Austin Hicks 4B 3/24/14

Mass Media
Imagine, seeing a young ten year old watching these fashion shows on television and
saying something like, Daddy, I want to look like that when Im older. A parent would
probably respond with some encouraging comment. Flash forward 16 years later, the girl has
still been watching those shows and has now been even more active with other types of media
depicting the perfect girl and how she should look. She is now starving herself into anorexia and
drowning her face in makeup. She goes to school trying too hard and being hurt by the people
she was trying to be accepted by. Now imagine a year later, she is gone, lost to suicide for
feeling like there was something wrong with her. Would the parents be very happy with the
people who caused her to cross that line? Imagine now the opposite happens. She is a stuck up
jerk. She walks around like she is the bomb because she is caught up with the latest fashion and
trends. Now she is the one laughing and judging those people who try to look like them and try
to look like the actresses and singers who tell them to be that way. Would parents like the
people who did that to their daughter? Well they dont need to point fingers at the children,
point at the media. When it comes to the topic of Mass Media, most of us will agree that we
are always so dependent on it; however, where the agreement usually ends involves the
question of why we are and whether or not the solution to how much we rely on the media will
affect all of us in society today.
The media is a very liquid element that comes in many forms. It is seen in cell phones,
televisions, radios and much more. Todays teenagers constantly check their phones and the
latest social networks to see whats up with their peers and catch up on the new fads.
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Teenagers today are so dependent on technology that is hard to wake up a teenager without
finding a phone right next to them. Another element a lot of teenagers rely on is movies or
television which may tend to have subliminal messages. Subliminal messages, messages that
are purposely hidden from a persons naked eye to react with the self-conscious, affects
teenagers and their way of thinking drastically. "Subliminal messages are only subliminal if
people dont realize what theyve seen. They are intended to work by tapping the unconscious
mind of viewers or listeners and influencing them to think or feel a certain way"(Onion 1).
Music is another major influence of a teenager; however it can produce some positive effects,
but also can produce negative ones. The music teenagers listen to is likely to influence the
choices they make. For example, pop music with strong lyrics that advocate for violence is likely
to influence rebellious tendencies. Additionally, teenagers who listen to music that degrades
sex or with strong sexual language are more likely to indulge in sex at an early age. Teens also
follow pop musicians through various media and over the Internet. They learn about their
lifestyles and preferences, which they are likely to emulate (Holden 1). Those are some of the
ways the media can influence teens from active listening or watching, but they can also get
things out of reading. Magazines, another big factor of media, can have a big impact on not only
teens but even adults. Usually they will have some sort of hot celebrity or model to cover the
magazine and will have a caption like, Jennifers new hot bod or All the guys want her cause
of her beauty. Guys see girls the way the media tells them to look at them and girls want to
live up to that standard by trying to be like them instead of themselves. Media is constantly
around everywhere anyone turns and most people are so dependent on it.
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Media plays a huge role in our society as well. The media kind of builds like a class
system in our society. Society labels people as nerds, weirdos, pot heads, idiots, popular, etc.
Truth is none of those should matter. Maybe they dont agree or like what they do, but do they
have to put them into a category and decide if they will hate them, like them, make fun of
them? Society and the media builds these kind of people up. At least some of the kids can be
themselves. Some people around might even be closet gamers or closet nerds that are just too
afraid to come out and say hey I like to play this game or hey I like to do math in my free time
because they know if they do then they will be judged. Society, especially teens, shouldnt have
to be afraid to show who we really are. They shouldnt be afraid to be ourselves. Yet the media
begs to differ. The media tells them they need to be this certain weight and use these certain
products. Advertising can have a negative influence on teenagers through the depiction of
celebrity movie stars using tobacco products, exposure to thousands of junk food ads, the
constant excessive exposure of sexual and violent images, and endless beer ads, says Anthony
Curtis, Professor at UNCP. The media also tells guys that in order to get a lady, they need have
abs and wear axe. The media tells women that they need to dress and look a certain way in
order to be popular and to be noticed by guys, in that case it tends for them to be dressing like
prostitutes. Plus half the women you see in magazines are most likely photo shopped or edited
to make them look absolutely flawless. If you are not like those beautiful, handsome and
successful people, advertising tells you it's time to buy the goods necessary to look like they
look(Curtis 1). Then people who dont live up to those rules and almost impossible
expectations of the media and society get tossed out; bullied, out casted, and more, sometimes
Austin Hicks 4B 3/24/14
to the point of suicide. Society is constantly being shaped by the medias image on who they
are supposed to be. The question is, why are they?
