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Does the media play on our fears or create new messages? Why/why not? Use specific examples from the films we have viewed In class to support your answer. There are many things in the world that humans are conditioned to believe are good for them.. As individuals, humans tend to look at each other and immediately find differences instead of exploring the similarities. For example, in the U. S. Alone, the total number of coffee drinkers is 100 million. Sixty-eight percent of coffee drinkers have a cup within the first hour of waking up. People are told that coffee Is meeting that Is good to consume.
They probably have it with their breakfast, If they aren’t running late. And all the while they’re enjoying their breakfast, they’re probably watching their local news channel which is also something normal to do in the morning. These are all things that the people of the world have in common and the people behind it all are taking advantage of that. They have the ability to control the way we feel and the way we think. That local news channel is most likely broadcasting a story on a global crisis, robbery, murder, suicide, everyday uses, food, ND/or many other things that easily can cause people to become stressed.
Stress Is a form of fear and going through long periods without being relaxed can actually harm a person’s health. The media plays on the fears of the people of the world and creates new messages for them to believe to be true. In the everyday lives of children, teens, and adults, a new fear is learned. For example, a child will become afraid of what is in their attic because they watched Betelgeuse for the first time. The hallway In which the entrance to the attic is certainly cannot be dark If something is up there.
The solution for this would be to buy a night light and plug it in near the attic. A teenager will be afraid of being who they really are because in order to fit in with their friends at school they have to stick to the status quo. In the documentary Consuming Kids, it was explained that young adults are influenced on what they should like, what they should wear, and even what they should be eating by the media. For example, a teenager will see a commercial for Reece’s Puffs cereal and become Informed that they should be eating It in order to have a good morning.
At the same time, the teenaged actors are also dressed very stylish and up to date with fashion which will have an everyday teen thinking whether or not their own clothes will be accepted by their peers. Well now, the solution for a young man or lady would be to beg their parents to buy them the perfect clothes and the perfect food that will help them get through their day. Adults, ages 18 and up, are afraid of the latest story on the news that was about some type of crime, a recall on a product they own, or things that have the potential to be harmful.
For example, in Michael Moor’s documentary, Bowling for Columbine, he portrays the news media as a group of crime hungry reporters. One hour before the Columbine shooting occurred President Bill Clinton addressed to America the government was in control of the largest one day bombing by the U. S. In the Spooks War. As soon as the Clinton was notified of the shooting at Columbine HAS he happenings in Spooks to the events in Littleton, Colorado, home of Columbine High School. With this situation comes controversy between different types of people and what they think the best solution would be.
Some adults feel they should buy guns for their home to keep themselves or their families protected, because the media told them that the world they live in is extremely dangerous. The others will stand up and speak against guns and the violence that they produce and protest that there should be more government control on the right top bears arms. Watching and listening to the media is something that the majority of the human race has in common. So easily do the people behind the media play a huge role on the fears and new messages that viewers and consumers are influenced by.
They lay on these fears, because at the end of the day, the media is what keeps the cycle of fear and finding a solution never ending. Without the way today’s media works, what would companies do? How would they fulfill their greed? The media addresses the new message or stressful event, which causes fear on people, which then causes them to find what they feel is a good solution. That cycle will repeat forever and each new generation will fall for the media’s scheme unless people realize that they don’t have to listen. Everyone has the power to change the channel, avoid unnecessary stress, and choose not to consume.