Media

Media is a unique term to define a medium of communication. Media is a tool for sharing information and has taken on many platforms throughout history, as it has expanded and evolved into different forms. Just a little over a decade ago, media was considered to be an assortment of different mediums of communication, such as, “print media and the press, photography, advertising, cinema, broadcasting (radio and television), publishing, and so on (Lister 9).” Now days, as technology has advanced, we’ve seen an evolution of media, as the media has branched out to include various platforms that are accessed through the internet and are inclusive of social media, like, myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. This is commonly known as “new media” and has blurred traditional lines of media as both information found in print and broadcast media have also migrated to the internet (Lister 11). Through social media, we are continually networked with people we know and don’t know and are free to interact.

Apart from the way we receive information, newer forms of media change also shift who the audience members are and who the reporters are. For example, in Rio de Janeiro mass media networks cannot always be relied upon to report accurately or fairly. As a response to biased and neglectful reporting, citizens have been able to utilize blogs and social media to create community journals to report on activities within their communities. Some notable community journals include, Voz da Comunidade, Rio on Watch, and even a journal started by two of my good friends, called Viva Rocinha. These community journals have provided a voice for people in marginalized communities and have been crucial in fairly reporting on police occupation of slums, and other development and human rights injustices leading up to the World Cup and the Olympics and have been able to spread information with more ease through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These outlets have enabled ordinary citizens to expose corruption and have helped them stand up for their communities and change media representations that were typically reflected by national and international news networks (Shaer).

The media has the power to influence and contour many aspects of society and influence cultures and ethics. Culture has the power to define our identities, either individually or collectively, it also inadvertently has the power to shape our attitudes, behaviors, and biases. Culture can also be seen as a process since culture can be shaped by individuals and groups and is created and recreated through practice (Mee). Since the media can influence culture, the media has the power to define the way we define ourselves, others, our own views and behaviors, and enforce an ethical code of conduct. Media representations also influence the way we see things or people, and can often either help dissolve stereotypes or reinforce them. When used for the greater good, media can draw attention to issues that would otherwise go unnoticed by the larger public. This could be through social media (like Humans of New York and the power of the man behind it to funnel resources to those in need) or through a simple news story that casts light on an issue surrounding underfunded schools or inequality. As I’ve personally experienced, I have seen social media unite people from all walks of life, like when one million people in Brazil, including myself, were organized through facebook and marched together to protest the government’s corruption on June 20, 2013.

Works Cited

Mee, K. J. “Culture.” International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Ed. Rob Kitchin and Nigel Thrift. Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2009. 451-457. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.

Lister, Martin. New Media: A Critical Introduction. 2nd ed. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2009. Web.

Shaer, Matthew. “The Media Doesn’t Care What Happens Here.” New York Times. 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.