The role and impact of media on construction and molding of people’s perception and attitudes is still a hot topic. Media is an important factor in today’s society as it provides information to the general public through different forms of media such as news, social media and even entertainment. In this essay, the author claims that the media does influence people’s opinions and attitudes yet there are methods to minimize this problem by learning critical media analysis and having various means of obtaining information.
Media has a very strong bearing on people’s opinion through setting the agenda and the way issues are presented. For instance, which stories are covered by news organizations is likely to influence the viewers’ perceptions and attitudes, even when other possible stories are completely omitted. This selective reporting often distorts the perception people have on politics or on some social issues, hence the kind of coverage that different media house gives on political activities of a certain country, on the notion that people should support this or that party or idea. It is therefore important to understand the potential that media has on perceptional formation while appreciating the need to build a balanced perception about this object.
However, the media possesses this much influence and there is the way to bring change that would make people more informed. Media literacy programs in education are one of that strategies to teach people how they can analyze and evaluate media content. Furthermore, opportunities offered by new forms of media and independent journalists contribute to identifying multiple points of view which are not monopolized by certain media conglomerates. Through interacting with different sources and having the ability to engage critical inclinations, people will be in a better place to deal with bias that media portrays and come up with the best understanding of media.
In conclusion, despite the fact that the media has influence over a large part of the mass population and forms public opinions and attitudes, it is never complete or unrestricted. However, media control is important; it can however be countered through practicing critical media literacy and being able to get access to other information. Media in general and television in specific should be literate and the diversity of the media should be supported in order to enhance social awareness and equity.