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Everywhere, every day, exciting things are happening. Each day is filled with news. People learn news and views during reading newspapers and magazines, talking over the telephone or they are kept informed by watching TV or listening to the radio. The press, the radio and television play a big role in the life of the society. They inform, educate and entertain people. They also influence the way people look at the world and make them change their views.
Mass media plays a very important role in organizing public opinion. Millions of people watch TV and read newspapers in their free time. Most of people can’t do without a newspaper in the underground or during the lunch break. TV also dominates the life of the family most of the time. It is also a habit which impossible to resist. The radio is turned on most of the time, creating a permanent background noise. So Mass Media become a very important part of our life. Mass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries.
Mass media can be used for various purposes: advocacy, both for business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations, and political communication. Entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, and sports, along with light reading. Since the late 20th century also through video and computer games. Journalism is the discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying and presenting information regarding current events, trends, issues and people. Those who practice journalism are known as journalists. Electronic media and print media include: Broadcasting, in the narrow sense, for radio and television. Many instances of various types of recorded discs or tapes. In the 20th century, these were mainly used for music. Video and computer uses followed. Film, most often used for entertainment, but also for documentaries.
The Internet, which has many uses and presents both opportunities and challenges. Examples can include Blogs and podcasts (such as news, music, pre-recorded speech, and video) Mobile phones, which can be used for rapid breaking news and short clips of entertainment like jokes, horoscopes, alerts, games, music, and advertising. Publishing, including electronic publishing Video games, which have developed into a mass form of media since cutting-edge devices such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii broadened their use. Millions of copies of newspapers appear every day. Many people subscribe to two or more newspapers; others buy newspapers at the newsstands. Most newspapers contain news, detailed articles on home and international affairs, reviews of books, art and TV shows. Many of them also cover sports events. In the USA daily newspapers are published in 34 different languages. The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV.
TV is one of the best inventions the man ever made. We are really beginning to forget what the world was without TV. Everybody knows what a great force is TV in the world today. We become better informed by watching documentaries, science programs, discussions and political issues of the day. TV gives us opportunities to see the best actors, sport matches, to meet famous people. TV brings the world to our room. TV helps us to relax after a hard days work. Besides there is a considerable amount of TV programs (News, current affairs viewpoint. Musical Reviews, Sports Review, Travelers Clubs, Good Night Kids. etc) and they gather big audience. They provide useful topics for conversation, wise heated discussions. Current Affairs (Viewpoint, News) These programs deal with political and social problems of modern society. Their aim is to give an analyze of the problems and to show different viewpoints. They are concerned with the counties national events. They show meetings with famous political analysts, discussing the most topical political problems of today. To my mind we can’t imagine our lives without mass media. It is silly to avoid it as we can use its advantages.Though we should be careful and filter all information we get.
We can not imagine our life without mass media. Our Information Age is determined in many respects by the mass media. The mass media do not only spread the news, they impose certain values on contemporary men. The received information moulds the way of people's thinking. Sometimes information given by television, radio, newspapers and the Internet is contradictory and man must decide which one is more reliable.
Previously it took news months to travel from one country to another; today it takes it only several seconds. People started to get news comparatively quickly with the appearance of newspapers. Newspapers are very important for a contemporary man. The choice of the newspapers is wide. Now all newspapers are classified into two groups; quality and popular. Quality newspapers are serious national papers intended for educated readers. Popular newspapers are tabloid, they are designed for common readers. Radio became widely used during World War I. At the turn of the 20th century TV became part of people's daily life. TV offers to its viewers current affairs programs, cultural programs, chat shows, sports programs, etc. It informs, educates and entertains men. The Internet is the recent innovation. It has broken the traditional frontiers and helps people to establish contacts. Due to the Internet I have found a lot friends in different countries, I have visited the greatest world museums and art galleries without leaving my apartment. The Internet is turning our planet into a global village.
To have a comprehensive picture of what is going on, people must watch TV programmes, read newspapers and magazines, use the Internet, but do it selectively.
