Mass media plays an important role in shaping the society. It influences our thoughts and perspective. It also connects individuals to the world. It is a very influential tool that have been largely responsible for structuring people's daily lives and routines as we live in a society that depends on information and communication on issues such as entertainment, health and education. The mass media has a both positive and negative influence on the society.

Mass media is highly influential in the fashion world whereby it shows stick-thin models strutting on the runways all over the world. It potentially gives the message that thin is beautiful. The portrait of the ideal women is painted by the media through magazines, advertisements and television and it may have an ultimately devastating effect on the young women of today. The influence of mass media can be blame for the rise of eating disorders in our youths. The pictures below shows some of the most popular Hollywood celebrities which are battling anorexia.


Mass media also provide increasingly frequent portrayals of sexuality. The media keep sexual behavior on public and personal agendas and it will lead us to think that it is a normal thing to do.
Furthermore, the media rarely depict sexually responsible models. This gives rise in our youths to engage in pre-marital sex. When this happens, it comes as no surprise that there is an increase in sexually transmitted diseases such as STDs and AIDS. This will in turn lead the government to educate the masses on the importance of practicing safe sex through campaigns and advertisement. In my opinion, mass media works in a cycle whereby when an issue is portrayed excessively, the public will be incline to follow the trend and when the outcome comes to a dangerous and unacceptable level, mass media will be used again to warn and curb the effect. The mass media is indeed influential and this is proven in one of the theories of mass communication that is the "Powerful effect theory". It influences our perception and thoughts on issues discussed in our circle of relationships for example friends and family.

However, there are also positive influences of the mass media. The mass media helps to bring the world closer together, where we as consumers of the mass media are able to know what is happening all over the world. Although certain issues may be unobtrusive, we are aware of the events that is happening currently. For example during the SARS period in 2003 whereby schools were closed and we were not encouraged to go out, we depend on the mass media to keep us updated on the current situation; on what to do and what is not to do. Also during the recent H1N1 period, the government gives us information on the pandemic outbreak through the mass media as well. Thus, this shows that mass media is an important tool to spread information when face-to-face contact is impossible.

In my opinion, it is up to us as consumers of the mass media on how we want to consume the mass media. We must not get too influence on what the mass media portrays but instead form our own perception and thoughts about the issues that is brought to us by the mass media. The mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think but instead what to think about. Hence, do not be too judgmental when a news is brought upon and do not be too gullible to accept the news literally because it could be one of the ways in which mass media can manipulate you in your thinking.

"Whoever controls the language, the images, controls the race."~Unknown