Media Manipulation : The Strategy Of Distraction

Media has been playing a significant role in our daily lives by developing our personalities, enriching our knowledge and providing us with different sorts of information. It has a tremendous power in framing cultural guidelines and shaping political dissertation. If the information provided to the U.S. citizens is distorted, then they cannot make informed decisions on the matters of public policy. Thus, it becomes vital to the American democracy that the news media and its institutions remain unbiased, fair and accurate. Media bias happens when a media systematically and persistently emphasize one particular point of view that is usually below the standards of professional journalism. There can be various reasons for media bias, some of

Social control is techniques and strategies used for preventing deviant human behavior in any society. All levels of society such as family, school, bureaucratic and government has some form of social control. Examples of family social control include obeying your parents rules, doing your homework and chores. School includes standards they expect of students such as being on time, completing assignments and following school ground rules. The bureaucratic organization emphasizes the rules and procedures among their workers. The government expresses social control through law

After reading the article “The Meaning of Social Control” by Peter Berger I agree that social control is present in our daily lives trying to get people to conform in different situations. There are several different kinds of social control from violence, to gossip to even being shunned from a community. In the article it even states, that social control “...refers to the various means used by a society to bring its recalcitrant members back into line. No society can exist without social control (Berger 1).” This quote means without social control people wouldn’t be able to conform to any specific situation which can lead to a lot of issues. Even though conformity in general is perceived as a bad thing it can also be used for good. Like the example given when a police officer gives a person a ticket it teaches the person to not speed or they would get into trouble.

Social control is the way society reacts to behavior and people it considers as deviant, problematic, worrying, threatening, troublesome or undesirable in some way or another. There are three different types of social control: private, parochial, and public. The most basic form of social control is at the private level. This is also referred to as a primary form of social control. At the private level social control is carried out by family, friends, and other informal social groups that have the capacity to exercise social control through criticism, praise, ostracism, and even violence. The second form of social control is at the parochial level and is also known as secondary social control. At the parochial level social control is exercised by community organizations such as schools, churches, neighborhood groups, and businesses that often have a stake in individual behavior, but do not have the same sentimental attachment as those at the private level. Social control levied by those at the parochial level, for example, can take the form of a verbal reprimand by a neighbor or sanctions meted out by a school principal or church official. The third form of social control is exercised at the public level. At the public level social control is exercised by governmental organizations such as the police and regulatory agencies. This form of social control is often called to action when other strategies exercised by the private and parochial levels have

“Public opinion is formed and expressed by machinery. The newspapers do an immense amount of thinking for the average man and woman. In fact, they supply them with such a continuous stream of standardized opinion, bourne along upon an equally inexhaustible flood of news and sensation, collected from every part of the world every hour of the day, that there is neither the need nor the leisure for personal reflection. All this is but part of a tremendous educating process. It is an education at once universal and superficial. It produces enormous numbers of standardized citizens, all equipped with regulation opinions, prejudices and sentiments according to their class or party.” – Winston S. Churchill

This article discusses how media influence is also used in other media outlets such as Tumblr and Twitter. Usually media bias is viewed in the context of newspapers and news programs, but now politics are now being incorporated in Tumblr to influence voters. President Obama is using media outlets such as Tumblr in order to appeal to a certain age demographic and influence young voters by “playing to his audience’s preferences.” The president is not the only one to start using these tactics; many foreign governments are starting to incorporate them as well because social media is such a powerful tool.

Media has become an integral part of the lives of both Americans and people all around the world. It has its influences on different aspects of a person’s aspect on life. Many political analysts have looked at the influence of media on elections, especially as the media has become more prominent in the world. With technology becoming more and more a n integral part of the daily life of a person, this subject will become that much more relevant. We live in a time where almost every person in the developing and developed world has consistent access to a television, and therefore has that constant exposure to media. Almost everywhere a person goes, they will be exposed to the media. There are several factors that have been examined to determine the exact role that the media holds in the outcome of elections. One theory on the subject is that the national media has a different role than local medias do when it comes to levels on influence on elections The other two theories that will be discussed are media bias and that the amount of exposure to media has an effect on the amount of influence. Another theory is that the existence of a correlation is a false perception. All of these theories will be analyzed in this paper, as well as others. Different studies and analysis have different explanations for the correlation between media influence and elections. The factors analyzed have been viewed to show different variations in the relationship between the two. The findings of

The evaluation of research and studies was conducted in order to assess possible liberal bias in the media. Through consideration of studies within the past twenty years, certain implications and causes of media bias are addressed and explained. As there are multiple viewpoints surrounding media bias, many stances are observed. Media bias is justified through a matter of diversity, party affiliation, liberal expectations, and varying definitions of bias. The results of these studies show that while media bias may exist, it not significant. It is also found true that most journalists have left sided beliefs, but tend to claim moderate. The negative reputation of bias is ultimately defended, and it is found that this bias can be considered positive in some aspects.

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.

Giant Pools of Money Home ownership has been widely viewed as a cultural symbol in the United States. We become emotionally tied to the desire of owning a home. In order to fulfill this desire, we look towards the right financial institution willing to provide a home loan and we then start the process. However, the decision process we use to obtain a home can sometimes become clouded and covered in biases. This gives tremendous leverage to financial institutions. In the early

1. The media extrinsically distracts the teaching environment of teenagers. Namely, the media outlets (e.g., Cosmo, Buzzfeed, and MTV) and social media (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram) significantly distract teenagers from my student ministry and schools where I have taught. For example, since the media has influenced the worldview that they uphold, they view a certain biblical concept with opposition. Furthermore, the students are constantly viewing their phones throughout a lesson. Although there are teenagers who use the Bible appropriately since they are taking notes or viewing the Bible, many of them, including some leaders, are on their phones, viewing their social media, rather than fully paying attention to the listen.

Propaganda is performed through print, audio, and visual mass media. It is used for the promotion of the public’s activities in their life such as purchasing goods through market propaganda, and it is also found in politics, foreign affairs, and in many other fields. Most importantly propaganda is depicted in the informercialization of the news, which is connected with subliminal advertising and commercialization of public events and individual promotion such in communication websites. However, there is great debate over propaganda and persuasion that is casted in the media, which I will be elaborating in this essay.

The way the media frame issues has a subtle yet significant effect on the general public. Studies have shown that frames can help determine which procedures we find medically necessary (Edwards, Elwyn, Covey, Matthews, & Pill, 2001), can influence our ability to recall critical details of a news story (Valkenburg, 2000), and can even subtly influence elections (Shah, Domke, & Wackman, 1996). Given the impact frames can have on the general public, it is important to have a clear way to conceptualize and measure their effects.

How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999)

The media and advertising hinder do indeed hinder our being fully human. Mass media including radio, television and newspapers endeavors to shape public opinion on a variety of things. The media attempts to manipulate those values instilled by parents and society in general, thus taking away from our being human. Messages designed to influence peoples’ attitudes, desires and decisions fall upon society urging those people to buy a certain product, vote for a certain political figure, or support a “worthy” cause. The daily attack of media and advertising persuade the public to be one and the same, rather than allowing them to function as humans who follow their own beliefs.