Why study the media?
The impact of media on young people
As a teenager today, it’s clear to see that the impact media is having on myself and my peers has both positive and negative effects.
Media is the main means of communication nowadays and can be broken down into three categories: print; newspapers, magazines and leaflets, broadcast; news bulletins and current affair programmes, the internet; online news sites and social media.
It is estimated that about 7,500,000 newspapers are sold in the UK each day. The most popular newspapers are The Sun, followed by The Metro.
Regular News bulletins are shown on the main TV channels each day. The most popular shows are BBC news at 10 and ITV news at 10. The BBC pulls in on average 4.8 million viewers compared to ITV who has 1.2 million.
Media influence on young people can be deliberate as advertising can be directed at young people due to them being conscious of brands and images. For example; a popular media site, YouTube, features many bloggers, who advertise products and brands to their followers. One of the most successful bloggers is called Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella. She has amassed over 6.5 million followers and as a net worth of £4.5 million.
However, media influence on young people can also be indirect. Examples are the increased sexualisation of content in media products such as magazines, television shows and music videos. Reality tv programmes also play a role. Programmes like Big Brother, Love Island, X factor, Britain’s got talent and I’m a Celebrity all feature adverts in their breaks aimed at young people.
There are plenty of articles online about both the positive and negative effects the media has on us, particularly social media.
A negative example is this, the case of Jessica Cleland, 19, who tragically took her own life in 2014, as published by The Daily Mail.
The night before Jessica took her own life her social media accounts were flooded with horrible messages & sentiments, two teenage friends of Jessica were identified by the coroner, however, they were not investigated by the police.
Coroner Jackui Hawkins said that Jessica’s death highlighted the impact social media could have on young lives “easy access to the internet on her phone meant she was exposed to potentially upsetting communications 24 hours a day; and she was able to return to, and re-read the upsetting messages at a later time & therefore appears to have continued to ruminate about them” the coroner reported.
In comparison, this Australian article from November 2017 highlights the positive impacts social media can have on teenagers.
The article suggests that 68% of teenagers claim that social media provides them with support during difficult times. 46% of teenage girls agree that social media empowers them to speak out about things they care about. 83% of teenagers say that social media makes them feel more connected to their friends.
In addition, the article identifies the following as being benefits of social media on teenagers: spreading kindness and social awareness, educational Benefits, real world skills, enhancing creativity, confidence and independence, interconnecting and identity, tolerance & diversity.
Clearly there are many articles & views both positive & negative concerning the impact of media on young people. From my perspective I believe the rise in social media is a good thing, although, there should be a degree of caution & some responsibility put on the social media providers. I’m also certain that having parents who are aware & understand social media can only have a positive impact. One thing for certain is that social media is here to stay & the impact on our lives will become greater over the oncoming years.
In conclusion, media influence can be powerful if a celebrity role model says a particular lifestyle, product or behaviour is good. There are plenty of examples of celebrities whose lifestyles, values and behaviour provide positive examples. The hard work and success of these role models can be inspirational. I believe that the rise in media is a good thing, although there should always be a degree of caution with whatever you see online, on TV or in newspapers as not everything you read or see is true.
No comments:
Post a Comment