The interaction between media and society is very complex, because both absorb attributes from the other. While the media has to give society information they want, because media needs to sell itself to the consumer, it always has a small amount of the producer's individual opinion attached. Media is also very dependent on society, because it could not exist without it. It also has to be considered that the environment in which media is consumed, affects the information we save in our brains.
Media and its producers
A single TV channel or one magazine can never reflect all of society; it can only represent the people who consume it. Media partly represents the people who made it and also the people who consume it. On one hand the producers want to make profit, because otherwise their media would not be bought, but on the other hand the input of the producer's bias is inevitable whether it is intentional or not. However media can reflect society to an extent, but only when all forms of media and their producers are analysed.
Shocking content
Bias and distortion is inevitable, because the companies distributing media want to make profit and therefore focus on what the consumer wants. Some media focuses on reporting on shocking topics, because this generally attracts a lot of customers. Most people like to read about murders even though they are not killers themselves. This shows that media stimulates our longing for exciting stories. However media also gives information, which is very specific and only interests few of us. Since there are so many different kinds of magazines and TV channels, a person's personality can be partially predicted by looking at the magazines he/she reads or the radio channel he/she listens to. This example shows that media reflects society to an extent. It does not reflect it like a mirror.
Bias in media
The distortion and bias present in media is one that is shaped by the producers and by society itself. Media generally only reflects what society wants to consume. It does not tell what society does not want, because if it did the company distributing it would not make any profit. It is therefore inevitable for the media to be one-sided and only give the information which is wanted. However media can also make the consumer want a certain product. Media often awakes needs in ourselves that we did not know of before. These needs are deep in ourselves and are only activated by media.
Media and truth
Media never tells the whole truth and therefore society has to be examined, as well, to get a mirror-like reflection of it. It can be said that both society and media influence and reflect each other. Today's society could not exist without media and media could not exist without today's society. However since media is made by society it is more dependent on it than society on media. Therefore media reflects society, but not like a mirror. The reflection is incomplete and contains bias.
Ludwig Seipelt - I am a pre-university student, who went to an international school. Since i liked languages i am inspired to write articles for an ...
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