You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task.
As part of a class assignment you have to write about the following topic.
The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people’s ideas.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons and relevant examples to support your answer.
You should write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
The mass media have a powerful influence in shaping our lives. We have come to depend on them for information and entertainment, and in doing so we let them affect important aspects of our lives.
The undeniable usefulness of the media in almost instantly providing information about events around the world is largely taken for granted. But in our dependence on the media, we have allowed them to mould our notions and opinions of events, places and people. Though few of us probably think about it, our conceptions of, say, our elected officials spring from television images and newspaper stories. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents, but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will have an opinion of them. When it is time to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on how the media portray the candidates. We are similarly swayed by coverage of wars. The media, representing the values of their owners, societies and governments, tend to report wars with a bias; which is the ‘good’ side and which the ‘bad’ is determined for us by reporters, editors and commentators, and sure enough the public begins to form opinions that reflect the coverage they see, hear and read in the major media.
The media are also influential in the way they facilitate the spread of culture and lifestyle. The so-called ‘global youth culture’, in which one finds young people around the world displaying a common interest in music, clothing styles and films, is an example of the media’s enormous sway in this regard. A popular figure such as Michael Jackson would never be so well known were it not for the media’s extensive reach into every society on the globe.
Thus I would argue that the mass media’s influence is certainly great. Indeed, technological advancements, such as the Internet, is bringing more forms of electronic media to our homes and workplaces. It is likely that the media’s influence will grow even stronger with the passage of time.
(Approximately332words)
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)
Model Answer 2:
“People react according to the perspective they hold in any situation” is a well-known and accepted fact around the world. Of course, perspective is highly influenced by the information people receive through communication channels like TV, radio and newspapers. Hence, as expected, to control the burgeoning of people’s thoughts, many countries have regulated the freedom of media.
Firstly, nowadays, media plays a vital role in forming our perspectives towards our country’s current politics, sports and other issues as it is an important part of our everyday life. Almost all of us use some sort of media to get updated about the world. In fact for many of us, a day starts with a newspaper. Since media persons are highly revered, accordingly, we truly trust the information we receive from media. For example: during the world war II, Hitler used the German media to spread false news about atrocities over German people living in other European countries to mentally prepare everyone in Germany to gear up for war.
Secondly, media also shapes our minds to understand each other’s cultural values and perspectives. Media brings us views of different people over the same issues and based on the circumstances we react, oppose and even embrace these different views. Also, media brings all of us at a single platform where we learn about multicultural aspects. So, the vital impact of media cannot be disregarded. For example, in a multi-cultural city like Toronto, media plays a prominent role in unifying people from different nations and pumps in nationality.
In conclusion, I believe media is having a tremendous impact on people’s mind and perspectives. Hence, it is equally important to ensure the freedom of media and publication of unbiased news.
(Approximately285words)
(Written by – Rahul Rashu)
Model Answer 3:
In this day and age, mass media have become an epidemic all around the world. So that, people in different ages follow and use them, such as television, newspaper and the internet have become more popular among individuals. On the contemporary worlds, whether the influence of mass media in shaping people’s life is a controversial issue. One group of people believes that media have no effects on people’s lifestyle, while others are the advocate of many powerful influences of mass media in our lives. I personally agree with the latter group, because of two main reasons which are elucidated below.
First group claims that mass media cannot have an effect on our decisions and believes; since it has been taken for granted. Of course, they are right to some extent, but I think they considered this issue superficially.
First of all, mass media have a profound impact on cultures. It causes to eliminate the boundaries of cultures among people and creates globalisation. The globalisation is a good instance to depict the effect of mass media because individuals now can see what is happening in other countries or how they are dressed and how their culture is different. As a result, they usually imitate what others do.
Secondly, mass media are a source of information. It informed people about daily events or new discoveries. This information sometimes is used to change people’s opinion. For example, in a presidential election, the fan of different candidates advertise in media like, television or the internet for them, and absorb attention to elect any person that they want.
In conclusion, as I mentioned above, the influence of mass media is undeniable, and it can change our beliefs and our ideas.
(Approximately277words)
(Written bySanaz Golmakani)