In CPCF 1F25, we have leaned a lot about
the mass media, and how it has come to be. Media is an enormous part of our
lives, whether we want to believe or not. We are constantly surrounded by these
technically developed industries, have it be the internet, television,
advertisements, radio, newspapers, etc. Essentially, media is a means to gather
information so we can be further educated on a topic. This being said, media can also be
misleading and/or false. Personally, I believe that mass media has, and will
continue to have a significant impact on my life and my worldview.
One example
in which the media has had an impact on my worldview was when my sister was
planning on working in Turkey as a Nanny for a summer. This would have allowed
her to travel all around Europe and experience different cultures, while
obtaining summer employment. However, because of the way the media portrayed
the country- with it being so close to Iraq and Iran, and negative stories
about the violent acts, my family was very skeptical about that idea. Although
the people that she would have worked for said it was a very safe, upper class
area, it was not a risk my family was willing to take, because of what they had
heard from mass media. This experience impacted my worldview as it made me more aware of the war crimes that were happening in Turkey and the seriousness of personal safety while travelling overseas.
Another
example I have when it comes to mass media is the whole “Kony 2012” campaign.
Jason Russell created a video about Joseph Kony- the leader of the Lords
Resistance Army in Uganda. Jason’s video went viral, and soon sparked a global
awareness of the injustice that was happening to innocent children. Millions of
people including myself acted upon this by spreading the world on social media,
putting up posters, donating money, and rallying. This just proves how myself
and many others around the world are easily influenced by the media. I believe
this campaign was mostly directed towards kids and teenagers as it was primarily advertised through social media. This experience impacted my worldview as I was able to
understand the crime that was taking place in Uganda. Although there were some
issues of controversy after the video was released, it didn’t change the fact
that people became more aware of child soldiers and child prostitution.
As a young
adult, I am constantly exposed to different forms of mass media. There are pros
and cons to mass media; I have been educated on certain things I wouldn’t have
normally known, but I have also been raised to not believe everything I hear
and see.
Shannon McGinnis
