LITERATURE REVIEW
Mass media programs have influenced civilizations for decades. Radio, television, and social media all play apart in shaping society’s interpretation of the world around them, as well transmitting information that becomes a shared world view among large groups of people. Throughout the years, much research has been completed over how media affects society, and public opinion of the media and its effects has changed drastically over the years. One specific event that many people point at when discussing the power of media is Orson Welles’ infamous War of the World’s radio drama, which broadcasted the night before Halloween in 1938. It’s purported that the radio drama was so realistic and powerful that it led the public into a state of mass panic -- causing frenzied police calls, mass exodus, and suicide attempts before Orson Welles reassured his listeners that it was just a bit of Halloween fun.
Much of the controversy that surrounds Welles’ program stems from the large amount of press it received after the event, as citizens shared their personal accounts of the harrowing night with journalists and local newspaper corporation. The morning after the broadcast, the New York Times was filled with the astounding tales shared by New Jersey and New York citizens illustrating the chaos that happened that night; police calls, tied phone lines, abandoned homes, pleas for help, and mass exodus were all just a portion of the chaos that supposedly occurred as Welles’
The introduction of television casted a wave of change in the lives of the American public. In Gary Edgerton’s The Columbia History of American Television, he described the uprising of television, “involved the most extensive and ballyhooed series of public relations events ever staged around any mass medium in American history. “ (Edgerton, p.1) The first presentation of television played a pivotal role on how the American public adopted the new medium of technology and communication. I will explore the grand manner of how television was presented to the American public during the early years by the direction of David Sarnoff, and televised special of the 1939 World’s fair. In addition, how this presentation of television generated the acceptation
The influence of media is ubiquitous as we are all exposed to it, and influenced by the messages they attempt to sell. For example, the trope of science gone wrong is a classic plotline of science fiction that is present enough in media to give anyone a sense of paranoia. Media is indeed a force to reckon with. In a world in which the success of media is based off of its audience, the question arises to: to what extent may media alter truth to gain attention, and how may media influence society’s values?
The mass media has become a big part of our society and its counterparts. In a time span of 50 years this medium has influenced society to an extent where it has created wonders. This immaculate tool can control almost every action we perform, from speaking to the actions that every human being performs in society. The mass media has brought upon a new era of idea's and changes in the world we live in. As we analysis media in depth we will find many aspects of media which overlap and some of the smallest factors and aspects of media, which create the biggest impact on society.
Furthermore, Americans placed trust in the presence of pictures, for they could “see it happen.” Because it was a visual medium, television depicted the raw horror of war and primarily focused on the negative. In addition, media recognized the potential for television to exploit the war’s sensationalism and to capture the minds of their viewers. The Tet Offensive was noted by many intellectuals
Even after war, groups will always produce media with the intent of influencing the public. “Meet King Joe,” for example, is a post World War II film that follows Joe on an educational journey where he learns about how the American economy works to make his life better. The other post World War II film to be analyzed, “Don’t Be a Sucker,” follows Mike as a wise stranger tells him about how, as Americans, we should all be tolerant of each others differences lest we become like Nazi Germany. Both of these films utilize Plain Folks appeals and other techniques in an effort to influence public opinion; but one is black, deceptive, and unethical propaganda while the other may be closer to a rational attempt at persuasion than a piece of propaganda.
Opening statement: The facts of the case prove that the defense and Mr. Welles should be found guilty of emotional distress and damages to the plaintiff. Mr. Welles clearly states "I had conceived the idea of doing a radio broadcast in such a manner that a crisis would actually seem to be happening," further saying “...[it] would be broadcast in such a dramatized form as to appear to be a real event…”. The broadcast was delivered on October 30th, Devil’s day. This is further proof that Mr. Welles intended to fool listeners. Furthermore, the tone of the United States was tense after the Great Depression and the Nazi’s starting their campaign in Europe, making citizens more susceptible to Mr. Welles offences. After the initial broadcast, St.
The Cold War influenced every modern medium in society. Many new technologies came out of the Cold War, and every aspect of society was touched; the media was no exception. For the first time, the media seeped into and influence American and foreign lives. The media’s main role in the Cold War was to distribute political propaganda in order to manipulate citizens into detesting communism or protest the various wars that happened because of the Cold War. The media accomplished this in a variety of ways some of which were print media, film, radio, television, and education system.
