The Effects of Media on American Culture

Having a culture, as part of one’s life, is very important in the world. A culture can determine who an individual is. There are many of cultures around the world that define who each individual is. A huge way that culture is exposed in the world is through media. Media has definitely changed over time. The advancements in media have demonstrated how well adapted the the different cultures can be. According to an essay, written by Gerard Jones, a 13 year old boy was sheltered from american culture because his parents were worried about the “violent world”. But as he grew older he came across The Hulk magazines. This magazine opened his eyes to whole new world of american culture that he enjoyed. He discovered how he was able to release all of the negative emotions though a “violent” storyline. This young man, on his own, had a little taste of what american culture is through a magazine. But as technology keeps advancing, the media is also changing. The portrayal of american culture is displayed in other platforms. Social media is one of the biggest platforms that people use to display american culture. Not only that but media also has a the power to shape the way people think of american culture. Media has always had different platforms in which they can portray this culture. The three main ones ate television, social media, and newspapers.

Media has the power to shape or change the way one thinks. Persuasion plays a massive role in helping people develop an opinion on a certain topic. Whether it be politics, economical issues, or certain rights; the media is currently shaping the way people think. Today, people are extremely focused in their phones. Cellphones have made a huge impact on the world. But as we focus in America, cell phones have become part of people’s everyday life. Makeila Heisler, the author of “Mass Media and its Influence on American Culture”, states that, “ the first thing most Americans do when they wake up in the morning, when they get out of their car, or when they are done with work… check their cell phones (Heisler, 2013). Cell phones have been one of the biggest technological advances that have influenced americans. Americans rely most of the time on their cellphones for news, social affairs, and other personal interests. Social media plays a tremendous role on the usage of one’s cell phone. According to Social Media Week Staff, “Forty-eight percent U.S. adults in our survey, conducted prior to Facebook’s congressional hearings, think that social media and technology have a negative effect on democracy in the U.S. (Staff, 2018). America is known for their democratic and republican government. The fact that social media is influencing americans on which side to swing to, is not very much a surprise. The amount of information released in such platforms is substantial. The information is substantial to the point that not of the information presented is accurate. Some information can just be rumors with no actual evidence to back a claim. One must be careful in agreeing or believing what is being presented in social media. As for the democratic party, the Staff have recently done a study showing how social media is negatively affecting them. About half of the population they studied on resulted in social media having a negative effect on the democratic party.

Ever since the 1900’s when the television was invented, american culture took a great turn. To the worst or the best, no one really knows. But as time went on the advancements on the television were definitely being implemented in american culture. In the first few decades of television existing, the effect of the shows displayed had an effect on american culture. Thomson Gale wrote an article on how impacted american culture was since the invention of the television. He centers into the shows that were being displayed and the fact that minorities were not given so many roles. He goes on to saying that, “Until the 1970s, the majority of the people who appeared on American television programs were Caucasian (white). Being white was presented as normal in all sorts of programs, including news, sports, entertainment, and advertisements. The few minorities that did appear in TV programs tended to be presented as stereotypes” (Gale, 2007). This comes to show how advanced television came to be. In american history, the Caucasian people were majority and colored people were the minority. Television was no exception. Although, there were some roles that minorities got to play on television, their roles were stereotyped, as mentioned by Thomas, and were also a little degrading.The roles given to minorities were also very limites, which portrays how “important” they were in american society. But as the years went on, more and more roles opened up for minorities. Talk shows, television series, and even cartoons had people of color play a major role. This advancement, that roles for minorities are opening up more, shows how positive television has affected American culture.

For many years people had a view of minorities as portrayed on television. Since television became the biggest influencer, what was displayed on the T.V. was what people believed to be true. In more recent years television is making the roles of both minority and the majority about the same. Whether it be arce gender or body shape, television is still influencing the way people view american culture. People sometimes rely mostly on the information given on television and believe how others are portrayed in certain shows. The news also is part of television because it is where people focus more on. The information released on the news channels is what’s informing people what is happening around the country.

Newspapers have been around for quite an extensive amount of time. Since the 19th century, newspapers have been present. Although news are not as popular as they were back in the 19th century, newspapers still have a great role lay in the affects of american culture. The article “History of Newspapers in American”, written by Robert McNamara, states that, “When the century began, newspapers, generally in the larger cities and towns, tended to be affiliated with political factions or particular politicians. Newspapers were the talk of the town when they had first came out. They were mostly used for political information that the government wanted to release. Newspaper are still being used now in the present. They are very much relevant and still present valuable information about politics and event about what is going on in one’s city. The information presented by the publisher on the newspaper, does have a big effect on American culture. The information can help develop ideas on certain topics in politics and make us aware of what is going around us. Pew Research works on study of whether newspapers are still impactful in the present. Their conclusion is, “Among all adults, newspapers were cited as the most relied-upon source or tied for most relied upon for crime, taxes, local government activities, schools, local politics, local jobs, community/neighborhood events, arts events, zoning information, local social services, and real estate/housing. Because newspaper have been around for a very long time, they are credited to be the most accurate form of information released to the public. This study, that Pew Research conducted, demonstrates how important newspapers are in american culture. The study also succeeds in showing how the data affects american culture. The newspaper is always only a few pages long, regardless, it has plenty of valuable information to share with the reader. This information helps people develop and shape their ideas and opinions about certain points/topics in politics. Most importantly, they opinions and ideas on american culture.

As I mentioned before, Media can influence our political standing in american society. Whether one chooses to be democratic or republican, the media does a great job contributing the persuasive argument of why one should claim to be on their side. Newspapers are a platform in which such parties can release persuasive information to convince the reader why their party is substantially superior. Not only can these parties use newspaper to convince people, but they can slo publish and make an argument why the other party is less superior.

Media is a very important tool in american society. It helps shape and develop ideas what american culture. The effects of media on american culture are substantial. There have been many platforms to which others have used to release information of how american society should. The three most famous platforms ever invented were the television, newspapers, and most recently social media. These three platforms, in which others use to make an effect on american culture, are powerful. No one know whether there has been a positive outcome from the different platforms being used. But there is definitely an effect on american culture. Media should never be underestimated because it can have effects on numerous incidents. In this instance, it can have an effect on a culture, the American culture.