The mass media influences the mindsets of the young and impressionable; leading to a blurring of the distinction between right and wrong. One has to be discerning in what they believe, which is presented to them by the mass media. Without the knowledge of being able to differentiate between good and evil, it is easy for one to be easily swayed by the messages conveyed by the media. Take, for instance, violent television programmes such as WWF wrestling, which advocates violence.
When Donald Trump turned out to be victorious during the previous presidential election, it exposed the fundamental problem with the media. While news channels, biased journalists and social media are often blamed, there is also a need for a deeper analysis. One of the main problems of mass media is that it is extremely commercialised today. For example, the exposure that Trump received during the presidential campaign gave it people’s attention. Similarly, media even has commercialised important issues like racism and human rights. For example, during George Floyd protests against racism and police brutality in the United States many media houses sought to capitalise on the moment by pledging solidarity with the protesters and speaking out against systemic racism.
Another issue is that today more people have access to the internet than ever before. The Internet is a popular platform to share ideas but it has also led to the prevalence of news being presented from multiple perspectives. Alternative news sites present important issues without checking the facts and without any ethics. Many websites use clickbait articles to get the attention of the reader and cater to their opinions. Rather than offering a neutral perspective on current affairs, the internet is infamous for providing news that is not factually accurate. The problem is further exacerbated when people form their opinions based on these articles that spread misinformation.
The portrayal of women in mass media has been distorted and unbalanced to a certain extent. While this is changing today, the trend still continues. From Nancy Pelosi to Amal Clooney high-achieving women have been portrayed in a way that suggests their achievements and abilities are secondary to their appearance, age or association with the males in their lives. Not only this, media portrayal often relegates women to subservient roles. Television commercials are particularly guilty of this where they cast women in domestic roles. An instance of this can be dishwashing brand Mr. Muscle that mansplains to women about dishwashing and how to use the product. However, in reality, many men do not actually do any kitchen cleaning themselves