One of the reasons the American people were fooled into thinking Welles’ program was real is that the program was consistently interrupted with “real news updates.” These updates added in a factor of realism that what the audience was listening to was happening at the same time. These interruptions would be signaled by the announcer coming on to give updates to previous ones. An example of this from the program itself goes: “Ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the Government Meteorological Bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the
The coincidence of the growth of television with the first military defeat for America was used by the government to explain why the war was lost: it wasn’t because of government policy or by underestimating the enemy but because television journalism and lack of censorship that undermined the whole operation “by ‘graphic and unremitting distortion’ of the facts, pessimism, and unvarnished depiction of both Americas youthful casualties and American ‘atrocities’ inflicted on the Vietnamese.” The amount of televisions in America was on the increase; ‘In 1950, only 9 percent of homes owned a television. By 1966, this figure rose to 93 percent.’ This alone shows the sheer coverage that the news had and the potential influence that it could impose upon the minds of the people. Not only did more people have television sets in their homes but more and more people were relying on television over any other medium to obtain their news. The survey conducted by the Roper organisation for the Television Information Office in 1972 shows us that 64% of people got most of their news from television, an 8% increase from the survey conducted in 1964. Another factor in the power of television was not just the fact that it reached a wide audience, it was also the fact that people were more likely to believe what the television news said over reports in the newspaper or radio, especially if the reports were conflicting in nature. This was due to two factors; the personality who
The media influences how people experience social life. Media such as newspaper, television and film, are important sources of information, education and entertainment. It can be used to learn more about the world and the people in it. In this regard it can be said that the media represent, interpret and endorse aspects of social experience (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2005). The media are also implicated in social regulation, or in other terms, the government of society. The media are implicated in government and politics in an obvious way because modern systems of democracy are conducted through the media. But the media have a bigger role to play in government by structuring how society is controlled and maintained.
Postman (1987) claims that television is an evil that destroys the purpose and complexities of public discourse. He argues that important issues are oversimplified and drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Chaffee and Metzger (2001) confirm this assumption by remarking the evolution of print and radio into television and television into new media. Establishing the similarities between Postman’s chief complaints about the television medium and the new media then rearing its ugly head. Chaffee and Metzger indicate the shift in the denotations of mass, media, and communication. With technological advancements, it is impossible to ignore the new media and its impact on modern culture.
Orson Welles and subsequent broadcasters could get so many people into a state of panic and flight with a story that was farfetched. He could get so many people to believe the story because he made it believable. People that did not tune in the program since it started missed the introduction, this made them think it might be real. In between the radio play, there was “fake news” that made it more realistic. They also gave the expert's opinion to make it more realistic. What the audience was really hearing was voice acting and sound effects that made it realistic. Because of the play, it caused panic nationwide, people were hiding and running away. Situations like this are why the First Amendment can be limited. First Amendment can be limited
“A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth” – Joseph Goebbels, German Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. This is the exact words of Nazis most famous propagandist in using media as a mass weapon of propaganda and mind control. Could you imagine Germany in 1930s, without Television channel, without the Internet, without every mobile device in your palm, what channel of information will you get? Of course, newspapers, flies, images, celebrities were used as tools for propaganda purposes, designed to provoke a reaction, and ultimately, a form of control over their citizen. Nowadays, with all the advanced of technologies, information can reach everyone in every corner of the Earth, the message is delivered in the subtlest ways, without people’s conscious, has shaped everyone’s decision, or at least shape their behavior toward the decision that the orchestrator want the audience to perceive. With the booming of internet, information sharing seamlessly, we must ask ourselves, the role of media in conveying, shaping the society that we are living in. Let look at few examples of U.S propaganda machine, and later, the particular case of fish sauce in Viet Nam back in October 2016.
Mass media plays an important role in the society by providing entertainment, information and acting as the government’s overseer. Several scholars have developed philosophies that help people understand how mass media fulfills its roles in the society. For example, Horkheimer and Adorno have constructed theories that explain the functions and impacts of mass media in the society across the globe (Mosco, 2008). The central theme in all mass communication models entails the meaning of media contents, which include the images and texts and their influence on the target audience. The perception of the target audience concerning the text and images in the media are what form the basis of these theories. This essay discusses two hypothetical frameworks: the political economy and cultural studies theories, including their similarities and differences, and how they help in understanding the relationship between the media and society.
Media influence is the force by which ideas are injected into people’s lives shaping the very culture of society. This influence is masqueraded through hidden media message, resulting in a change in its audience which can be positive or negative, abrupt or gradual, short term or long term. Although mass media’s influential effect can reach a wide ranged audience as an agent of socialization the responsibility to contain what it releases has not been of importance. “The media’s socially significant obligations are formally ignored.” (A.S. Zapesotskii, 2011, p 9). Media messages can be exerted through many different outlets such as TV shows, music, movies, commercials, news, magazines, games which are all gravitated to entertain audiences ultimately offering personal gratification that can sometimes blur the lines between reality and