As I’ve continued my education in college, I’ve learned
about the different styles of communication. Learning how people lean more on
the media and mass communication as an alternative to the aspects daily life
and relationships, I began to wonder what kind of effect does this have on the
community and do any major corporations know about this, have they capitalized
on this opportunity to persuade the masses to their preferences?
The media today is not only an
outlet for local news and information; it is a worldwide resource. Access to
this resource can encourage the staging of certain broadcasts to increase the
favor for one side or the other. As our knowledge of the world and all of its
activities expands so does the constant pressure to interact with each other
locally. Now the actions of any given politician can be projected into the
community like a flashlight in the dark. According to Graber in 2012 nearly 50%
of news consumption was through local news stations while the major worldwide
news stations received on average about 15% (Graber, 4).
The fact that people tend to turn
to their local stations for information can have an increased pressure for that
station to report on major, countrywide news such as political races. This can
increase the likelihood of scripted or “casted” broadcasts and interviews that
can lean one way or another for the political candidate involved. In today’s
world of multi-broadcast systems we are faced with dozens of television shows
trying to persuade us on their views. It may be common knowledge that certain
shows are written with certain preferences in mind, encouraging its audience to
share the same political and economic views. My question to you is, does this
cause the community to rely on a broadcast to learn their own opinions, or does
the idea of a self-made mentality still exist in such circumstances?
