This Week's Forum Discussion Watch The Videomerchants
For This Weeks Forum Discussion Watch The Videomerchants Of Coolatht
For this week's Forum discussion, watch the video Merchants of Cool at If you cannot view this video, read Article #9 Attribution vs Persuasion as a Means for Modifying Behavior in Reading About The Social Animal textbook. After watching the video or reading the article, respond to the following questions in your initial post on the Week 2 Forum: How, and to what extent, does the mass media influence the public’s attitudes and behaviors? Do television shows and newscasts, for example, simply reflect what is happening in the world or do they carry the potential to actually cause real-life events? Apart from advertising, do you believe the members of the media engage in deliberate attempts to persuade people to adopt certain opinions and attitudes? 400 word minimum words. Must list references.
Paper For Above instruction
The influence of mass media on public attitudes and behaviors is profound and multifaceted, affecting individuals and society in numerous ways. Media serves not only as a mirror reflecting societal realities but also as an active agent capable of shaping perceptions, emotions, and actions. This dual role has been emphasized in the documentary "Merchants of Cool" and the scholarly article "Attribution vs Persuasion as a Means for Modifying Behavior," both of which explore the mechanisms through which media impacts society.
Mass media influence operates through both direct and indirect channels. On one hand, many television shows, news broadcasts, and online content reflect prevailing social trends, cultural norms, and current events, providing audiences with information and entertainment that mirror societal realities. According to McLuhan (1964), media acts as an extension of human consciousness, shaping perceptions and social attitudes by emphasizing certain messages over others. For instance, sensationalized news coverage can amplify societal fears or anxieties, consequently influencing public attitudes toward safety, politics, or social issues (Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007).
On the other hand, the potential of media to cause or contribute to real-world events is well-documented. Media can spark social movements, influence political stability, and even incite violence through the framing of issues (McCombs & Shaw, 1972). The "Media Effects" theory underscores how media messages can lead to behavioral changes, sometimes creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where media portrayals influence individuals to act in ways that align with those portrayals. For example, sensationalized reporting on crime can lead to "mean world syndrome," where audiences perceive the world as more dangerous than it actually is, leading to increased support for punitive policies (Gerbner & Gross, 1976).
Moreover, beyond advertising, members of the media engage in deliberate efforts to persuade audiences, often consciously shaping opinions and attitudes. The "propaganda model," proposed by Herman and Chomsky (1988), states that media content is influenced by political and corporate interests aiming to maintain power and dominance by persuading the public to accept certain narratives. For example, framing war coverage to emphasize heroism or villainy influences public opinion on military interventions. Similarly, news outlets often select specific stories and use particular language to sway viewers toward particular ideological camps.
In conclusion, mass media wields significant influence over public attitudes and behaviors through both reflection of societal realities and the active shaping of perceptions. While media can serve as a mirror, its potential to incite real-world events and manipulate opinions underscores the importance of critically engaging with media content. Recognizing these influences warrants increased media literacy to discern between information and persuasion, especially given the deliberate strategies employed by media organizations to sway public opinion.
References
Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1976). Living with television: The violence profile. _Journal of Communication_, 26(2), 173-199.
Herman, E. S., & Chomsky, N. (1988). _Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media_. Pantheon Books.
McLuhan, M. (1964). _Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man_. McGraw-Hill.
McCombs, M., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. _Public Opinion Quarterly_, 36(2), 176-187.
Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. _Journal of Communication_, 57(1), 9-20.