However a negative influence in teenagers is the use of guns and ammunition by celebrity movie stars, the constant exposure of which would seduce the teen to replicate the same behavior in the real life.
When we watch tv or a action movie we usually see many images of violence and people hurting others. The problem with this is that it can become traumatic especially in our children as they see it more and more. Our kids that are starting to grow and are shaping their personality values and beliefs can become aggressive or they can lose a sense of distinction between reality and fiction. Another problem is that real war is used as a form of entertainment by the media, we should make our kids and teen aware that war is not a form of entertainment and that there is no win or lose like in video games, in real war everyone lose.
Teens, youngsters are in a stage of life where they want to be accepted by their peers, they want to be loved and be successful. The media creates the ideal image of beautiful men and women with all the ingredients of a successful person, you can see it in movies and tv. It’s a subliminal way to persuade the masses that if you want to be successful and look like them then you have to buy that particular brand or product. Another negative influence in teenagers, especially in the USA, that has grown over the last years is obesity. There are millions of adolescents fighting obesity, but at the same time they are exposed to thousands of advertisements of junk food, while the ideal image of a successful person is told to be thin and wealthy.
Media's Negative Influence
Blind Imitation: When you try to imitate your role models from the glamor industry, do you give a thought to whether you are doing right or wrong? It is often seen that young girls and boys imitate celebrities blindly. The impact of media is such that the wrong, the controversial, and the bad is more talked about. Sometimes, little things are blown out of proportion thus changing the way they are perceived by the audience. Media highlights controversies and scandals in the lives of celebrities. The masses fall for this being-in-the-news and end up imitating celebrities without much thought. Those at a vulnerable age, especially children and teenagers, are highly influenced by anything that is put before them in a jazzy way. At that age, they are attracted to anything that's flashy and anything that can make news.
Wrong Message: The negatives in society are highlighted with the purpose of awakening people about them. For example, the negative effects of addiction are portrayed through advertisements. Newspapers, television and the Internet are used to convey social messages. But unfortunately sometimes, the message is misconstrued. The 'awakening' does not reach everyone or it reaches the masses in the wrong way. So there is a section positively influenced by the media while there are others who take the wrong message from it. Media influences them negatively. What is shown with an intent to 'spread a message' ends up becoming a bombardment of the bad, the ugly. The bad is overinflated and the good goes unnoticed. Depiction of the bad has a negative impact on kids not mature enough to interpret what they are being shown. It's not just media to be blamed in this case. Parents and teachers have a big role to play in selecting what the young should see and what they should not.
Negativity: To some extent, media is responsible for generating negative feelings among those exposed to it. An early exposure to bold or violent films, books publishing adult content and news portraying ugly social practices has a deep impact on young minds. If children are bombarded with fight sequences, stunt work, sex and rape scenes, suicides and murders through books or movies, they are bound to leave a scar on these impressionable minds. And not just children, the unpleasant can impact even an adult's mind. Adults may have the maturity to distinguish between the good and the bad, but bombarding only the bad can affect anyone at least at the subconscious level. Haven't you had experiences of a bad dream after watching a violent movie? Or of imagining something scary happening to you after watching a horror film? Or a sudden fear gripping your mind after reading about a murder in your city? The reality should be depicted but not so gaudily that it'll have a lasting impact on people's minds.
Unhealthy Lifestyle: Media is held responsible for the change in eating habits of teenagers and the unhealthy lifestyle they are adopting. You ask me why? Well, because there are these junk food advertisements everywhere. There's no one advertising the benefits of eating fresh fruit everyday, no one's promoting drinking 8 glasses of water daily. The benefits of following a balanced diet are not being hyped anywhere. Media is exposing the masses to fast food products, canned food, fad diets, and energy drinks. This is leading teenagers to adopt unhealthy eating habits. No one's propagating the importance of exercising to keep fit. But there are advertisements of expensive exercise equipment, and weight and fat loss programs. Watching TV or browsing the web late night is spoiling the sleeping habits of many.
