We often talk about the role of media in society. Let’s figure out If the Role of Media in Society is being rightfully played? The short answer to this question is No. Media is unable to play its positive role, and we will be able to understand it after the commentary included hereunder on the role of media in society.
The advent of technology has made our lives easier, well-connected, and concerned. The role of Media in society engaged with it is vast than anything else. A majority of people’s sources of information, entertainment, and amusement are media outlets. So, people spend a lot of their time streaming various media outlets. It is essential to make this time-expense productive. Media can play its role in underwritten conditions.
- Educating people in science and technology.
- Promoting Social Justice and Peace.
- Spreading awareness and promoting democracy.
- Teaching life-saving skills and promoting a culture of fitness and exercise.
- Spreading awareness about health hazards and a healthy lifestyle.
- Educating people about the history and importance of spirituality.
We are living in times that no one could have ever imagined in the known history of humans. Thus, we also have to face challenges like never before. It is also crucial to understand the differences between communities and their needs. We can call this era of informational emergency because it is now a tool to brainwash people. And this is the era of fake news predomination. Sensible nations need to act in a hurry and change for the better.
Positive Role of Media in Society
When we talk about the role of media in society, we include all the different media outlets. Media outlets include Electronic Media, Print Media, and Social Media. The impact of all these media outlets is more or less the same. However, the control over these media outlets is predominantly foggy. There are regulatory authorities around the globe in every country that monitor the content every media outlet broadcasts. And if anything goes against the community standards, national integrity, sovereignty, or public sentiments, the media outlets face censorship or a complete ban.
Governments hide information that can outrage a community, and it is justifiable. However, there are cases of human rights violation, compromise over national integrity or matters that cause a direct impact on the life of a majority of people that slip past these grey areas. And, the nation never hears about those essential matters. Let aside these issues for now and discuss the role of media in the progress of a community. As of now, we understand the importance of media, its role in society, and threats associated with its misuse.
Media and Society Interactions
Media and society interact with each other daily. Mainstream media outlets can play a better role in educating a nation, and governments can invest their educational budget in creating content for these media outlets. It is, therefore, necessary to improve the quality of content that helps people adopt positive and constructive habits. When the informative and research-based content dies, the space for raw material, hypersexual content, profanity, and fake news arise.
Promoting Social Justice and Peace
Media can play its role in Promoting Social Justice and Peace. It is essential to educate people about the complex and all-changing judicial acts and rights. People fall prey to many unfortunate circumstances due to a lack of awareness. There are cases of persecution that are reported all over the world where victims never approach the courts of law. These unfortunate events happen due to a complex system and no public education.
Spreading awareness and promoting democracy
The role of media in society also applies in Spreading awareness and promoting democracy. As the awareness grows, people understand and take actions to improve their condition of life. And these actions lead people to democracy, and they take decisions that benefit a nation collectively. However, things never change overnight. Every section of society should participate in promoting democracy and awareness. We should act today by not spreading false news and promoting democratic values. It is also essential to broadcast the proceedings of the parliament, legislative councils to familiarize people on the constitutional formation and discuss government policies and their impact.
Teaching life-saving skills and promoting a culture of fitness and exercise
Have you ever thought about the changes that we are embarrassing in our lives? We are growing towards an unhealthy lifestyle. And media plays an essential role in defining the lifestyle of a nation. We wear, speak, and act the way we train ourselves daily. And the sessions that we take daily by spending several hours daily. Additionally, media should promote life-saving skills like self-defense, swimming, fire-extinguishing, first aid, and contacting 911. The responsibility on the shoulder of media personnel is so high that we can’t describe it in words. Therefore, the media should take action in promoting healthy eating habits and exercising.
Spreading awareness about health hazards and solutions.
Researchers spend billions of hours collectively to conduct researches and cumulate data for the benefit of everybody. They break the stereotypes, bust the myths and help people in adopting better living conditions. However, the majority of these researches never get to reach the commoners. The role of media is to spread awareness, and they don’t broadcast researches. We have seen fake research circulating on social media quite often than the real ones. This type of life-threatening situation is a growing reality during the COVID-19 pandemic. We see fake news about COVID-19 vaccinations, and these myths are restricting efficient control.
Educating people about the history and importance of spirituality.
Historical events play an essential role in defining a clear picture of the future. Every nation must hold a grip over its historical role and recognition to better understand global politics. The materialistic approach is prevailing in a majority of areas of our life, and this can pose a threat to human existence. Human communities stand on the strong foundations of faith, compassion, and honesty. Whereas, in a world where money and authority play decisive roles, the peace of the world will soon abolish.
What is the role of social media in society?
The role of social media in society is decisive. It helps shape public opinion, spread information, bring changes and promote social life.
What are the 4 functions of media?
1: Information Provision
2: Persuasion for Change
3: Entertainment
4: Cultural transformation
Our verdict on role of media in society.
Media outlets operate under two categories based on quality control. Media outlets that are directly under the control of regulatory authorities and governmental organizations are regulated media outlets. And every other media outlets that do not fall under this category are non-regulated.
Regulated and non-regulated media outlets are further divided into subcategories. Among regulated media outlets, two types include Electronic Media and Print Media. Whereas, Electronic media outlets include Televised broadcasts and radio broadcasts. Non-regulated media outlets are social networks, blogs, and forums.
The impact of regulated media outlets on any society is far-reaching. Media has played its role more effectively in promoting negativity. Media outlets are powerful enough to change opinions and thus hold a responsibility. However, media outlets are often seen promoting cultural rifts, political biases, public shaming, and other negative ideas that distort the image of society.
Media also plays an active role in promoting violence. The projection of heroic characters demolishing everything and taking drugs, cheating wives, and speaking a lie are common scenes. And the media outlets often promote unhealthy products and fake researches for little benefit. There are multiple cases where media outlets promote certain things over others without any proof. And they do it while promoting paid content in the case of food products, medicines, education, and clothing.
How to improve role of media in society?
It should not be media outlets and groups of media owners to decide for the people as if what they should watch on television and whatnot. It should be the people who must decide what they want to see and whatnot. It is what democracy means. However, we don’t know why we watch certain content on media while certain content fails to reach us.
Media outlets and government should conduct polls to get to know the public opinion. It is pure dictatorship when it comes to a majority of hours of media streams. And if someone wants to claim that people leave their opinion by rating content, then it would be a mere joke as people are compelled to rate among the streams that they have not consented to watch in the first place.
So the media outlets should take the consent before streaming the content. It would be like saying about dictatorship, that people give their opinion by protesting.