The Negative Effects Of Media Manipulation

Although many people may like to think of America as a honest and moral nation, it is no secret that artifice has cemented itself as an indispensable skill, exploited by many to achieve their own ambitions. Artifice, characterized through the usage of cunning devices or expedients to deceive others, is often utilized by politicians and organizations to help push their own agendas. As illustrated by Chris Hedges in his social commentary, Empire of Illusion, “artifice” has emerged to become so ubiquitous and essential throughout American society, whether in business or the entertainment industry. Essential, in the essence that without it, people in any industry are more likely to be disadvantaged in achieving their personal goals. In today’s modern world, no area has seen more abuse of artifice than in the field of media and politics. Its common knowledge that newspapers skew reports to their own biases and politicians often tell half-truths to cover-up ulterior motives. Unfortunately, these politicians and media giants hold extremely influential positions in society, and their usage of artifice is extremely damaging to the integrity and accountability within the United States. As a result, the press as well as the general populace must utilize free speech to expose this behavior. Despite the complete immorality of the usage of artifice, such chicanery remains essential for success in media and politics.

Manipulation through the media has lead to serious consequences in 1984 and the US today.

Politicians can use manipulation of the media for political purpose. Through the use of propaganda and fear. Many of the times politicians have a desire to hid something and by doing so uses the media, language forms and techniques to manipulate the truth. This concept is shown through the ABC newspaper article called ‘NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to resign over “massive memory fail” at ICIA, written on the 17th of April 2014, cleverly explains the details that unfolded. Along with Barry Levinson’s 1997 film ‘Wag the Dog’. It’s ironic to see similar themes being portrayed through a real political scandal.

The media in American society has a major influential impact on the minds and beliefs of millions of people. Whether through the news, television shows, or film, the media acts as a huge database for knowledge and instruction. It is both an auditory and visual database that can press images and ideas into people's minds. Even if the individual has no prior exposure or knowledge to something, the media can project into people's minds and leave a lasting impression. Though obviously people are aware of what they are listening to or watching, thoughts and assumptions can drift into their minds without even realizing it. These thoughts that drift in are extremely influential. The massive impact it

The media is an extremely powerful source in society today. Surprisingly, many are unaware of this and choose to believe everything they read in magazines, newspapers and online without actually understanding where this information is coming from. This is a monumental problem in our generation today because like Malcolm X said, the media has the power to make the innocent look guilty and the guilty look innocent. In other words, the media has the power to manipulate our views and perspectives on controversial issues to persuade us to believe their

How does the media manipulate our perceptions? Media manipulation has been affecting our generation since the early 50s. In the 50s, TV commercials used the show babies drinking soda, Santa Claus offering cigarettes, and doctors recommending a specific brand of cigarettes. Those are the kind of manipulation tools the media used in the past. The question is, is the media still being manipulative in the 21st-century? Yes, the current generation is still being brainwashed and hypnotized by the media. Not only is it being manipulated in the media but also in literary works such as, "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan swift. Swift offers up one solution to food shortage which was eating babies. Swift argues that this will solve the hunger crisis, and

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.

History has changed. Ideas and standards have also changed. Back in the day, when the media or movies showed a hint or a dash of blood, the reaction of the average person was shock and disgust at the blood and gore shown. These scenes and clips shown have become more and more extreme over the years to the level of being hazardous to society. Even in the videogame industry, certain scenes that may have caused outrage and commotion fifteen years ago are now seen as childish and may even be considered as humorous. To put it candidly, most of the mass media has been used widely to its ability to influence and persuade, to glorify, and diabolize thoughts and actions of individuals. Yet people of this generation still spend a great percentage of

The “roots” of bias in the media date back to the nineteenth century, and criticism about bias partly reflects a controversial idea about what exactly is the media’s role and purpose. Newspapers and television alike are suppose to exist to relay objective, factual information gathered and communicated by journalists and reporters.

For the majority of history, newspapers have reported hard facts. Newspapers were a trusted source that society depended on to form their own opinion. More than ever, today it seems to be more difficult to find facts or truth. Just on that statement two significant and impactful questions are raised. Why is there so much bias and discrepancies between reporting and why is society fine with this? Anyone who pays attention to the reporting that is going on, they would notice the first question, but do not take it a moment to question why the public or themselves allow it. This all ties back to newspapers because they are beginning of this disaster. Although there hundreds of colleges and universities offer reporting degrees, these two questions are the heart of the matter and affecting society negatively.

To understand what state the modern media system is in, one must firmly understand what bias is. Media bias is present “when a political belief or commercial interest distorts the level of reporting” (“Media Bias” 1). If a political station provides positive or accurate information to only one side, then the station can be considered biased. Another form of bias is known as sensationalism. Sensationalism is the creation of panic or fear by over-reporting or over-inflating individual news stories, often blurring facts or reporting speculation as facts. A modern and familiar example of media

“The media are a primary source of those pictures in our heads about the larger world of public affairs, a world that for most citizens is ‘out of reach, out sight, out of mind’ and what we know about the world is largely based on what the media decide to tell us” (McCombs).

There are numerous ways that women and young girls are impacted by the media and their bias. There are many different types of bias used in the media. These biases are bias by omission, bias by selection, bias by placement, bias by labeling, and bias by spin. Media bias has a great deal of influence on society, but the media has a detrimental amount of influence on women in young girls. Some of these effects are positive, but most of them are negative. Stereotyping, sexuality, and body image are among the most persuaded when it comes to media bias. It is essential that every single person be well informed about the tactics used by the media in these categories not only to keep themselves from being negatively impacted but also protect their children from these tactics.

The media has been able to manipulate people by making them believe what they say. One example that satirizes the media is a movie called The Truman show. Throughout the Truman show, the main character, Truman Burbank, is trapped in a stage set which he perceives as the real world. As he has lived there for around 30 years he starts to get the perception of being in a false environment. The media plays a big role in our lives as Truman is exposed to the corrupt side of them.

With the rise of media within the past few decades, media gained the power to shape society. Everyday, millions and millions of people engage in some sort of media; they spend their time texting, calling, or just browsing the internet looking up information, but mostly they utilize it for entertainment. Media plays an important role in how everyone lives their daily lives, as they share information that their audiences might relate to. A wide variety of audiences are consciously and subconsciously influenced by whatever the media claims. As media only shows what they believe their audience wants to hear and see, many become naive. Alongside the power that comes with media, many people eventually turn to slaves to media. They blindly follow and believe what the media says; it unknowingly forces them to remain ignorant. Consequently, the media can be a distressing influence to individuals.