The Media s Influence On Society - 1654 Words

Mass media is perhaps the most powerful tool in the world for creating, changing or perpetuating society’s ideas about an issue or group of people. It works both blatantly and subconsciously by deciding which issues are important, how to frame those issues, who to show as affected by them, and, increasingly, providing personal commentaries on the matters at hand. Because the majority of media outlets are owned by corporations dominated by white heterosexual men, many minorities are portrayed in ways that perpetuate negative stereotypes – if they are portrayed at all. Even though men have made great strides in regards to power, but with the black male they continue to experience both misrepresentation and underrepresentation in the modern†¦show more content†¦Films from the 1930’s to the 1960 have typically showed blacks in stereotypical ways. A good example would be the movie Hearts of Dixie (1929), starring Stepin Fetchit. Fetchit was a black actor who played various usually demeaning roles throughout his career. Although he was an amazing actor, all of the films that he stared in made African-Americans look lazy, foolish, and uneducated: it is dehumanizing. These roles were commonly given to African-American actors during the time. In today’s era the Stepin Fetchit figure is seen within the roles that African-American men play now. For example, in the movie Nothing to Lose, Martin Lawrence plays the stereotypical sidekick that acts in a foolish, idle way, just like Fetichit. In the 1980’s a new era came along which featured Blaxploitation (the exploitation of black people, especially with regard to stereotyped roles in movies.) films targeted towards blacks to fight oppression. These movies helped the Civil Rights Movement and they broke down stereotypes (Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media, and Entertainment Industries). Three films in particular that expose social problems are Boyz N the Hood, Life, and Do the Right Thing. They all have elements of the seventies Blaxploitation films, which was a media form used by the Civil Rights Movement to inspire the black youth to fight oppression (Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media, and Entertainment Industries). John Singleton, director of Boyz N the Hood, makes aShow MoreRelatedThe Media s Influence On Society1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe media s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that s power. Because they control the minds of the masses† (Ruddy, 2002). Malcolm X, a prominent African American human rights activist, strongly believed that the media played a vital role in how they make society perceive events and people. An issue that is present, historically and currently, is media contributing to racism. When news is reported involvingRead MoreMedia s In fluence On Society1454 Words   |  6 PagesThe Media’s Chokehold The media s influence on society is suffocating and undeniable. Body image has become overwhelmingly present in most media today. The front cover of a magazine may critically exclaim â€Å"so-and-so has cellulite† or â€Å"so and so is too thin†. Popular reality stars like Nicole Polizzi (otherwise known as â€Å"Snooki†) have been criticized for being to large and then criticized for being too thin after dropping the weight. The media teaches people to be unsatisfied with their bodiesRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1269 Words   |  6 Pages The media is full of countless things, it has completely changed the world and is now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etc†¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is impossible to live without the media today. Along with it being persuasive, informational and a great source for entertainment it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240) and though someRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1256 Words   |  6 PagesThe media are full of countless things, they have completely changed the world we live in and are now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etc†¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is almost impossible to live without the media. Along with it being persuasive, informative and a great source for entertainment, it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240)Read MoreMedia s Influence On Society1293 Words   |  6 PagesMedia is a major contributor of how social groups are perceived in today’s society. Mediais around us every day almost all day, and it constantly sends messages about the world’s environment. There are many indicators shown pertaining to how media really af fects society. One of the most prominent explanations of those questions is the way media influences stereotypes. There has been previous research linking media sources and biased attitudes. This research paper explores articles supporting mediaRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pagescapitalist society the United States has developed a media centered culture. Society has been influenced tremendously by mass media it seems as if it has become a necessity in life. Nine DVDs worth of data per person every day is the amount of all media delivered to consumers whether it be visual or auditorial on a daily basis. As consumers and technology develop that number will continue to increase because of the multi-tasking abilities that will be created (Zverina 13). The hold media has on societyRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1475 Words   |  6 PagesMass media has affected our view as a society on social class and what defines one’s social class. Throu ghout this article called â€Å"Making Class Invisible† by Gregory Mantsios, we evaluate the influence media has on our society and as Mr. Mantsios states how â€Å"media plays a key role in defining our cultural tastes, helping us locate ourselves in history, establishing our national identity, and ascertaining the range of national and social possibilities† (para. 1). Our social class determines whatRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society1560 Words   |  7 Pagesare. How many times have we heard this, yet we live in a society that appears to contradict this very idea. If looks don’t matter then why do women and girls live in a society where their bodies define who they are? If looks don t matter then why is airbrushing used by the media to hide any flaws a person has? What exactly is causing this, why do we feel like we are just not beautiful the way we are? Its the media. It’s because the media promotes a certain body image as being beautiful, and it’sRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society1416 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The media s the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that s power. Because they control the minds of the [people]† (Malcolm X). The message of this Malcolm X quote is that society can control the mind of the individual. This is true. For many years, society has influenced everyone worldwide both negatively and positively. That is because society has the ability to control the individual’s decisions. They can controlRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society2776 Words   |  12 Pagessee many images in the media and they suggest what we should be like. While the media says how we should act or look, these suggestions invade people’s thoughts. The images the media portrays make it hard to break out of socially constructed stereotypes in our lives. The media reflects dominate and social values of peo ple’s lives. The media also portrays gender by creating stereotypes and gender roles showing how men, women, and transgenders are seen as deviant. In the media, men are portrayed to