Media Essay, Research Paper

Media: The Power to Make or Interrupt a State

By: katrina costas

E-mail: woof-woof @ mypersonalemail.com

& # 8220 ; Communication remains God & # 8217 ; s great gift to humanity without which we can non be genuinely human, reflecting God & # 8217 ; s image. & # 8221 ; ( Ca? aberal, 1993, 44 ) Freedom of address is a right of persons as they possess their ain free will. Because of their free will, persons have expressed their ideas, desires, and aspirations through the mass media. Communicating freely with other affirms the self-respect and worth of each and every member of society. Freedom of look is indispensable in the attainment and promotion of cognition. Communication brings away assorted thoughts and information. Peoples today are better informed and more enlightened thanks to booming imperativeness freedom and spread outing mass media here and in many parts of the universe. All points of position are represented in the & # 8220 ; market place of thoughts & # 8221 ; and society benefits from argument about their worth. & # 8220 ; Monkey see, monkey do & # 8221 ; has become a well-known expression in today & # 8217 ; s society. In add-on, this is how media influences society as it leaves a big impact on the persons. Media has been considered by Ciony C. Gonzales as & # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; the most dominant art signifier & # 8230 ; . & # 8221 ; ( 1984, 9 ) as it has an unconditioned power to prosecute and impact the entire individual. It leaves a compelling and permanent impact on both the witting and subconscious ( Gonzales, 1984, 9 ) . Though media informs and educates, it besides corrupts and feats, taking it to lend to the moral debasement of society. Media & # 8217 ; s function in society is to inform, educate, and entertain. It tells the truth and provides positive stimulation that can construct up images and reputes the right manner ( Grantoza, 1993, 31 ) . It can besides be a court of justness ( Reuter, 1993, n.p. ) . Therefore, media has contributed greatly in ways that both enlighten and enrich society, but in other ways have deteriorated and perplexed it. It is non a surprise to larn, so, that media is the most powerful beginning of information, and nil else in today & # 8217 ; s universe influences public perceptual experience as to a great extent. & # 8220 ; Media in the Philippines & # 8230 ; is merely a contemplation, an branch, a mirror & # 8230 ; of society as a whole. & # 8221 ; ( Benigno, 1993, 6 ) After all, media has been perceived to hold such a big power over people. But, instead than executing its function in society, media today has strayed, holding a more negative than positive deduction. It backstabs, destroys images and reputes, covers up the truth, stimulates negatively, and imparts the incorrect messages. Furthermore, people experience a freedom of the imperativeness that becomes an avalanche of conflicting information and sentiment. It is a freedom which is frequently deceptive. & # 8220 ; It confuses even as it is supposed to edify, it assails the senses even as it is supposed to polish them, it entertains more than it enlightens, it gossips more than it informs. & # 8221 ; ( Benigno, 1993, 6 ) The right to freedom of look is being badly tested today as artistic look is under onslaught, as some groups seek to enforce their morality on the remainder of society. Therefore, media has become morally and creatively belly-up. Media shows no values and moral moralss and the content is filled with no other subject but force and sex. Consequently, media mirrors society by reflecting it as a society with low ethical motives, with offense, sex, and erotica. It contributes to the national dislocation and the moral debasement of society. It has corrupted and exploited the freedom of the imperativeness ( Benigno, 1993, 6 ) . Media Teachs by agencies of quivers and images that leave a greater consequence on the young person ( Reuter, 1993, n.p. ) . People become victims of media & # 8217 ; s use as they are being influenced for the worse. Because of the influences that affect the subconscious, all signifiers of media should be taken more earnestly as to debar harmful effects ( Gonzales, 1984, 9 ) . & # 8220 ; Media is nonreversible. It merely cares about money & # 8211 ; this is media & # 8217 ; s world. & # 8221 ; ( Ca? aberal, 1993, 44 ) Therefore, it corrupts and exploits society, preponderantly the young person, by bring forthing an ambiance of privation ( Ca? aberal, 1993, 44 ) . Media changes the system of formation by writhing the definition of love. They work on the emotions and feelings of people instead than the mind and will, making a more important impact on the young person ( Reuter, 1984, n.p. ) . The young person are na? ve and are more open to shoot that promote utmost force in action films, in writing sexual scenes, and coarse linguistic communication that brainwash their heads ( Deocareza, 1992, 19/23 ) . Media uses their power in the most constructive ways possible in order to advance evaluations and popularity. One manner to make that is to concentrate on what sells: sex, force and catastrophe. They provide a regular diet of rubbishy soaps and talk shows, vulgar and violent hebdomadal offense play, violent movies and hebdomadal action plans, and intelligence magazines which on a regular basis characteristic narratives about the sex industry, erotica and other subjects which exploit sex. Violence is oozing from media to society as it is used in many ways in promos as a hook T

