In the article, "Media in Everyday Life", the idea of mass media and its effects upon culture and society are discussed. The author defines mass media, public sphere, convergence and critique in his exploration of the changes which have occurred to our media paradigm.
Since the introduction of mass media in America, the authors argue that the media industry has gained significant strength in its ability to control and manipulate the public. They state its responsibility for an increased centralization and individual mode of life. Many theorists and critics of the period worried that the introduction of this forceful and influential source would lead to inevitable control and exploitation of the public. The government could more readily sway public opinion, wars could be shown in a favorable light and cultural and political ideals could be conformed. Included with the extreme power provided by such an industry came the reality of how few people truly controlled the media. With fewer owners, less variation and less information have been presented to the American people leading to a more unified, yet more restricted common mind set.
Various terms are defined throughout the article, making the paper's argument more clear and more accessible to the reader. Included are:
· Mass Media: is defined as the portion of news, information, data, which is aimed at reaching a large audience- in this case the American people- who seem to share a common interest. The most common examples are television and radio.
· Public Sphere: is a place in society in which public discussion and debate can take place. it is literally a physical place where people can come together and discuss and debate the "pressing issue of their society".
· Convergence: is the coming together and combination of various forms of media into one single form. For example, a form of media in which film clips, television and music are all joined.
· Critique: is an analysis and judgment of some object or thing via the observation and examination of its defining parts.
In conclusion, the article aims to address and discuss the creation of mass media, while also highlighting the level to which the information we are presented with is controlled and censored. In a world increasingly run and determined by media it is important to pay attention to the effects and biases it has upon our everyday life. Furthermore, it is interesting to ponder the prospect of a culture and society without media whatsoever: our lives would be monumentally different.
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