Side Effects May Include…

“As applied to media, this principle states that (1) people believe that others are more vulnerable than themselves to persuasive messages and other media influences; and (2) such perceptions can influence behavior” (30).

The majority of media users each tend to think that the rest of the world is more susceptible to advertising, subliminal messaging, and overall influence than themselves. This suggests that each of us either cannot or chooses not to see and understand the effect that media has on ourselves.

Media influences us in ways that we don’t even think about on a daily basis. People may not realize the fact that they cheer when they win a video game, or that they cringe when they watch an animal get shot. No one wonders why they feel like crying when watching a soap opera, or why they get so angry at a certain movie character.

Likewise, the mode of media greatly influences our cognition of the information and the subtext. For example, if a child reads a story or hears it told out loud, that will remember the words and sounds, but if that same child watches the story played out as a movie or a TV program, then the child will remember the images and movements. The way that we absorb the media correlates to the information we retain and the responses that we give.

Sometimes targeting, or the idea that a certain piece of media is meant for a certain group, has the opposite effect on that group, or has an effect on the wrong group. For example, if a certain movie trailer is targeted for an adult audience, rebellious teenagers may only read the rating of the movie, and want to see the movie. Adults may then be led to believe the movie is meant for a teenage audience, given the median age of viewers. The box office will have then a higher profit from teenage customers and not adult customers. Likewise an anti-smoking commercial targeted at younger children and adolescents may be viewed by their parents and other adults who will be convinced to quit smoking.

These completely natural responses—behavioral, emotional, cognitive—often go undetected, and then the public speculates whether or not the media, especially advertising, is influencing youth, education, and health. We, as a media-ridden generation, need to become more cognizant of the effects, both positive and negative, of media on our own opinions, behaviors, and physical selves, as well as that of our peers.

More Mass Media

In addition to television and film, mass media include radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet.

Radio is still the most accessible form of media, globally speaking. The convenience in terms of cost and use is a main factor in making it available to almost every corner of the world. The popularity of radio also reflects the penchant for music over television in the human spirit. Music is something innate and moving in a way that a silver screen can never be. Music is also accessible and easily replicated by anyone who feels like singing or picking up an instrument. Television and film takes more effort and collaboration, which isn’t always an option, because of time, space, or numbers.

Film ratings are a huge controversy, as mentioned in yesterday’s post. What is considered more dangerous: sex or violence? Why is it okay for children to watch a man or woman kill another man or woman, but not watch a man or woman love another man or woman? Much like the argument for a lower legal drinking age, do ratings like NC-17 and R movies encourage kids to rebel and seek danger and inappropriate materials and activities?

Though newspapers are declining in popularity, magazines still play a crucial role, especially in the female adolescent experience. Young teenage girls bond over glossy pages and fashion advice while they gossip and discuss romance and growing up.

Perhaps an until-now ignored topic of mass media is the social networking: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Friendster, LiveJournal, etc. What do we gain when online chats and wall posts replace face-to-face conversations? Why is it more awkward to share personal sentiments and inner thoughts to an actual person, and not to their face on a video chat? The amount of time spent pouring thoughts out to a keyboard is disgusting compared to the amount of time spent actually working out problems in live interactive situations.

Mass Communication

All forms of media are for the purposes of mass communication: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, film, etc. Is this constant stream of media healthy? Detrimental? How does it influence the new American way of life?

The average American household is more wired now than it ever was before, and it’s changing the way the world perceives itself and the information within. What is the ratio of face-to-face conversations to online chats? Is it necessary to build shopping malls and grocery stores when online shopping has already started to corner the market? Video rental places are now outdated, thanks to sites like YouTube and Netflix, and video tapes themselves are now replaced by DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Music stores and CDs are replaced by iTunes and MP3 players.

Censorship is a huge issue in mass media. Who gets to decide what the public sees? What is “appropriate material” and what is considered “dangerous” for America’s youth? The rating system in America favors violent over sexual content, so that scenes with nudity or sensuality are considered more “explicit” and rated higher than scenes with gunfire and blood. Is it really more acceptable to endorse violence and pay for murder? Is this more moral than encouraging pornography or teenage pregnancy?

In a world driven by money, mass communication is driven by advertising. Advertising companies have even more powers of manipulation beyond their own commercials and billboards.  They influence what stories make it to the public, on television or in magazines. These companies have the power to control the information that the average consumer uses to make daily decisions, beyond buying new products.

Is this media-centric world moving toward a more advanced, individualized society? Or are we becoming dependent on our cell phones, iPads, and twitters to tell us what and how to think?

Copyrights

Copyrights were made to protect the creator but it has evolved into a mass of red tape and lawsuits that bind the consumer beyond convenience. Copyrighted material is material that the creator wishes to share with the rest of society and the rest of society can’t access the material in a way that would benefit either side.

Now the creator and the consumer are separated, not by knowledge or understanding of an idea, but instead economic use and ownership of one. The creator wants his full rights to disclose as much and profit as much as he wishes, and the consumer wants the full rights to exploit and share the content as much as he wishes.

Corporations and big companies often have monopolies over the business world, not just in terms of sheer size or leadership abilities, but in terms of control over the information and the use of slogans, images, and other marketing techniques. These monopolies harm smaller businesses and individuals because, not only do they corner the market, but they also dictate what creative control these smaller operations can and can’t have.

Some individuals prefer to override the idea of copyright protection, and as a result, piracy and plagiarism continues. This also damages our society, because the market for innovation and creation, especially of new art and media, is stifled as a result of mimicry. True creators no longer have control of their own material, and their rights to use their creations as they wish are denied.