Influence

Tv, newspaper, Internet, Radio. In one word MEDIA. We all use and get informations from some type of media. Needless to say that the more we are dependent on them, the more we are influenced by them. This time, I am going to write this post based on something different than an article. I found a video on Youtube that portrays how mass media influences the audience. The video shows a robot woman, coming out of a box with a human face and watching Tv. However as the Tv programs change, a picture of a woman's face shows up with different features and make ups. As the viewer woman sees the changes, she changes her features as well in a way to look the same as the face on the screen.



What does this short video want to imply? It suggests that the society is influenced by what it sees on Tv, Internet, or reads in the newspaper. In my mass media class, we learnt that the media do not tell you what to think but definitely tell you what to think ABOUT. According to the media portrayals we judge people, believe in one thing and not in another thing. Not to mention that we usually buy and eat those things that are advertised to be good. Women dress and try to look similar to women they see in magazines. There are several effects the audience is exposed by the media. As I read in one of our class readings, called Joseph Dominick: Social Effect of Mass Communication, media can affect the viewers' behaviors, attitudes, and views as well. However when a child becomes more violent we cannot blame only the media itself. When we hear about violent children and that they start sexual life early, most people's first suspect is the media. They would say "It is happening because the media contain to many violence and sexual pictures." They are wrong, although not completely. Media do cover a lot of those topics but the audience's behavior depends on many other factors, such as their gender, family background, education, race, culture and who they are surrounded by. So basically media don't change anyone, however is one reason why someone might change.

This video is really simple but I found it really interesting as it leads us to an important point. The media do have a smaller or bigger effect on us. At the end the woman wants to get closer and closer to the screen, but her structure does not let her to go farther, so she breaks. I feel like this means, that the audience cannot always control or handle those influences they are exposed to. Let me show you some examples: eating disorders in women, behavior or personality disorders. By trying to be or act like those people in the media, we might lose our own identity and our life just falls out of our hands.

What do you think about this video? Do you like it or maybe don't like it?
Have you ever done something because you got convinced by the media, but then you realized that you had made a bad decision?

Klaudia