The mass media, the most influential tool in our society today, is causing society to mold
into its patterns and making us so reliable on it that it basically controls who we are today and
the only way to end it is to learn how to control it. Can simple people control the media? The
answer is yes! How? Well that is easy. The answer is the double Ls, limit and learn. We
should limit what we listen to or watch and how much we take in of it. That doesnt mean they
would need to stop listening to rap music, just limit how much of it they would listen to it.
Teens should also learn how to block some things out. Now that might sound hard but they can
do it if they stand strong. People need to be taught, when they are young and still at a
developing age, what is right and what is wrong. For example, in a rap song someone might
hear something about killing someone. Obviously we wouldnt go out and kill someone, but
that doesnt mean it seeps into our self-conscious. Society and teenagers cannot be so reliable
on the media.
If this solution can be accomplished we would have control over what we should have
control over in the first place. Society created this animal and has let it become to powerful, not
limiting its growth. Now today it consumes it. If this solution is out in place, the next generation
will hopefully grow up a better spirited one. A generation that can tame the beast that this
generation has created, possibly turning the world back in the right direction.
The media is not all bad either. Actually the media gives people insight to a whole new
world. The media connects people worldwide to keep people together. People can also explore
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different kinds of art through media. One of a different art of media is music. Not all music is
explicit and raunchy. There are good secular songs out there that could build up someones
self-esteem when down, it can also just calm you when you need peace. Television and movies
arent so bad once in a while either. Some movies and T.V shows can bring about many
emotions which in some case can be healthy for us humans to explore those emotions. Some
can make you laugh, cry, get angry or even a combination of all three. Of course the internet
keeps everything updated and you could pretty much find anything on the internet you search
for. We have the latest news and information at the click of the mouse! The Internet is such a
medium that it can give many options for the kind of information required (Lad, 1). Media isnt
all bad, but not all is good.
When it comes to the topic of Mass Media, most of us will agree that we are always so
dependent on it; however, where the agreement usually ends involves the question of why we
are and whether or not the solution to how much we rely on the media will affect all of us in
society today. Anything can influence the highly complex mind and the media is one of the
biggest perpetrators. The media is a hard thing to get around but is it impossible? Nope. Sure
isnt. Society created the media and controlled it at one time and its time to stop letting it
control society, let it meet its maker, and take back the control over the animal society created.



Austin Hicks 4B 3/24/14
Works Cited
Chapman, Michael W. "CNS News." CNSnews. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Curtis, Anthony. "Media Influence on Society." Media Influence on Society. UNCP, 2012. Web. 12 Feb.
2014.
HARPAZ, BETH J. "Are Texting and Facebook Worse for Teens than TV?" AP Online. N.p., 27 Oct.
2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Holden, Martha. "The Influence of Pop Music on Teens in the US." Everyday Life. Demand Media, n.d.
Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Lad, Kashmira. "Pros and Cons of Mass Media." Buzzle.com. Buzzle, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Onion, Amanda. "Subliminal Signals: All in the Mind." ABC News. ABC News Network, 12 Sept. 2014.
Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Weiss, Andrea. "The Effects of Media and Marketing on Teens." ProQuest. Santa Fe New Mexican, 28
June 2002. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.