Media On Fear

There is no question that the media can heavily influence its users, which is majority of the developed world. With this being said, a considerable portion of the globe’s population is almost constantly kept up to date with the daily affairs of and around Gaia. Such information is spread through new media, such as social media, as well as the more archaic forms such as newspapers, radio and television. With the never-ending supply of news and current affairs, it is difficult to avoid it. With the many platforms of media, we tend to get consumed by what it offers, in such a way that we spend the bulk of our time immersed in it. Some ways in which the media can shape us is through instilling fear, through introducing superficial expectations

One of it’s most recognized platforms would be the news, available on our smart phones, on television and in the papers, making it very accessible. Due to the fact that majority of news is about crimes and deaths and other unfortunate events, a very negative outlook on the world is introduced. With such an overwhelming supply of negative reports, fear starts to build up in us. For instance, with the recent disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370, and the shooting down of their MH17, the fear of flying has been instilled in many people, especially with Malaysian Airlines. (The Times of India, Flying Fears on the Rise After MH370) The knowledge and proof that something of this sort is possible and could happen at anytime can frighten many. This can affect the public emotionally, as it heeds them from trying new things, because they are afraid of the unknown and the risks at hand of what might happen. “Overwhelming amounts of available information is having a polluting effect on humans, similar to the effect of industry on the environment.” (Fear: The Emotional Outcome of Mass Media in America by Erin O’Brien) The media is highly influential. Not only is it powerful enough to affect the opinion of an individual, it can do the same to politics. The media has as much power and incentive as the government to manipulate public debate. (Mass Media and the Transformation of American Politics) For instance, in 1952, politician Richard Nixon

However, because the media is treated as the absolute truth, people feel that they must follow these ‘trends’. Images portrayed by the media tend to make people strive to be society’s idea of ‘perfect’ while subconsciously neglecting their own personal goals. According to Anita Gurian, Ph.D. in NYU Child Study Centre, nearly half of 5 to 12th graders claimed that they wanted to lose weight after seeing pictures in magazines. To attain this ‘ideal body image’, youths are resorting to rather drastic measures. Some of these methods include dieting, which under extreme measures can lead to eating disorders, the intake of slimming pills, smoking and excessive exercising. The media’s emotional impact and influence is so powerful to the point that kids, as young as 5th graders are effected. The people in advertisements and on magazine covers that we aspire to look like do not exist. Majority of them have been photo shopped and are not realistic targets. This emphasizes on how powerful the media is because despite the fact that we know that that these images and people are fake, we still choose to succumb to such expectations and go to major extremes to meet them. This is exactly what makes up who we are. The fact that we are able to harm ourselves emotionally as well as physically just to be on par with the global expectation of beauty shows how much we rely on the media to