Media and Society

Media, Gender Roles and Identity

Modern society is governed by imagery and the meanings derived. How society operates is indicative of what it learns and the media is the largest educational institution that exists in the world today. The vast quantity of information that is transmitted cannot be matched by any of the higher learning facilities combined.

The general public is saturated by so many bits of information that it barely has a chance to digest when the next mouth full is heading straight at it. The media exits within every nation and geographical location on the planet. Any combination of the internet, tv, radio or print media can be found in all the countries of the world. The share variety of the content is as diverse as the number of media themselves.

The owners of the media; government or the private sector can influence the society by the content it offers. The content presented represents the underlying point of view the owners have and want to share. Their views on gender, identity, politics, you name are disseminated via the content that is broadcast. This in turn has some effect on the society and how it functions.

Politics and governance is an example that is universal to all nations of the world. The lengths that political institutions go to attain government can be seen in their use of media. They attempt to portray a clean and favorable image of its self while casting doubt about their competitors in the minds of the public. The reality sometimes takes second place to the goal at hand; attain power and ruling over the masses, sometimes by any means necessary

The media through advertising also shapes society through its content. The use of imagery by media has the potential to inform the decision process of the members of any given society. The models used, the products shown, the relational dynamics and the list goes on all influence the viewing public in some way form or fashion.

How do you perceive the society you live in?

Are your perception based on the content of your indigenous media?