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How The Media's Influence On The Perception Of Reality

Decent Essays

Media’s Influence on the Perception of Reality It took a supercomputer 2,274 speeches made by President Barack Obama from the year 2009 to the year 2014 recorded by 275 different media sources in order to determine which sources were biased (Ehrenberg). Imagine an average human trying to determine whether a specific media source should be trusted or not. All of these media sources use information in order to sell an idea. The media’s records of these speeches could include a biased opinion on President Obama’s presidency. American’s perception of reality is drastically altered due to media bias. Media bias is defined as “the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media” (“Media Bias Law…”). Media bias has been apparent since …show more content…

The media can cause low self-esteem because of the media’s influence. Laura Blackwell Clark, the writer of “Media, Influence on Children”, claims that entertainment mediums can influence how a person looks at themselves because of unrealistic images presented within the media (Clark). Mediums of entertainment showcase photoshopped images of what is considered society’s expectation of beauty. These unrealistic images can impact how a person views himself or herself because of the standards set by the media. The media can also lead to deadly eating disorders. Clark continues with, “efforts to sell an image that adheres to certain standards of body weight and size may be a catalyst for eating disorders suffered by some adolescents” (Clark). Due to the images shown in entertainment mediums, young adults believe that beauty is 100 pounds and a size 0. This can cause low self-esteem, and even serious mental disorders such as depression, bulimia, and anorexia, which can all lead to death. However, not everyone believes that the media negatively impacts self-esteem and perception of …show more content…

“Beneficial for early readiness for learning, educational enrichment, opportunities to view or participate in discussion of social issues and the arts” (Clark). It is believed that the media can be positive for young children and teens because it can spark curiosity and a want to learn due to the topics depicted in the media. Positive results of media influence includes children being prepared to learn earlier, higher education, and the ability to become involved in societal issues and the arts.(Clark). Media can not only lead to low self-esteem, but also violent behavior due to the content of media depicted. Images illustrated within the media can lead to violent tendencies because of the media’s view on the topic. If the media exaggerates a topic, it could potentially lead to a teen or young child believing it is okay to participate in dangerous activities, therefore creating negative influences on teens and young

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