The media have become an important part of the contemporary world. It is the core of the social interaction, which brings information to every family. Television, radio, the Internet, social networks, and other social media sources represent a part of the routine of every individual. However, there is a need to consider the effects of media, which can hardly be seen by the audience. The following discussion reflects the facts about personal media consumption, the effects of media messages, the response of the audience, and the results of studying the course dedicated to the media sources https://topdissertations.com/.
Media Consumption
In the comparison to the first assignment, I did not reduce the consumption of the mobile device. However, I started understanding that social networks represent time-consuming options of the media, which distract from active life. In addition, I have changed my mind about using video sources such as YouTube. The research and the course show that it is one of the dangerous sources of information, which harms youth. It remains one of the most used sources of information. However, there is a need to revise personal habits in order to protect personal thoughts while using the media sources which can hardly be avoided in the age of digital evolution.
Negative Effects of the Media
Among the negative messages present in the media, it is possible to notice a message that stimulates broader consumption of alcohol and tobacco. In fact, it is one of the most alarming media messages which is conveyed in the movies, advertisements, and even cartoons directly and indirectly. First of all, it is common to see brutal and handsome men drinking at the bar, which means that only real men drink alcohol and smoke. It is a behavioral type of the negative influence. Secondly, there are various movies aiming to impress teenagers showing parties with tons of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. It is a combination of the behavioral and emotional negative effects, which encourage teenagers to drink alcohol in order to look cool in front of the peers. Thirdly, the message has a hidden physiological negative effect which results in the inability to handle the consequences of alcohol abuse related to the changes in the body, for example, beer consumption leads to the fat belly.
Positive Effects of the Media
Another message brought by media has a social character and refers to the idea of the equality of human rights. Television, media, the Internet, and radio play a significant role in the prevention of racism and other discrimination issues all over the world. The first positive effect hides in the movies and programs, which help to develop appropriate tolerance and loyalty in every spectator. It is a behavioral effect, which teaches the audience how to behave with respect to the diversity of ethnicity, race, age, and gender. The second positive effect is that the mass media show the need to protect human rights and expand freedom. It helps to avoid various conflicts and provide communities with a peaceful environment. This behavioral effect encourages the audience to act in an appropriate way. Thirdly, equality of the rights in the mass media accumulates patience and peace in the audience, which has an emotional effect. It calms down and helps to believe that the world continues to improve.
Audience Response to the Media
The main problem of the contemporary audience is that it does not notice the myriad of messages sent by the media. The above mentioned examples of the messages with positive and negative influence can hardly be discovered at once. The contemporary media are highly filled with information. It means that a huge amount of information prevents the audience from perceiving it adequately. As a result, the audience does not even notice how media change their thoughts. It appears due to the automatic mode of consciousness while watching the television or listening to the radio. Consequently, people rarely spot changes in their eating habits and body image patterns. In addition, the contemporary generation lives in the era of media outburst, which has a direct influence on the behavior of children and people of all ages.
Media Literacy and its Improvement
After listening to the course, it has become possible to estimate the outcomes of the overuse of the media and its different types. I become more media literate and have learnt how to filtrate information from various media sources. Nevertheless, it is important to learn more about various techniques which can help to enhance the protection from the dangerous messages in various media sources, such as television programs, the Internet channels, and social networks. It is tremendously important to master analytical skills in order to navigate through the sources of information by analyzing their usefulness. To my mind, the most valuable and interesting topic of the course focuses on the media literacy. This part inspires to develop a complex overview of the various media sources that shape the essence of the media environment.
The modern influences of the media resources were discussed vividly and successfully as the audience learnt a lot during the course. It became obvious that there are both negative and positive consequences of the informational represented in the media nowadays. Unfortunately, there is a problem of audience inability to understand clearly the messages of different media sources. Finally, further knowledge expansion for enhancing the proper usage of the media should be developed and studied.