To what extent does the use of mass media impact our lives, our access to information, our interpretation of the news, our socialization, and our opinions?

Extract

[...] Even though not everyone agrees to the role medias have or their impact within our governance systems, it is undeniable that they play a major role in shaping the societies we live in. Through the different forms they can take such as publishing, broadcasting and through the internet, they are the only available source of information on current events for the great majority of people, and therefore contribute in a decisive way in shaping the point of view of the population. [...]

[...] I do not think that there is a right or wrong answer to this question, while on the contrary I am aware that the use I make of social medias sometimes impacts my way of socializing with my peers in a way that I do not like. An example from my personal experience that I find spot on is my first encounter with a person that now I am happy to call one of my best friends. I knew I was about to meet Tom at a common friend's dinner and, as I had heard talking about him from a couple of friends, I checked his Facebook profile. [...]

[...] To what extent does the use of mass media impact our lives, our access to information, our interpretation of the news, our socialization, and our opinions? "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." Malcolm X Medias, intended as means of mass communication, have often been defined as the fourth power within modern democracies, performing a similar function to the one given to the legislative, executive and judiciary branches within democratic institutional frameworks. [...]

[...] Reading about data manipulation and microtargeting in the context of crucial elections (such as Donald Trump's one and the vote on Brexit) made me put into question the foundations of my ideas and believes. I started asking myself questions on a range of different topics such as "why do I like this particular actor or singer?" or even "why do I believe that death penalty should be abolished all over the world?" Although the events surrounding the alleged swing in recent elections are the ones that made me reflect the most on medias and the extent to which our society blindly relies on them, I had been questioning some aspects of these medias even before that. [...]

[...] On the other hand, they present a sociological challenge; insofar they lead people to socialize more and more using electronical devices rather than in person; and to filter information through preconceived stereotypes rather than by experiencing firsthand. Mass media also have long had a monopoly on information sharing, which means that the few very wealthy people who own most of the media can have a very powerful narrative to influence the choices and motives of people, from the brands they choose in the supermarket to their political opinions. It is hard to say whether the overall influence mass media have in our time is positive or negative, but there is no denying that it is considerable. [...]