Media for Me or the Government?

Selena Lim

9:00 a.m.

Media is perhaps the most powerful form of communication in the world. It brings news and information to every part of the world in a matter of minutes. Telling the public the latest occurrences in the world, providing information for health, sharing the places, things, people, and moments of our lives; these are the ways that media is beneficial. However, media is also very harmful because for the people that control media, it is the most beneficial. Advertising companies, television companies, etc who control media are able to manipulate us to believe what they want us to believe. Depending on the specific news channel, television program, or place you watch television, they might be telling you two different "facts." They do it subliminally or they do it bluntly. Last year, for example, MacBook had a noticeable drop in sales because Sarah Jessica Parker's character in Sex in the City switched from Mac to HP. Before this, the Mac was featured in almost all of the Sex in the City's episodes. When it was decided to switch from Mac to HP, HP knew how much celebrities can influence the public, therefore they had their own site set up, dedicated to Sex and the City. Personally, this change also influenced my judgement as well. Although I had my trusty Macbook for over a year and it caused me no trouble prior to this incident, I decided that I wanted to switch to HP. I believed that HP was more "sleek, pretty, and useful." When I did get a HP, I realized that it was bulky, ugly, and less useful than my Mac. This is a less dangerous example of how media controls our lives. In the world today, there are billions of people who purchase only what the media tells them to, changes their physical appearance because of what the media tells them is beautiful, and changes the minds of people to believe that that which is good, is really bad. Media is both beneficial and harmful, but it strongly depends on which side of the media you look from.