The Media We Want?

A question arises when the topic of media and society is discussed.  It’s whether we get the media we want, or want the media we get.  In my opinion, we want the media we get.  A word comes to my mind when I think of media and the people, that word is brainwashed.  The media almost always surrounds us, in the form of social media, , technology, language, and advertising. When we are not involved with media, we crave it whether we realize it or not.

Especially is true when dealing with social media, we are constantly distracted or glued into our social media websites.  It has transformed from a convenient online tool to a full-blown obsession.  It is intertwined with the theory of us wanting the media we get as we constantly want to be engaged in social media whether we know it or not.  Just by simple observation I notice humans can no longer sit still and enjoy what’s around them, instead they have there eyes down and focused on their device between their legs, constantly checking and updating their social media accounts and pages.

We even want the technology we’re given.  We all desire to get the hot new apple product of the year.  “Technological determinism is the belief that technological innovation reshapes social change.  Technology determines how society functions, rather than society determining how technology should be developed or used” (O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J., p. 116).

Our learning of the world through news and other sources is regulated by language. “We know and understand the world through language, through representations.  This is not to deny that the real world exists- of course there is reality- but it is to say that all our learning about the world is mediated by language” (p. 75).

No matter what we wear, no matter where we look, no matter what we watch, advertising will always surround us.  You can find a brand name or logo on almost every article of clothing, including almost all objects, which have the manufacturing company visibly displayed on the object.  When we watch TV we are bombarded by ads, this doesn’t just include commercial breaks during our favourite shows, our favourite shows have product placement in them.  This goes along with the theory as well because if it were the reverse, and we get the advertising the media we want, then there would be no product placement in our favourite shows, and there wouldn’t be so much effort to appeal to children.

When we think about the media, we want the media we get, instead of getting the media we want.  This is proven through social media, technology, language, and advertising. 

O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J.. (2012). Media and Society. 5^th Ed. South Melbourne, Oxford University Press.