Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem

The Media as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in â€Å"mass-mediated† interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems. As seen through its presentation of the three major variables of race, class, and gender, the mass media has actually served to contribute to the social problems it covers, reinforcing them, and creating an inter-related cycle in which these problems continue. TV has become perhaps the primary vehicle that society receives its information and presents its values and expectations. One of the most important roles television plays is its presentation of news and information. What a station chooses to present as newsworthy can play a strong role in how people view their society and the world around them. Often, television news sources have followed a philosophy of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads†, focusing on violence in urban environments. This violence occurs more frequently in black neighborhoods, resulting in what amounts to essentially as a steady, nightly stream of reports on violence in the inner-city by and among African-Americans. In this way, the television media plays a strong role in formulating racial problems as seen by the interactionist approach. With the constant display of these images two problems quickly emerge. First, the minority groups become subject to stereotypes as the images presented become fixed mental images and are exaggerated and applied to the group as a whole. Whites, according to this model, â€Å"learn† that minority groups are â€Å"less intelligent, more violent, or generally less human†. Additional... Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem The Media as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in â€Å"mass-mediated† interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems. As seen through its presentation of the three major variables of race, class, and gender, the mass media has actually served to contribute to the social problems it covers, reinforcing them, and creating an inter-related cycle in which these problems continue. TV has become perhaps the primary vehicle that society receives its information and presents its values and expectations. One of the most important roles television plays is its presentation of news and information. What a station chooses to present as newsworthy can play a strong role in how people view their society and the world around them. Often, television news sources have followed a philosophy of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads†, focusing on violence in urban environments. This violence occurs more frequently in black neighborhoods, resulting in what amounts to essentially as a steady, nightly stream of reports on violence in the inner-city by and among African-Americans. In this way, the television media plays a strong role in formulating racial problems as seen by the interactionist approach. With the constant display of these images two problems quickly emerge. First, the minority groups become subject to stereotypes as the images presented become fixed mental images and are exaggerated and applied to the group as a whole. Whites, according to this model, â€Å"learn† that minority groups are â€Å"less intelligent, more violent, or generally less human†. Additional...

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda)

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda) August might be a strange time to talk about New Year’s Resolutions, but I got to thinking†¦Ã‚   let’s get real: We’re three quarters through the year, there’s a fall chill in the air, and if we don’t buckle down now on those January promises, the year will be over before we know it. That’s why I took a look at my list for 2012 with the idea that I will hold myself accountable for anything on the list that has not been done. Here’s what I promised for 2012 and the current status of the task (as you read this list, I invite you to think about the standing of your own resolutions, if you’re brave enough to check the list): 2012 New Year’s Ressaylutions 1. Create a new template for my website that brings me more into the technology of 2012. It seems the work of designing a website is never done. Despite having completed this task, I’m still tweaking, and tweaking some more. Stay tuned for a new home page that will make my services easier to find. I have an idea in my head about what that will look like and will probably hire a designer to make it a reality. 2. Create new e-lists for past clients, and survey past clients. Thanks to Jeanne, my awesome Virtual Assistant (she is a real person, not a computer, don’t worry), I have been able to complete all these projects! Most exciting is that I have now invited all my clients from 2012 onto my various e-lists. And new clients will be automatically invited to join. I’m so happy that I will be reliably keeping in touch with the people I have worked with! I feel so much more relaxed now that regular correspondence is guaranteed and not a random occurrence like it was a year ago. Ahhhh†¦. My current project is a survey that has gone out to clients to identify my Unique Selling Proposition. This project has several phases and I’m partway through the first one now. You may have received that survey already! 3. Revise autoresponders from 2011. Also thanks to Jeanne, all my autoresponders have been converted from summaries of my articles (with links to the full article) into emails that include the complete article. I trust this format is more user-friendly and makes my messages more fun to read. 4. Publish my e-book on Kindle Wow did that one happen! As you all know, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile (now in its 3rd edition) is trending as #1 in the Business Writing Category on Amazon. Next project is to publish a Spanish-language version of the book. An initial translation is complete and I will be working on finalizing it and converting it to Kindle format in the next few months! I will also continue to revise the e-book as changes are made in LinkedIn, and as I learn more about the site’s functionality. I am committed to staying on top of the latest developments as I educate people about How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. 5. Report on and count success stories in 2012. See 212 Success Stories for 2012. It has been more challenging than I expected to keep track of my clients’ news†¦Ã‚   but with my new client lists I think that will change! There are 56 successes on the list so far, and more coming soon. 6. Continue to write and share about writing issues, job search issues, and sometimes life issues that strike my fancy each week and that my readers care about.   I’ve been doing this regularly- and I hope you continue to enjoy and get value from what I write. If you have requested topics, please let me know. How DID she do it? As I look at the list above, what strikes me most is how much I have relied on other people to make my resolutions a reality. It took my Virtual Assistant Jeanne, my web designers Ivan and Meher, my publisher Brian, my clients who created and reported on their successes, and other authors and educators who sparked ideas and insights to share with all of you. The other thing I notice is that some of the tasks on my list seemed HUGE when I started them; but by taking them one step at a time, they miraculously got completed. Are there items on your resolutions list that you would be sure to complete if only you enrolled the right support? Are there items you’ve given up on because they are too overwhelming? What if you asked for help? If an appointment with a friend or a personal trainer is the only thing that will get you to the gym, there’s no shame in that! If you need a resume writer to make sure you start your job hunt, hire one! I have a great resume writer to recommend. What if you took the first small step in a larger project? Organizing one drawer is a great step if you aim to organize your house. Signing up for a LinkedIn account is the first step to having a KILLER profile. (You know where to go if you want The Essay Expert’s input in the process.) For my part, I promise to keep on plugging. It looks like I’m right on track to fulfill on my 2012 â€Å"Ressaylutions.† How about you? I wonder what we will all be up to in 2013? Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 20, 2012