Media and Influence

Open the pages of any modern sociological textbook and media will always be listed as a major agent of cultural socialization. This truth alone indicates the extreme degree to which media is apart of society. Media has been used to portray the many aspects of society in different ways, because of how the news media chooses to report things, the attitudes of American Citizens are often swayed in ways that they may not other wise be swayed upon further investigation. In particular, in the early stages of the War On Terror, the news would have in depth coverage of the events of the war, but now, there is little to no coverage of wartime events, even though there still are noteworthy happenings in the war. Because of this, the attitudes of civilians about the war have been manicured into thinking that the war is not as serious as it was once believed to be. The influence that mass media has over society is so great because it is one that has never been paralleled, and is ever increasingly involved in modern life.

The media related influence in modern culture is so abundant, that it even controls how individuals dress, act, and think, and what they buy. Were it not for the extensive coverage of celebrities’ and their everyday lives, certain consumer aspects of modern society would likely be vastly different. Media dictates trends in society through constant updates and coverage of particular components in society. Because of this extensive coverage of prominent individuals, products such as expensive designer purses and other fashionable items would certainly not be as widely popular as they are. Through this a small majority of people can ultimately control the minds of numerous individuals and this is the true definition of media. The minds of millions can ultimately be molded to believe what they are shown and told through selected media.