The Influence of Media on Society
Escaping the media and their influence is impossible. Everywhere one turns, a different form of the media is conveying a message to the world about what normalcy is and/or should be. As Douglas Kellner, author of "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism and Media Culture" writes, they "provide materials out of which we forge our very identities, our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality" (Kellner 5). It is a proven fact that watching television is America's leisure activity of choice (Harris 1), therefore, these images are very often seen by the American people. MTV, Nickelodeon, HBO, Comedy Central, ABC, these stations and many more, offer programs that include stereotypes of some sort. More often than not, these stereotypes have negative connotations attached. The term "dominant ideologies" is used in Kellner's article to describe the ideologies that make "inequali
These portrayed identities are not only seen in the television industry, though this type of media seems to have the biggest influence on my life. I am, by no means, a researcher of any sort, but I can relate this article's findings to those that I have previously read and make a connection. The media industry is one of the most powerful industries in society, and it is so for a reason. "Ownership and control of the media are extremely concentrated (Marger 380)," and the main goal is to generate revenue. The media respond to those who either will, or will not tune in. If a show's ratings is low, it will in turn stop airing, on the flip-side though, if a particular type of show is generating much revenue, more shows like it will come about. Society has not been exposed to much diversity through the air waves, and accepting, even liking this change is not something that is looked at as being very easy. They old saying goes, "Change is good," and while I agree, it may not be easy. ties
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ellen Degenerous, Media Culture, Central ABC, Alley McBeal, Sex City, , African American, Douglas Kellner, seen television, white mid-upper, mid-upper class, white mid-upper class, dominant ideologies,
Approximate Word count = 672
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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