Lippman’s Article “Public Opinion”, Essay Example

In Lippman’s article, “Public Opinion”, he describes a scenario in which the English, French, and Germans lived together on an island. These individuals tended to receive their news later than their comrades did on the main European continent, and these matters impacted their life significantly. Because they were only aware of the news that occurred six weeks prior to the latest event, they became very concerned over debates regarding these happenings and would eagerly await the resolution of the news when it would come. Their life, as a result, was extremely disconnected from what was happening in real time in Europe. However, they were not able to access this information, so it couldn’t impact them.

Even though we do not live on a stranded island, it is apparent that we are impacted by the media that we encounter. We tend to talk about large news stories, but our interest in these reports can die in the matter of an instant if something new is reported. We adjust to the level of information presented to us and only care about what appears to be relevant. Since the people living on the island only have a few stories to reflect on, these stories become their whole lives. However, for individuals that are able to receive news with the click of a button on the internet and elsewhere, these stories are only fleeting for us.

Because we are all so concerned with what happens in the news, it is plausible for media corporations to pick and choose stories to help alter our interests. Media has become a form of entertainment as a result because media professionals have a deep understanding of our interests. Overall, this is beneficial because it allows us to remain aware of events in a fast paced environment while still feeling connected to what is happening around the world. On the other hand, the overflow of news stories has the potential to distract us from important events that we should be focusing our concern on.