had also been intervening in drug abuse, certain degraded behaviours, strength and the like that would result in brining down the occurrences of such incidents and eventually people could make the positive outlooks communicated part of their culture and could refrain from hysteria or would avoid abusing drugs that will result in enhancing a given communitys vast held culture.In all this, there are three highlighted stages through which the fundamental interaction and media wasting disease c an take place. The head start is direct consumption where the individual will directly be involved in using the medium used such as TV, reading newspapers or surfboarding the Internet where there is no arrest or destruction from any other source.The second type of media consumption is when there is another tool or anything of such nature interfering with the direct consumption of what a given medium communicates such as talking on the phone while notice TV or cleaning utensils while watching TV etc. The third consumption method is when the individual is not directly using the medium because some of the things the individual is doing are interfering directly where the individual cannot carry attention to the point there will not be any new information learned to affect the individuals culture or behaviour.When looking at various findings there had not been certain marks as to whether the media is beneficial or otherwise in malignity of the numerous debates that had been staged to arrive at the globe and there is no certain indication that the escalated media consumption has affected the long standing cultures of communities positively or negatively. However, when looking at some of the mediums that have become mostly available for use by the public such as the telephone, Internet, computers, television, radio etc.it possible to secernate they have positively enriched peoples lives, hence their culture, although there are negative impacts too. In modern days people have a much better sum of communication that were not available a hardly a(prenominal) decades ago enabling them to communicate with family members, friends, employers and co-workers in such a way that it had become possible to do so without incur a high cost.When looking at what is taking place in modern media such as 24-hour access to television and radio broadcasting and programming, or participating in a given medium through talk-shows that are open to the public, or simply writing an a rticle and having it promulgated on newspapers, magazines, newsletters or on the Internet had become much easier and could result in many people communicating their ideas where they can interact on blogs and chat retinue in real time.All new ideas and suggestions communicated using such channels had become useful as they will end up influencing existing cultures. The outcome of such interaction had been slangn as a major contribution to modern culture where various programmes such as news, documentaries, interviews, advertisements etc. will all contribute to the modern culture because they can reach a self-aggrandizing number of people. They could serve as a catalyst that will create a streamlined outlook that will result in making the world culture more-and-more similar.Peculiar cultures such as circumcising four-year-old girls that takes place in cultures such as Kenya could be put in interference because people will know it is harmful, as well as affects the normal life of t he girls as they grow up. Furthermore, access to a vast amount of media such as TV or affordable Internet access has enabled people to emend their vocabularies and stand foring pattern because their chance of being exposed to experts, role places, politicians and the like has become much higher.Accordingly, such exposures will enable them improve their erudition as well as their linguistic ability, which is more so to young students. Interpersonal relationship had also got a boost because individuals could learn more positive manners from the media that improves their behaviours and would enhance the favorableising potential of individuals enabling them to meet more people, whose interaction will always enhance ones culture.Consuming what modern media avails also encourages individuals to be socially responsible, because there are factors such as opinion canvas that will shape how people think or see things and the outcome will be they can take better control of their daily life and if they happen to be in a position of authority they will always make attention to how the media is portraying them. In spite of the benefits the media brings to the fore there are certain areas that have negative impact on society such as rage that could originate from media outlets that are not regulated.The side effect of such exposure could be it will raise the level of violence in a given society since most people, especially younger ones are always prone to imitate those who they consider to be role models. Another area that has a negative impact is the escalated injustice level in modern society that is the outcome of interacting with modern media. It is so because of the laying claim that as long as certain acts originate from socially accepted sources such as the media, the fact that a certain act is immoral could be side-stepped.This could lead to certain diseases such as assist and other sexually transmittable diseases, early teen pregnancy and unprotected sex to go unchecked because if the media portrays such incidents as not grave problems there are many that will be exploited (Shaw and McCombs, 1972). The media is also constantly exposing people to propose outlooks or lifestyles and this will affect the culture of communities because their members could disregard their cultural values and could end up chasing what the media is exposing them to.Modern media had increased the rate of criminal activities in many societies, because most media outlets portray numerous criminal activities as good, acceptable and normal leading some to succumb to drillting crimes. There are photos in the media that show abusing drug as a good act or at least as not a dangerous engagement or using dangerous weapons could be portrayed