Values of Media Life in Term Paper

With the technology available in today's economy, it is probable that education could go back to the days when students received more individualized instruction. There is no refuting that technology will continue to alter education (Cornell, 2007).

Socialization is the development of a sense of being self connected to a larger social world by way of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of one's culture. During socialization people learn to carry out certain roles as citizens, friends, lovers and workers. In the course of internalization our culture becomes second nature. People learn to behave in socially suitable and adequate ways. Some social institutions have precise roles in socializing the young and others have less deliberate but still powerful roles in the process. The mass media is a very influential socializing force. Media affects how people learn about the world and interact with each another. People often base most of their knowledge on government news accounts and not on experience. People are dependent on the media for what they know and how they relate to the world of politics. People read about or watch political debates that are then followed by instant analysis and commentary done by experts. Politicians often rely on the media in order to convey their message to the public. Related dynamics are present in other mediated events. Media is part of people's usual relations with family and friends. It defines their interaction with other people on a daily basis as a distraction, a source of conflict, or a unification force. Media has an impact on society not only through the substance of the message but also through the method (Mass Media & Society, n.d.).

Mass media enjoys a very important role in people's lives. There is a mixture of effects that mass media has on the society at large. Media tends to pressure and it's obvious that there are positive as well as negative influences. It also depends upon the way audiences recognize things. The power of the mass media is by far received by everybody in terms of advertising, marketing and as a medium to broadcast information to people at large. Because mass media is used to communicate and network people from various walks of life, it can often result in a divergence of options. Print media is made of such things as magazines, newspapers, brochures, press releases, newsletters etc., electronic media like television and radio and the Internet are all part of mass media. Today, mass media can give a person extraordinary exposure and this can result in a variety of effects of the mass media on the society (Pros and Cons of Mass Media, 2010).

People are very dependent on regular contact with the mass media for information, entertainment, ideas, opinions and many other effects. All of these things are connected to people's attempts to make sense of whom and what they are. People's cultural practices are influenced by the development of systems of mass communication. Large amounts of time are spent in a range of other media related activities. People all inhabit particular situations and things like their surroundings, family, friends; school, work, neighborhood and so on shape our individual identities. The small-scale interactions and exchanges that people have on an everyday basis with the place that they live in and the people around them, often define who they are (What do we mean by 'mass media' and 'modern culture, 2002)

References

A Guide to Critical Viewing for Parents and Children. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Family Values Television Network Web site: http://fvtvn.com/articles/taking-charge-of-your-tv/

Bolen, Jackie. (2006). TV's Effect on the Family. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Web site:

http://tvseffect.blogspot.com/

Cornell, K. (2007). How Technology has Influenced Education. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Writing Web site: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1322931-How-

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Family Values. (2010). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Answers Web site:

http://www.answers.com/topic/family-values

Mass Media & Society. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Web site:

http://www.public.asu.edu/~zeyno217/365/notes1.html

Policy Statement. (2001). Pediatrics. 107(2), pp. 423-426,

Pros and Cons of Mass Media. (2010). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Buzzle Web site:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-mass-media.html

What do we mean by 'mass media' and 'modern culture'? (2002). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Web site: http://www.litnotes.co.uk/mass_media.htm