Social Media Synthesis Essay

For as long as a lot of us can remember people have been using social media. People put a large majority of their lives on Facebook or other social media websites or apps. Since they do that, anyone could go on someone’s account and find out a lot about them. College admissions officers and potential employers do it all of the time. College admissions officers and employers should look at social media accounts because it will help make their decision easier, they can see if the applicant could be a potential embarrassment, and can get a different view of the applicant that’s not on paper.

Moreover, the media also influences our identities by creating stereotypes. Taking back to the television show 'The Simpsons', for example. Homer, the father, is stupid, lazy and fat. Marge, the wife, is always nagging him to do work. Lisa, the smart one, is unpopular at school, unlike her mischievous brother Bart, who gets to hang with the cool kids, who are all bullies. Because people see these stereotypes, they begin to make generalizations about other people. People also fall into these stereotypes because it is what society expects of them. These stereotypes created by the media take away our individualism and instead provide us with a common identity which to most of us seems to be the same.

Media has the ability to reinforce any stereotypical image with most viewers unaware that they are being unconsciously exposed to this material (Kenschaft et al. 2015,

In today’s world, the exchange of information between individuals is largely based on the media alone. Conversations are held through social media sites, the news channels become the deliverers of new waves of specifically chosen stories, and the rest of the media effects the subconscious of the society. Movies, television shows, and “general” knowledge contribute to the rest of the mass media that affects the minds of people. The subconscious of the people can form the characteristics of the young and solidify ideas within the older population. The problem of the current society is that the subconscious ideas transferred to the media is particularly in the favor of Caucasians. This excludes people of African descent, Latinos, Asians, and other recognizably new minorities such as transgender. The overall effect of this subconscious problem is not very measurably but it can have disastrous consequences within each respective culture. Among all the minorities listed, African Americans and people of African descent have a tendency to be the most often misrepresented.

The stereotypical misrepresentations of African-American women and men in popular culture have influenced societal views of Blacks for centuries. The typical stereotypes about Black women range from the smiling, asexual and often obese Mammy to the promiscuous Jezebel who lures men with her sexual charms. However, the loud, smart mouthed, neck-rolling Black welfare mother is the popular image on reality television. The typical stereotype about Black men is the violent, misogynistic thug, and the ever-enduring pimp. These images portrayed in media and popular culture createpowerful ideology about race and gender, which affects daily experiences of Black women in America. With few healthy relationships portrayed in the media, Black women

When you look at the amount of African American stars on television, it is easy to tell that stereotypes of African Americans are being portrayed negatively. Since the 1960s, black television has thrived in many different ways. From “Different Matters” to “Insecure”, African Americans have tried to get rid of this stigma. African Americans are constantly shown as. However, with the increase of representation comes an increase in misrepresentation. The amount of discrimination has risen exponentially in the United States. This is due to the increased hatred and miscommunication of black struggle and black problems in the world, causing an inhumane belief and standard of regular African Americans in the world.

There has been much debate over the perception of African Americans in the media and how it affects their self-identity. It is easy to find examples of bias in portraying African Americans, but not a lot of causal research to prove that it causes problems with self-identity. A case can even be made that the amount of media presence by African Americans, whether biased or un-biased, has greatly helped to unify and give voice to a small minority group.

Online predators and Stalkers can easily gain access to social media users’ personal information by either requesting to be a user’s friend or simply finding a way around the user's privacy settings. According to June Ahn, chat rooms are public and is an unmonitored space where online predators are more likely to be. “Adolescents are less likely to be targeted for unwanted sexual solicitation in social media than chat rooms.”(Ahn, June) I have found that, 412 adolescents were more likely to talk with strangers. This is hazardous for young children and adolescents because their lack of life experience leads them to blindly accept all friend request. The effort to seem popular by having many friends online can damage credibility and truth worthiness.

Mass media not only reflects gender stereotypes but also plays a role in changing them. Females used to be portrayed as less brave and more dependent. Now there are strong, independent female characters like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games and intelligent, brave female characters like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Like women’s changing positions in society, more aggressive and dominant females are being featured. Mass media molds new stereotypes but not all the ideas that are communicated are positive.

For centuries African American women have been underrepresented and misrepresented by the media (Carpenter, 2012). Stereotypical representations have negatively affected the way society sees and relates to black women, as well as their own self perceptions and identities (Brown, White-Johnson, and Griffin-Fennell, 2013). The media is responsible for bias and stereotyping in its portrayal of underrepresented groups in society. The dissection of these stereotypes, statistical analysis of black representation in film, and modern depictions in cinema and television will help to prove the harm misrepresentations are capable of.

“Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.”

Television is regarded as a significant source of information that plays an influential role in formulating an individuals social reality. As a tool that conveys the simulations of every day life it “may become a part of our social experience and serve as a basis for social judgements such as racial attitudes and ethnic stereotypes” (Fujoka, 52). Stereotypes are explained as widely held beliefs about a particular person or group. Research shows that “television images of minority groups might affect minority members’ self-concept and racial awareness” (Fujoka, 54). The portrayal of minorities on television were deemed by minority groups as a conception of socially existing beliefs toward their racial group. As such, television may have perhaps

Stereotypes have become a prevalent issue in our media. They, without our knowledge, prevent us from moving forward as human. In this essay, I will discuss the effects of stereotypes in media on gender roles, religion, and race.

There has been a lot of research done on the influence media can have on society, in particular the degrading images of women that are often seen in media. Since the second wave of the women’s rights movements these images were the object of scrutiny and an easy example of how women were viewed. In modern society where women have made many strides towards equality why are there still instances in popular media were women are negatively depicted? Have women come as far as they think? The popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory negatively depicts the female characters by reverting to a binary view of gender, in which the female characters are lacking, they can be beautiful or smart however they cannot be both.

The media portrays stereotyping and prejudice on the television, radio, and newspapers. What people read and watch easily impacts their perception of the world, studies show that “regular televisions viewers reveal a strong association between their exposure to the local or national newscast and their racial attitudes and perceptions” (Parrillo, 2016). The biggest stereotype I’ve witnessed in the media is specific gender roles, for instance, males are associated with the work-oriented and masculine characters and the women are associated with the love and family-oriented roles. Not only does the media portray gender roles but they also portray race related parts. For example, African Americans play the unfortunate criminals who are always violent, and white people play rich, content, and outgoing characters. If the media didn’t portray such a negative perception of certain ethnics and races, I truly believe fewer people would act in prejudicial way and stereotype other