The media is the most powerful force in modern day society. It is abundantly present in people’s lives and makes it easier for others to impose ideas on the viewers. From Disney movies to advertisements, the population is constantly receiving suggestive messages that influence them. An example is perception of self such as stereotypes that tackle femininity and beauty. The most obvious place we find subliminal messages is in the media. Subliminal perception occurs whenever stimuli presented below the threshold of awareness is found to influence thoughts, feelings or actions. People claim that subliminal messages have shown up in advertising, movies, and music. The real question is do they really work?
It has been established that the majority of people have the tendency to imitate what they see on TV, regardless of the consequences. Disney movies for instance shaped most children’s lives since the 19th
…show more content…
"The general belief is that subliminal messages are pretty powerful and that they can get us to do all sorts of things that we don’t want to do. But that isn’t true," says Ian Zimmerman from the University of Missouri–Columbia. Subliminal messages and perception are linked to the idea of mind control, and this is placed very far back in our history. Mind control is where someone or a group of individuals can be controlled without their awareness. It is also the idea that people can be made to do things they would not ordinarily do. There are two basic ways in which subliminal messages can be sent to the unconscious, visual and auditory. The early Greeks created the science of rhetoric as a way of influencing people. Supposedly, by placing pieces of mind-persuading data into sentences people can be manipulated. If they see or hear certain bits of information, i.e. words, fragments, or sentences, placed in strategic positions, a person can be persuaded one way and even perhaps without