Mass Media-Communications

5 Pages 1355 Words

Today’s society is one that is shaped and molded by the mass media. It seems that television and other forms of media tell Americans what to wear, what to look like, and who to vote for in elections. Basically, American culture is nothing more than a product of the mass media. The media is infamous for frequently putting false and negative images on different groups in society. However, the disturbing aspect of the mass media is that it is controlled by a small percent of the population. Thus, most images portrayed are bias and do not reflect accurate images of American society.
One of the biggest problems associated with mass media, in my opinion, is the coverage of the Presidential elections. In recent elections the American people have only been exposed to the platforms of two candidates. Despite the fact that there are several other candidates running, the media only focuses on the two major parties: Republicans and Democrats. One might wonder why those two parties are the only ones recognized by mass media; well the answer is obvious, because they’re the ones with all the money. In last year’s election, Green Party candidate Ralph Nadar was not even allowed to appear on the nationally televised debate. Even though he was on the presidential ballot, he was not permitted to express his ideas to the American public on national television. The reason this is a problem for American society is because the media is controlling our exposure to different ideas. Even if another candidate had a better platform, the mass media would not allow their ide!
as to be expressed to the public. I will use the theory of Culture Studies to help examine this problem, and to come up with a solution.
Cultural Studies is a tradition rooted from the ideas of the German philosopher Karl Marx. Marx is credited with identifying the struggle between classes. Marx believed that there is always a small group of oppressors and most of the...