Analysis Of Learning To Love The Shallow, Divisive New Media

In an era of global technology, instant news, infomercials, electronic town meetings, and “Made for TV Documentaries,” the borderlines between news and analysis, news and entertainment, news and fiction are constantly shifting.

Having served nearly thirty years at CBS News, Mr. Goldberg had earned a reputation as one of the most original writers and thinkers in broadcast journalism. However, when he observed his own industry, he realized the liberal media had completely missed their mission to give honest news. After years of sharing his observations and promoting more balanced reportings, Goldberg soon realized that no one listened because they believed they were doing the right thing. The liberal bias continued, therefore Bernard Goldberg decided to take the situation into his own hands and expose the distortion of the media himself. Goldberg’s breathtaking and shocking best seller book, Bias, reveals the close-mindedness of the news culture and their mission to entertain rather than share facts.

Weber highlights the dual position of mass media, which operate both as transmission vectors and as actors. The philosopher argues that the emergence of media monopolies, especially in television, transformed information into “pre-formation” (Phillips, 2011, p.170). Indeed, journalists and reporters used to process raw data, analyze it, and provide their readers with more or less relevant keys to enable them to form their own enlightened outlook on the content presented. With the advent of information technologies, the focus has shifted towards less analysis and a larger volume of “news”: “Transparency here would equate with immediacy of meaning and accessibility of comprehension” (Phillips, 2011, p.163). News TV channels offer a constant loop of raw data over raw data. They provide only superficial critiques of the material that they offer to their viewers: ”as you say, not so long ago the notion of information ‘implied a process of alteration’: it was developed to take into account the inevitable aleatory effects of space and time in the transmission of data.” (Phillips, 2011, p.170). Social media has intensified the thirst for fast circulating, humongous volumes of material, which is doubly mistaken for information and transparency: “it [social media, author’s note] can stimulate the expectation that ‘then’ is

Saunders criticizes the megaphone, claiming it places priority on entertaining, profitable news as opposed to news that is educational or enlightening. Saunders furthers this claim by arguing that news media is habitually over-simplifying complicated issues, thus desensitizing the masses to stupidity and frivolity. Saunders’ essay is important because although it was published in 2007, it is still relevant (and will most likely be relevant as long as media exists). In fact, the points he makes in this essay are even more relatable now, as social media has increased greatly in popularity. Everywhere you look, there is a new “breaking story” about the Kardashians or the Jenners; and people accept this as real news! Saunders’ essay encourages readers to be critical of mass media and seek out undiluted, uncontaminated, earnest news

In his essay “But Enough about You” Brian Williams addresses a very interesting issue about the user- generated media and the Mainstream media in today's society. He believes that the ideal American culture has changed because people are only concerned about themselves. Nowadays people are more interested to watch news if the implied message involves them or if it's good enough to tell someone else. Williams explains how all the new devices, the web, video and the digital cable fill a perceived people need. Therefore, many people are not interesting in reading newspaper or watching news in which it leads the Media to lose viewers. He emphasizes that the audiences that follows the news report are dropped, but the media still work hard to gathering

Once Jim Morrison said that whoever controls the media controls the mind. This shows that he had recognized the immense power and influence that the media has in our day to day lives. The media plays a very important role in the society as the source of information for every person. Hence, it is very hard for the modern society to live without the media. As a result of the media being the major source of information in our society, it is an undeniable fact the media shapes people’s opinions, attitudes and actions on particular issues (Czopp & Monteith, 2006).

Most everyone has some form of social media. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram people have a way of communicating and getting news from all around the world. Unfortunately, this news is not always correct or trustworthy. Many people are not attuned to reading long articles or papers and just want the short story. Social media readily gives them shortened and condensed stories one after the other. Therefore, “traditional media has to adapt to the audience’s new

In today’s society, remaining connected and knowledgeable of current events and the newest trends is vital to staying ahead in business, education, and social standing. This information is supplied to everyone through the internet, newspapers, television, and radio. One can tune into stations such as CNN, NBC, Fox News, Al-Jazeera, and many others (“SQs of Media Outlets”). In order to meet the needs of viewers, readers, and listeners, the ideal media system would contain accurate, quick information, with a purely impartial view on the facts as they are known. However, this modern media system has not maintained an objective view, pushing opinionated and slanted reporting onto the population in order to create profit and gain customers. The exploitation of information media for personal gain has created a toxic and inaccurate present, constant in today’s society.

