The mass media,including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people’s ideas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
With communication proliferating and expanding to touch
every nook and corner of globe, people have greatly become influenced by swings being propagated by disparate mediums of mass media, but some people feel this fails to have a sizable impact.
Due to its ability to penetrate faster and deeper across the
topography and geography of globe and its capacity to carry loads of information,
media has become a formidable means of informing people about the happenings and
latest developments. Media can create awareness among people faster than
anything else for e.g. a meticulous information campaign initiated by
televisions channels after the gruesome rape of a girl in New Delhi in 2012
resulted in series of huge protests and demonstrations and people took to
streets to demand justice.
Besides having faster and deeper penetration, media has capability
of creating a cult and addiction among the viewers, listeners and readers etc.
Various companies and agencies are using this medium to publicize their
products and concepts. Moreover, they often go to extent of using popular
public figures to promote their merchandise. Media has always played a pivotal
role in creating factors that often compel people to follow what media
propagates.
On contrary, there is sizeable section that feels the
mediums of communication do inform people and society but they fall short of
creating trends and swings because the opinions and viewpoints are premise of rational
human beings and they always consult their own conscience before forming an
idea.
In conclusion, I feel that media has, although appeared as prominent
innovation, ideas and opinions are more effected by individual aspirations. Thus, this notion can be said to be partly true.