How Media Affects People's View of the Government

The media is powerful, but just how powerful is it? In George Orwell's 1984, the tyrannical ruling party makes effective use of the media to portray itself as the omnipresent and benevolent Big Brother, sedating the population into subservience. But is this situation really plausible? In order to test this, one would have to set up a number of blind tests in which the individuals are shown different news reels on matters relevent to the government (ie speeches, foreign policy, ect.), and then asked to form an opinion on the government in question. Would they have a better opinion of a government if they were only shown positive news reels? Would they react vehemently towards a government that was shown commiting atrocities? Could their opinions be bent from one side to the other? I believe the results will confirm that the media does have a powerful impact. However, the nature of that impact will likely vary from person to person. Perhaps some people would be skeptic and shrug the positive reels off as propaganda, or vice versa. I have little doubt in my mind, though, that the media is an incredibly powerful weapon. As the proverb goes, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Media Autobiography

Over the past forty years, the human race has made enormous advancements in the many different fields of science and technology. One of the most defining aspects of this modern era is the vast level of connectivity between individuals and societies. The mass media, in all its forms, is arguably one of the most important of all human creations. Being able to spread messages and ideas to millions of people across a vast space has allowed for a level of coordination among societies that was previously deemed impossible. This has enabled our civilization to advance further and further into the modern age. The various forms of media available today include books, newspapers, magazines, movies, records, radio, television, and the internet. While I may not like to admit it, each of these different forms of media has played a role in shaping me as a person.

Books have always been one of my favorite forms of media. Since I was a child, I have always been an avid reader. Many long and sleepless nights were spent devouring pages upon pages of literature; everything from science fiction to fantasy, non-fiction to mainstream literature. I find books to be extremely valuable as they can expose you to a wide array of life lessons and abstract philosophies, all from the comfort of your own home. I intend to major in English with a concentration in creative writing at U.C. Irvine, and hope to transfer there next fall.

Newspapers are another important form of the media. My use of newspapers is limited only to the time spent eating breakfast. I often leaf through the front page and the local news section, just to gain some sort of sense of what's going on in the world around me. I think that it is very important that our generation stay informed on the events that are taking place in this rapidly changing world.

As far as magazines go, I know practically nothing. The only time I really spend reading magazines is when I'm in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Though magazines often have many interesting articles, they are also saturated with consumerist advertising hellbent on sapping your bank account.

I love movies. Plain and simple. The level of entertainment and artistic reflection found in movies is simply astounding. However, given the capitalistic realities of today's society, the movies we see in theaters are often made with the intent of selling tickets rather than making an artistic statement. Thus, I tend to shy away from mainstream Hollywood movies, although they are entertaining every now and then. My preference lies mainly in foreign and independent films, as these are more likely to be free of the corruption of decimals and dollar signs.

Music is, simply put, amazing. The ability to arrange a sequence of pitches and frequencies for an intended emotional effect is a testament to human creativity. I didn't listen to much music as a kid. I was mostly limited to whatever happened to be on the radio at the time. Sometime around middle school, I became entranced by the up-beat rhythms and catchy choruses of bands such as Blink-182 and Sum 41. From then on, my interest expanded to all different forms of rock music, from the blasting double bass and ferocious breakdowns of heavy metal to the ambient sounds and intricate rhythms of indie rock. I try to buy CDs every now and then to support my favorite musicians, but admittedly, downloading music is one of my guilty pleasures.

I do not listen to the radio. At all. I did as a kid, as it was my only source of music, but nowadays, I find that the radio, just like many other forms of media, has fallen victim to the greed of our capitalistic society. Radio stations nowadays tend to be more focused on raking in as many listeners as they can by repeatedly playing hit songs rather than introducing listeners to new and subversive music.

Television is entertainment. Just entertainment. Pure, mindless entertainment. Opium for the masses. While there are a few shows that I will watch on occasion, for the most part, TV holds no place in my life. It is a nice way to pass the time, but that's all it is: a waste of time.

Ahh, the internet: the invention that defines the modern era. Never before has the world been so connected. The internet exposes one to a vast, seemingly endless array of information. There's email, wikipedia, instant messaging, internet gaming, search engines, online shopping... the list goes on and on. I can honestly say that my life would be completely different without the influence of the internet.