as a normal thing to do leading the youth of certain communities to be caught imitating these acts.The media also ends up portraying certain races or ethnic groups better than others resulting in discriminatory behaviours. Criticisms to Correct Wrong Outlooks Sources such as Ganutlett (1998) had refused the upheld belief concerning modern media being the source of violence. He had stated that the first task to accomplish is to focus on the so called social violence and strain the causes based on the identity of those who commit such violence, their circumstance, character etc.in the beginning blaming all incidents on media. On the other hand, when looking what effects theory has to understand it promulgates that commercials, advertising, as well voter labor and the like influence behaviour and culture. near examples to cite are trials of celebrities and prominent individuals that had attracted mass attention and had ended up shaping opinions and to an boundary behaviours, but it is not possible to say that will always be the case.What the critics of media effects theory had been advocating was that when examining most incidents label as copycat murders, suicides or ruby-red acts the contribut ing factors had been upbringing harbouring that it must have been abnormal for the most part. More than media environments that were unwarranted, emotionally not fulfilling and a prolonged exposure for a prolonged period to self-asserting environments are more contributing factors than watching movies, commercials, listening to certain music etc. It is also important to look at mental instability, as it had been a major cause for most violent crimes.This means that findings render that any kind of violence or any act deemed immoral such as abnormal sexual interactions are not at all considered as influencing factors, because most people who grew up bombarded with such acts have finished to be normal members of society, although there are fewer that had been victimised. According to sources such as baker (2001), the major source of violence is dry land and upbringing instead of watching movies on various mediums that depict violence or other indecent acts.According to him daily news consumed by many people could also be full of violence, but that does not instigate many people go out and copycat the acts and if that happens the main reason would be the social background of those who commit such acts instead of what they consume from various media outlets. Freedman (2007) was among researchers who had shown evidence by viewing what took place in the US and similar countries where crime had increased sharply between 1965-1980 blamed on the violence originating from various media.The same violence act precipitated at around 1992 although the usual media outlets that were evacuant violent material were doing it at a much higher level exhibit that societal violence is not a direct outcome of consuming violent or immoral material availed by various media outlets forcing critics to look elsewhere for the cause. In stead, there are other areas where the media has a major influence on how people behave, act or perceive certain things. One such area is agenda-set ting that is the outcome of how news is gathered and dispensed ((Shaw and McCombs, 1972). devout examples cited are the four major news agencies such AP, UPI, Reuters and Agence-France that are responsible at least for around 90% of news consumed through various media outlets. The material such agencies come up with had impeccable reliability over the years to the point where they had gained some public respect and authority. However, critics eye this interaction as a close quislingism of the news agencies and existing establishments, where in tandem bicycle they are out to manipulate society, culture, behaviour and cerebration so that existing status quo will continue to reign.This means that media could be instrumental rather than being square agents of propaganda. Such a stance will always make them finish as supporters of those who have economic power who in fact are spending money on the media agencies in a form of advertising, airtime etc. so that they will go out and infl uence the culture on their behalf, altering their habit of doing things such as spending, buying, voting, leisure activities etc. which are part of the components that make up modern cultures. whatever the cause and drive behind the neb the media takes, at the end of the day the media would end up influencing culture reforming it to serve a certain purpose the media wants that will reflect the desire of those who are responsible for oiling the shape of media such as politicians, big business, government and hobby groups showing that there is interrelatedness in what is taking place and for certain media is impacting culture on a daily basis.There are sources that emphasised how media had become instrument of control. New media such as the Internet is facilitating more than ever such social control because, currently the number of the participants had exploded by the emergence of such new media tools such as blogs that are having impact on culture as society members are not consu mers only anymore and they have become participants and have become responsible in affecting their own culture.That does not, however, means they take the place of the mainstream media that always had influential power as witnessed from what took place in geographical locations such as Asia where a rapid social change had taken place that had been attributed to be the effect of media on culture. This shows that wherever the modern media penetrates it will affect the culture of retroflex communities for the better creating a more or less global village and such outcome had been noted when television had been introduced in Bhutan where the culture had undergone a rapid Westernisation.It does not mean allone sees such changes positively as Schiller (1976) had called such impact cultural imperialism, where those who have economic and political power could end up imposing their will and culture on weaker societies by manipulating the media effectively. In a situation like this it is po ssible to see media as a means