I grew up without a television. We had the box – but no
channels came through, and every few months my Dad would declare our family to
be on a “Television Fast” and would lock the TV up in the hall closet for a
while.
His argument?
The television, in particular cable channels piping
information in from around the world, would expose his six children to ideas
and ways of thinking that he didn’t want them encountering without some sort of
filter, especially at a young age.
While I admire my Dad’s desire to protect his family, the
fact of the matter is that you can try to shut out the mass media, and the
messages they preach – but short of moving deep into the Canadian wilderness
without access to other individuals, mass media is influencing us. Even though
we didn’t watch the shows other kids were watching, didn’t have commercials to
tell us what toys to bug our parents for – we had friends. Friends who
disseminated the messages they were learning to us.
And that’s just television.
Computers, the Internet, music, radio, newspapers, magazines
– even if you don’t have daily personal contact with each of these conduits of
information, any sort of interaction with an individual who HAS means you not
only get access to that information, but also their own personal spin on the
message.
Multiple factors shape our worldview. Arguably,
relationships shape it the most.
Our relationships with other people.
Our relationships with the tools of mass media.
And the relationships other people have with the tools of
mass media.
It is impossible for our relationships, our world view and
the subsequent way we live our lives to not be influenced by mass media.
What is possible is for us to choose whether that influence
will have a positive or negative impact.
I’m in university now. I have Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter,
Pinterest.
I surf the world wide web everyday.
Does mass media impact my worldview?
You bet.
September 11, 2001 – a day the world changed.
A day we changed.
It was a horrible experience, shared by the entire world.
The events of that day changed our view of the Middle East,
terrorism and what it means to be at war.
However, the events of September 11 would not have had the opportunity
to shift the world’s perceptions had they not had the means to communicate with
the world.
Is mass media’s influence a significant factor when it comes
to determining my worldview?
Absolutely.
Is it the only factor?
Not by a long shot.
What I watch, listen to, read about and interact with has a
profound effect on the way in which I view my world.
But so does my past. My history. My background. My parents.
My siblings. My life experiences. My dreams. My goals. My hopes. My fears.
Mass media will play a role in shaping my worldview.
But I refuse to let mass media define it.
