The question I propose is who influences who? Does the media influence the people or do the people influence the media?
Many people believe people influence the media because the media shows the people what they want to see. That is not always the case.
I recently began to realize that it is actually the media that influences the people simply because the media chooses what the people see. I am sure this is not intentional, but how can the people know what side to choose if they are not getting the full story?
In defense of the media, they only get so much time to present the story, and they must choose what to write about. They must pick what the most important information is, which is not always what others feel is most important.
Theorists go back and forth on this, and the question still stands. Who influences who?
I think it's both in the sense that people react to scandal and shock and controversy. That's what they watch. Because of this, the media needs to generate views and ratings so they give the people these types of stories. Unfortunately, these stories often exaggerate and leave out pieces of information that could help debunk whatever side the story is siding with. I think the thing to remember is that everyone has a motive and some sort of propaganda they want to push. So while I think it's a little bit of both influencing both. I think the bigger issue is is it okay to show stories a certain way to incite certain reactions? Is it okay to show news in a way that makes our opinions for us? – Tatijana9 years ago
Both cases can be tricky to communicate. The media definitely has a lot to do with how society as a whole is shaping America, but have the people forced the media to partake this way? The media only reflects what the people want to see.
– Whitaker9 years ago
It would be both; you are referring to a media loop. – JDJankowski9 years ago
Does the media shape what the people see? Or is it their corporate sponsors? The other day I engaged in a brief experiment, spending a few hours watching both FOX News and MSNBC. The stark contrast of their reporting appears to be directly linked to their stark contrast of corporate sponsors. In television's infancy, the news was meant to be "informational programming." I fear Ted Turner did more harm than good with the advent of the 24-hour news cycle. – TheHall9 years ago