Molly Burchard
mb712319@ohio.edu
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| Graphic via Agility PR Solutions |
Recently, the media has torn people apart more than unified them. The mainstream media includes television news, newspapers, online news, and different forms of social media. As a result, the media has become somewhat of a controversial debate topic. Is it too biased? Is it not biased enough? Which news outlets can people trust? Which ones spread false information? Many of the world's leaders have ripped the media to shreds, and more and more people report that they distrust it every day. Only 36 percent of adults in the United States reported that they have a lot of trust in or somewhat trust today's media. Ten years ago, this number was at 40 percent. Therefore, does the media still bring people together? What are some ways it can do this?
Media can bring people together by helping them find others with common interests. Take what we're doing right now, for example, blogging. Blogs allow people to share their opinions, and others can comment on them. If someone finds a blog post they relate to, they can post under it and agree or even disagree. Blogging may be a way for some people to connect with like-minded individuals all over the world. Blogging can be especially proper for introverts and those who have trouble conversing with others in person.
The media, which includes forms of social media, can bring society together by helping people stay involved in others' lives. Social media can help people stay in touch with friends and family who live far away. It can also help old friends reconnect. If it weren't for social media, I would not have met my roommate, one of my best friends. As weird as it sounds, we met through a group on Facebook. Without this form of media, it would be harder to connect with new people.
The media also helps bring communities of journalists together. We all have a passion for the same thing: sharing information and making our voices heard. The past few years have not been easy on journalists, but we have been able to lean on each for support and advice. Journalists should continue to work together to gain the public's trust in the media. Yes, some media can be harmful, but it also has many benefits to society, such as creating community. If people are more willing to let the media unify us instead of ripping us apart, it can.
Molly,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog. I totally agree that the media has recently been dividing people more than it has unified them. However, after doing research and looking at it from different perspectives, I feel like the people are more of the problem. To a point, the people decide how they want to perceive the media and what information they want to take in or spread. We are letting the media divide us, we can stop it.