Media Vs Society - What part does media play

Society today loves stories produced by mass media; sudden death, scandal, and happy endings enter our lives on a daily basis. Society today puts pressure on newspapers to deliver stories that interest them, and if a paper cannot produce this, they face losing readers to opposing newspapers. An average reader loves a good scandal, especially something to do with anyone in the public eye regularly, for instance: royalty, popstars, footballers and film stars. What society wants to read about is their private life and just how they live, and this puts pressure on the media to travel further to gather stories.

An increase in the "paparazzi" has led to a great deal of pressure being put on the rich and famous, with every detail of their private life being examined, all for the sake of a story that will satisfy society.

On the other hand, it cannot be doubted that media influences people's attitudes and outlooks by conveying a variety of information which is acquired from newspapers, books, television, films, recorded music, magazines, showing how wide and dense the structure of today's media is.

'Recreational' media such as newspapers and television have great bearing on society. Not because the media control popular opinion, but because this media is the source of information on which the public feel qualified to pass moral judgement and decisions.

Television is a big business, with incredible influence. It is probably the single most important device in the last thirty years of media. It affects children as they are growing through their formative years, and their social activities.

From this, commonly researched topics have been on television's impact on induction to crime and violence and the effect of news broadcasts and role of television in politics. Surprisingly, although the relation between television and violence is well documented, cartoons contain the highest number of violent acts on any type of television program.

The influence of television today as cultural media cannot be assessed in terms of content. It helps provide forms of experience on cultural outlooks within which today's society interprets and organise information.

Modern communication media is central to our lives and provides necessary information as well as offering possibilities for self-enlightenment and entertainment.

Media affects everything. The way we look, how we "should" look - women very thin, often too thin, dark eyes, surly appearance - and the way it dictates life - fashion labels, hairstyles and lifestyles.

News assists us, the public, to make our mind up on national and international issues, portraying views of atrocities that contrast to the "perfect" lives portrayed in the media.

In conclusion I think that media reflects the outlook of dominant parts of society, with the pressure for a story that will grab society portraying just how fickle and single-minded popular culture is.