Godin first begins his blog by stating examples of how the media has been declining. He states that it is important to realize that our best-selling novels have been replaced by coloring books. Cable channels like TLC and the History Channel show populist, non-educational shows. Not only that, but even newspapers inform their audience with information they do not care to hear. This has resulted in the increase of general population not even purchasing newspapers. Seth Godin goes on to inform the reader that the decline of thoughtful media has been discussed for a century stating that the decrease is not anything new. The new information is, “A fundamental shift not just in the profit-seeking gatekeepers, but in the culture as a whole.” This shows the readers that Godin has done his research. It also shows that he is passionate about the lack of depth and complexity in our modern communications. The readers start to build trust in what he wrote because of his strong illustrations about the topic.

The content of the media is the fault of the people’s desire. Media publishers such as the New York Times Company, CBS, and Viacom are businesses raking in billions in revenue by meeting public demand. It is public demand for specific stories which dominate media publication and broadcasting. For example, the development of uber-conservative Breitbart and alt-left Slate developed as a result of conservative and liberal yearnings for biased media outlets. Before Breitbart and Slate, and other partisan news sources, established media either leaned center-right, or center-left but surges of conservatism and liberalism were visible in election returns during the turn of the 21st century. It is a result of this surge of liberalism and conservatism

Until the 1980s, the control of the media was in the hands of the national government. From then, the control shifted to private outlets and by the 1990’s, there were more than fifty multinational companies who controlled it (“Mass Media”). Today, only about six major companies control the larger fraction of media in America (Williams, Par. 1). Norman Solomon wrote in the New Political Science Journal that most reporters and editors work for just a few huge companies. These journalists and editors are on the payroll for “mega-media institutions”, of which, only about six exist (Solomon 297). How much will the public learn if these companies generally control the output of information?

In modern society, mass media is an unavoidable influence on our daily lives. Humans are reliant on mass communication and information for everything: work, education, entertainment, and much more. In her novel Gone Girl, author Gillian Flynn uses the thrilling story of Amy Dunne and her husband, Nick Dunne, who is accused of her murder to illustrate how much power mass media has over the general public’s judgement and opinions, despite their increasingly common dishonesty. In Gone Girl, the media runs with stories that have little substance for the sole purpose of grabbing public attention, they use their power to alter public perception multiple times and push their own agenda, and they create public personalities for people that do not match who they truly are.

Traditional and new media also provide enjoyment. There are readers who love the feel of print media, and also there are readers who love the speed and accessibility of online media (Charles, 2015). Some public like the layout of print, feeling that it more effectively guides their intuitive sense to what content is "more important" or "more urgent" than other content. While some readers prefer print over online media because they consider digital media (Meckler, 2010). It is without a doubt that traditional and new media allows people of today to choose their preferred medium to send and receive

In recent years, a shift has been created by new media, it has opened new spaces and changed various aspects of the very nature of news production and consumption (Shapiro, 2010). This essay evaluates the arguments surrounding this change, such as the debate over whether situated journalists are too subjective as opposed to the expectations of objectivity in traditional news media. The benefits that ‘informal’ journalists bring to news production are analysed in comparison to formal and distanced news production. With the immediacy of new media, the way news is consumed has changed, there is room to have a dialogue and interact with it in consumer’s pursuit of the truth. With the growing prominence of situated journalists, the growth of new media and the increasing informational appetite of the consumer, progressively more news is produced and consumed in a variety of different ways and with different implications across the world. These key arguments are explored to critically evaluate the role and effects of new media on the way the news is produced and consumed.

To wholly have a grasp on how this new founded approach to journalism has changed alongside technology—as well as understanding the dangers such openness brings forth—one has to understand what exactly those changes are. Primarily, those that are writing for the sake of offering information have, whether willingly or not, fed into the usage of social media as it has become a centralized method of distribution that is relatively inescapable with the current times. As such those framing the news for the masses find an authentic avenue to stay in contact via social media that has benefits ranging from, “its extraordinary newsgathering potential; its potential as a new tool to engage the audience; and as a way of distributing our news” (Eltringham, 2012), all of which are deeply different from the presentation of reporting that occurred during earlier eras. Days of strongly structured instances of journalism that could not travel with such speed have been replaced as, “social media has trashed many of the foundations on