o draw viewing audiences into the plan. That is because force is an effectual promotional device. And, when force is chiefly presented as justified, rewarded, or non punished, it is more likely to promote aggressive behaviour and attitude. Violence consequences in assorted offenses such as slaying, colza, snatch, and assault with a deathly arm. Pornography has a negative moral deduction that lead to sexually aggressive behaviour that cause colza and other flagitious sex-related Acts of the Apostless ( Carson-Arenas, 1999, n.p. ) Media justifies this by mentioning to it as an art signifier. However, because its intent or purpose is to elicit the people, which may convey serious menaces to the public’s wellness and safety, it becomes erotica and non an art. It is obscene as it lacks serious values, obsessed with sex and/or sexual force, and violative stuff. ( Christensen, 1990, 4 ) . “…pornography is merely similar pollution. It’s non the [ sic ] ever the individual who does the fouling who’s hurt by it, but the guiltless people around him. Like pollution, it is risky to the well being of our households and kids. People’s lives are frequently destroyed by it and when this happens, they become a menace to others.” ( Pornography serious menace, surveies show, 1999, n.p. ) . Pornography destroys the morality of society by earnestly harming the self-respect of people doing it a majo societal concern of society ( Sin, 1999, 6 ) . What is questionable about erotica, so, is its opprobrious and degrading portraiture of females and female gender, non is sexual content and explicitness ( Russell, 1998, 9 ) . “Pornography causes colza and incest! Pornography encourages criminal conversation and immorality! ” ( Tan, 1999, n.p. ) . Profanity ne’er has been and ne’er will be a mark of strength, passion, or caring. It is and ever will be an index for missing creativeness and intelligence. The usage of such words is a symptom of a unease in the state. Now, immature people use profanity because they think it makes them look like grownups. It is a sad contemplation on our society that crudeness and loutish behaviour are regarded as grownup ( Green, 1997, n.p. ) . Though parents teach their kids values, there are forces that threaten these values. Media remains to be the strongest among these forces ( Viray-Gatmaytan, 1992, 56/57 ) . It leaves a deep and permanent influence by working on the values of the people, going a moral vacuity. Present twenty-four hours media is destroying the cherished values by “…presenting false values, perverting the young person, lending to political agitation, promoting offense, force, loose ethical motives and societal agitation ; etc.” ( Laig, 1984, 10 ) It shows what is immoral in society in a glamourous visible radiation, doing it look non such a bad thing as it is rewarded onscreen. Media signifiers values everyplace, non cognizing that it is making so. In add-on, these values may sometimes contradict or travel against the lessons that have been taught in the schoolroom or by parents ( Reuter, 1992, 40 ) . For that ground, media should exercise an attempt to reconstruct the ethical motives of society as it has contributed to some diminution to the moral criterions, by showing contemplation of the different facets of society ( Laig, 1984, 10 ) . Media should supply positive, wholesome scheduling that promotes and develops Catholic values while enriching and satisfying the Black Marias of all beliefs. It should be more considerate of the public’s esthesias and safeguard public ethical motives ( CarsonAranas, 1999, n.p. ) . It should supply tools and information to help the originative community to be more socially responsible without releasing originative freedoms. Media should better patterns refering assorted issues impacting kids and society at big. Last, media should guarantee the development of society both psychologically and morally every bit good as advancing media’s function in the value and societal formation ( Deocanreza, 1992, 19/23 ) . “Media is like a bread knife and it is besides like a shank. If we don non command media, it controls us. In media, there is no decision-maker, no way. Media is the most deathly and at the same clip the most good force in the world.” ( Reuter, 1993, n.p. ) For these grounds, it can be said that until a positive nexus can be found between the corruptness in the media and the diminution of ethical motives, it will stay that force, erotica, and profanity is a part of media’s development towards society ( Howitt, 1975, n.p. ) . Media causes people to indulge in force by agencies of cyberspace, cartoon strips and telecasting are capable of prolonging long term side effects, which in bend, threatens the morality of society. Because media has destroyed some values, it hence should mend some of the harm by educating at the same clip entertaining ( Conde, 1992, 19 ) . Mass media can hold a really negative consequence on society, but with the support of parents and a small control, the media can be turned into a good tool instead than negative impact. The bulk of people should besides widen their safeguards and pattern self-censorship whenever possible to cut down the impact of media corruptness and development.

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