of social control, in spite of the fact such imposition will also be accompanied with higher standard of living, urbanisation, literacy etc.requiring more fortified exposure to mass media so that what is gained will not be reversed. Because of that if there is going to be some gain attained, there has to be some degree of adaptation to make and that might end up altering a given culture. Whether the introduced change is good or bad it is up to the onlookers to judge, but the naturalism is willingly or otherwise, modern media could affect culture to the point where those affected could lose control their indigenous culture.However, what puts the fear to rest is governmental intervention at every level is available in any community where there is censorship to sens out offensive material, where there could be licensing laws in place that will take measures for failing to comply with the agreed upon rules showing that all objectionable material could be kept out of the reach of people.However, with the advent of mediums such as the Internet that might not be totally possible, but the responsibility could shift to the participants where they can assemble and critically assess what they are encountering on the new medium that are accessible through an Internet connection, where discussing the merits and demerits of what are made available will be possible.This means that the consuming public had been the sole ending maker when it comes to what to consume or what not to consume on the Internet to such an extent reason, logic and good perspicacity had become the regulators instead of governmental decrees, although all the same governmental decrees also dictate what cannot be made available on the Internet and at the end of the day it is what the public and others are doing that will end up influencing behaviour, thinking and culture.It is no longer media alone, for the most part, that would impact culture as it used to be because the media would have to share the normal platform with the participants who are gaining more control. In spite of the independence individuals attained to act on their own, when looking at the public sphere, media could still have a speed where it can form public opinion which could also be applicable in the publics consumer behaviour scene where those who claim to be connoisseur could influence how the public reacts to what is directed at it in a form of goods and services.However, when it comes to politics findings indicate that even if there are those who say media simply fixes or confirms what people held as their strong conviction, the reality could be a large number of people could lack political experience and correct perception making them heavily reliant on the trusted and autocratic media and in the long term it will dictate their behaviours, thinking and culture.Yet, there are sources such as Thompson, (1995) who claim one-way communication, which had been the media ap proach and grit does not work effectively when compared to where there is interaction through telephone and currently blogs, chat rooms etc. where live interaction could be involved, including posting photos and videos or using web-cam to directly access individual important such as a politician privately.When examining the effect the media has in a free enterprise society, items such as news, commentaries, documentaries and similar informative programmes could be traffic most of the time with controversial and real world problems and subjects. Whereas, the rest of media is mainly entertainment or it is advancing the cause of sponsors without whom the private broadcasting companies would not exist.Therefore, the second genre of what media represents is the advancing of the interest of the various enterprises that have products or services to the viewing public and their main concern is selling what they are bringing into the marketplace. With the same token, they would want to i nfluence the public to use their products, because most products require getting used to in order to pay money for them.Looking at the prevalence of telephone service in an advanced community is a good example, because starting from the homes, workplaces, public meeting places, various shops, malls and streets all can be fitted with some kind of telephone service that include cars. Amongst all these possibilities there are mobile phone manufacturers that should convince the public to use cell phones in addition to whatever they are using demonstrating that they might not need anything else since the device can go with them everywhere.In order to change peoples view who used to using the traditional telephone system the makers of such phones and service providers have to spend a lot of money on media ads to educate the public whose outlook, habit, usage and culture will be affected both by the ads, as well as the new products showing that whatever way it is looked at and whatever sou rce or interest group uses the mass media to serve it certain purpose, peoples outlook, thinking and culture should go some kind a transformation ascertaining to a good extent mass media, whoever employs it, in the long run it will affect culture.REFERENCE Barker, M. the Newson report a Case Study in Common Sense III effect in the Media /Violence Debate, (second edition), ed. Martin Baker and Julian Petley (London Routledge, 2001), pp. 27-46. David Gauntlett (1998). Ten things wrong with the effects model. Approaches to Audiences A Reader. ready(prenominal) online http//www. theory. org. uk/effects. htm. Accessed July 23, 2010 Freedman, Jonathan. No real number Evidence for TV Violence causing Real Violence First Amendment Centre, 2007, online, Availablehttp//www. firstamendmentcenter. org/commentary. aspx? id=18490 Accessed July 23, 2010 McCombs, M & Shaw, D. L. (1972), The Agenda-setting Function of the Mass Media, customary Opinion Quarterly, 73, pp176187 Mcquail, Denis (2 000) McQuailss Mass converse Theory (fourth edition), Sage, London, pp. 16-34. Schiller, Herbert I. (1976). Communication and cultural domination. outside(a) Arts and Sciences Press, 901 North Broadway, White Plains, New York 10603. pp. 910 Thompson, J. (1995), The Media and Modernity