Of Media
By:Rain
International media such as TV network and
magazine always give people in an information age mixed feelings. Like many
other things, media is double-edged. As primary channels of information, TV and
magazine are convenient and economic sources of information for knowledge,
entertainment, and shopping.
Interestingly, sometimes the same piece of
information varies considerably in its influences on audiences of different
age.
For example, in a TV commercial, a beautiful
lady promotes a certain brand of perfume, which supposedly makes girls more
attractive to boys. For potential grown-up buyers, the ad is useful because
they might be spending time searching for such products.
We save time in shopping and making decisions
by making use of such advertisements. However, a teenage girl might get the
wrong idea about the concept of perfume. She could get money from her parents
to buy the advertised product. Worse yet, she might use the appeal strategy
employed in the commercial to get ahead in the future.
This is a classic bad influence of media for
young people’s overspending and inappropriate behaviors. However, we find it
very difficult to weigh between merits and problems of media, because they are
often tightly incorporated.
For instance, violent scenes in movies are
believed to be partially responsible for violence-related crimes, particularly
those committed by young people. But on the contrary, such movies also give
people a channel to release their anger, anxiety, and pressure. Moreover, these
movies show us bad and evil as well as punishments for wrongdoings.
Imagine we live in a world whose media is
completely clean in such sense. The dark side of media does not disappear just
because we do not talk about it. Nevertheless certain kinds of information such
as porn are better kept away from young people.
In conclusion, media should not be seen
simply as bad or good because we need to use information properly to the best
of our ability. But for certain segments of viewers, we should be very careful
with regarding to the content of information and take measures to keep viewers
from possible harmful influences of media.
By Rahman Seker
ReplyDeleteHi Rain,
It is undeniable fact that media is the most important tool advertising for businesses which persuade their customers to buy their products even they cannot benefit from these products. It is good strategy to make money and to increase people's demand to buy something whatever they see on the television.
By Eva
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion that media is double-edged. Now in our life people are dependend on media more than before which also bring some problems. The solution of this contradiction maybe is that government should strengthen management
by Junyang
ReplyDeleteAs an Asian woman, I can see how many other Asian women are on the extreme side of eating up all the marketing that is thrown at them. I personally think that advertising through the use of air-brushed to perfection women are misleading and is on the border of being unethical. These images brainwash young women into think they could look like an unrealistic image that has been deemed the ideal look for a woman. I think the high-end brands feed on the low self-esteem of women and they try to sell the idea that if you own this product you are better than everyone else.
By: Grace
ReplyDeleteHi,Rain, I really agree with you that media has both possitive and negative influences on our life. But I think for adults, they have ability to distinguish whether the information is bad or not. And they has to set some limitations on phones and ipads so that can help their children avoid bad informations. Besides, in some degree, censorship is necessary for the authorities.