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Media And Its Impact On Society Essay

Decent Essays

Media can be defined as “the means of communication as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely” and is fully ingrained into our society. In fact, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, during the 1st Quarter of 2016, American adults consumed media at a daily average of 10 hours and 39 minutes. Media not only entertains us and serves as an important agent of communication, but also plays a crucial role in the socialization of cultural values and norms. For instance, the emergence of 1950s television is credited with creating the stereotype of the traditional American family. While the messages of popular culture and media have changed over the years, these messages continue to play a large role in socialization especially when it comes to family norms. In some ways, the media is positively leading the future of families by bringing attention to important issues, but in other ways, it perpetuates biases affecting families.
In my opinion, education is the first step in social and legal reform and in many ways the media serves as an instrument of education. No matter what type of media you are consuming everything from the news to fictional stories has the ability to teach us something. Since most adults spend an average of 10 hours and 39 minutes per day consuming various forms of media, I believe it is fair to assert that many Americans spend more time consuming media than they do being educated in

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