Information Overload: The media in itself is so addictive that once glued to it, you tend to forget everything else. When you are not watching TV, you are surfing the Internet, when you are not on the web, you are reading newspapers, when you are not reading anything, you are listening to something. Thus, all the time, you are glued to some form of media. It is bombarding you with content, news, information, gossip, rumors - it is exposing you to everything it has, some things necessary, some not; some things important, some not, some things you want to ignore, some things you cannot. Media is everywhere, affecting every aspect of life.
Media Addiction: The negative effects of media on children are manifested in terms of their changing mental setup and the declining quality of their lifestyle. Children should invest more time reading good books, studying, playing outdoors and exercising. Due to the oh-so-alluring media, most of their time is spent glued to the television, reading celebrity gossip, listening to something sensational or wandering aimlessly on the Internet. With a 'world' of information and entertainment waiting on the other side of a computer or TV screen, it's not unnatural for anyone to spend hours exploring it; it's addictive. This affects kids and teenagers the most, as they are exposed to things they might interpret wrongly or may not even understand at that age.
Self-hatred: Women with petite bodies and girls with a barbie figure are always shown to be more popular or attractive while the overweight are portrayed as less popular, having less friends and being bullied. This leads to a notion that thin is sexy and fat is not. When this thought grips the minds of youngsters, they take to fad diets or turn to cosmetic surgeries to get that so-called perfect body. The craze for models or actors and actresses, makes teenagers want bodies and facial features like theirs. To get rid of a big nose or to get those big pouty lips, teenagers are ready to go under the knife.
Health Problems: Media has negative effects on the physical and psychological well-being of society. People spending hours in front of a television or surfing the Internet experience eye problems. Lack of physical activity leads to obesity problems. Media influences public opinion and impacts the choices that people make. The media does play a role in portraying thin as beautiful and fat as ugly. It has led to a general opinion that size-zero is the in thing and fat and chubby are out. This makes the overweight feel out of place. They are ready to starve themselves to lose weight. This can, and has led to increasing cases of anorexia. An inferiority complex and lowered confidence in people with not-so-perfect bodies can lead to eating disorders. In a survey done on fifth graders by the National Institute on Media and the Family, it was found that kids had become dissatisfied with their bodies after watching a video of a certain very popular artiste and a certain scene from a popular TV show (names omitted on purpose).
Changed Outlook: The media has, in its own way, changed people's outlook towards life. Media is the interface through which millions look at the world outside. Media claims to depict the 'today', but not all types of media show only the truth. With the intent of stressing their point or for grabbing greater attention from the masses, media hypes or exaggerates things to a certain degree. Not everyone is able to filter that element. Most believe everything to be real, especially kids and teenagers.
Fact-Fantasy Confusion: Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts - where did they come from? Fairies, superheroes, angels - where did they come from? It's not only media to be blamed, as these characters belong to folklore. But media did play a role in propagating these characters and making them seem real. Aren't there ghost and vampire stories that media claims as real? These characters enter our world through books and movies. There is no denying their amusement value or entertainment quotient. But isn't it too much to blindly believe that they exist? Fiction is amusing only till the distinction between fact and fiction is clear. The reel entertains only till its difference from the real is understood. When the two worlds mix, life becomes difficult.
Right-or-Wrong Dilemma: The media is so overwhelming that the masses end up believing everything it says/shows. Media sources are so many in number and all of them so convincingly make their point, that it is hard to distinguish between right and wrong. The media is constantly bombarding us with information. How far do we go to check its authenticity? How deep do we dig to get to the root of something that's making news? How critically do we judge the reality of reality shows and the truth behind true stories? We don't think, we believe. We don't judge, we get influenced. And that's how impactive media is.
While a certain amount of exposure to media is essential for introducing ourselves to the world outside, excessive exposure, uncontrolled access and belief without thought won't lead us anywhere. They will only make the negative influence of media more obvious.
