Mass Media and Social Issues, Essay Example

The presence of the mass media has had a profound influence to our perception of social problems in society today. This influence has had both a positive and negative impact, particularly to the youth (Livingstone, 1999, Ch. 1 p. 9). This impact is directly correlated to the primary purpose of mass media – the dissemination of information.

The average person can receive the most recent news almost instantaneously, which is far different than it was just 20 years ago. The amount of distance between the source of information and consumer is no longer an issue in today’s technological age. News that the average person reads on a daily basis should primarily serve a positive role. The media helps regular individuals to learn valuable information about the world around them and exchange this information with those around them on a regular basis. In addition, the media conducts a number of surveys that allows these individuals to partake in information swapping. Through blogging in the web and composing letters to the manager in daily papers, numerous individuals give voice about their idea in distinctive political and social matters (Livingstone, 1999, Ch. 4 p. 3).

However, many inaccurate or fabricated stories distributed by mass media given can allow for tempers to flare and misconceptions to dominate the general public’s perception of an issue. This goes hand-in-hand with news stories being regurgitated repeatedly at nausea. These types of stories do have negative effects on the youth as well. Many young children get their first exposure to violence through media dissemination, introducing them to a world their parents perhaps tried to keep away from their household. The accessibility and availability of mass media has made it so that the media has the capacity to be far more influential to a child that his or her parent.

As time goes on, mass media has allowed the world to connect and become closer. However, it has had its fair share of negative impacts as well. People need to take the positives of the media and use it for great purpose. The current structure of the media enables negative stereotypes such as political, sexual, and racial biases to persist. The mass media needs to work harder ensure it keeps the negative impact it may have away from the general public.

References

Livingstone, S. M., & Bovill, M. (1999). Young people, new media. London: London School of Economics and Political Science.