The Solution
The solution to avoiding the negative influence of media lies in limiting media exposure and choosing what to watch. News sources often bombard you with the same negative stories over and over again, in order to increase the impact. Sometimes, small incidents or events in the lives of celebrities and politicians are hyped, in order to make them more sensational. Refrain from watching such programs or news. Instead, watch good programs that carry healthy content, engage in positive activities, and encourage others to do the same. As a responsible adult (parent or teacher), exercise control on the media exposure that kids and teenagers get.
Media portrayals give rise to stereotypes, affecting your mindset. Advertisements carry subliminal messages influencing buyers' psychology, or carry direct messages that bear a negative influence. It's not possible to insulate yourself completely from the effects of media, even if you limit the exposure. And there are so many things you see around you, without choosing to watch them. The only way to shield yourself from them, is to not allow them to influence you. Don't take media portrayals by their word. Don't believe in them without thinking. Use your judgment before following or falling for anything. Put things in perspective, and don't let the media influence you to do the wrong things
1777 The role of music in our life
Music is one of the most important and powerful things in my life. My life without melodies and harmonies would be totally empty. Listening to and playing different tunes helps me to de-stress, relax and it can also help to motivate me in trying times. I love listening to music while on my way to school, as I feel it helps me to prepare for the day that waits. I think it is like the memoirs to my life as it has been there throughout everything with me.
When I was younger, I didn’t have the great love for musical as I do now. I mainly listened to whatever was playing in the background or what my parents were listening to. I didn’t have much of a care for musical compositions. There was sometimes a little bit of pop music thrown in to the mix here and there, but that’s really all I liked back then. Whether I was in the car, the house, or anywhere else there was sure to be some Beatles, Buddy Holly, or the Dubliners constantly playing somewhere in the background. At the time I didn’t care for that genre of music much, but now as I’m older, I enjoy it as it allows me to reminisce on memories from times of my childhood. Once I hit my teenage years music became my life and gradually started to inhibit my soul.
I believe music has the ability to convey all sorts of emotion. Whether the emotion is joy and happiness or sadness and despair through rhythms, harmonies and the lyrics music shows it. The song “A little bit longer” by Nick Jonas is such an emotional and inspiring song that when I hear it, I always come close to tears, especially when I watch it being played live. The effect that music can have on our emotions is tremendous, as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of laughter.
The musical images that music and song are able to create are amazing. Music has the ability to transport me back in time just like a time machine. It lets me revisit lost and forgotten moments in life. Songs can paint a picture, for example in classical and country music where a story is being told. The music in classical music tells a story without lyrics which is an immensely powerful thing. I feel that this applies to the saying “music imitates life and life imitates music”.
Recently song writing has wandered its way into my life. I believe there is no better way to express myself than through song. After a bad day, it’s nice to be able to sit down and write about it. It can make all your problems just disappear and float away. Listening to other musical artists that I like gives me inspiration. My guitar teacher also points me in the right direction and gives me guidance as I need it. I love to just sit with my guitar and make up random lyrics about past experiences or what I’m going through at the moment.
I started learning how to play the guitar last year and within the past few months I have fallen completely and utterly in love with it. Once I start playing, I find it extremely hard to put the guitar down again. It’s very addictive and can also be distracting sometimes. It distracts me from my homework since my guitar sits right next to my desk. Playing guitar is one of the only things in my life in which I don’t feel pressurized to do well in. I think this is because I have a great teacher and she doesn’t push me to the music exams.
This past summer my grandma taught me how to play the piano. I had always heard stories about how my great grandfather, her father, was brilliant at the piano. He would sit at the piano for hours on end playing different well known songs as making up his own little tunes. He had taught my grandma how to play and I felt it was about time that I learnt. So when I was staying with my grandma and grandpa during the summer, I asked her to teach me. She was delighted to and now it’s something nice that we can both do together and bond over.
I believe music effects people in many different ways. To me music is more than just something to listen to or play, it’s something to feel. Music is extremely important in my life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family. I also feel that it helps me to get through things. For example, I remember doing the twenty six kilometre gaisce hike and the whole way along the hike we sang songs. Music is an immensely powerful thing and has a huge place in my life right next to my heart.
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