Media Influence on Peoples Perception

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One of the main impacts of the media is its enhancement and exposition of global forces associated with what is coined as globalization - both in the cultural and societal sense because media helped support the globalization by connecting various cultures and individuals around the world. The media has been one of the driving factors, if not the most important factor, behind the expansion and integration of cultural elements on a trans planetary basis that transcends national borders. Culturally, this is evident by the change in fashion and acquired tastes and cuisines in both the Eastern and Western world. Not only are the ideologies of various social and ethnic groups changing in a tangible sense, but they are also evolving in an intangible and abstract way. The way Arab women, for example, think about and view themselves and their worth has tremendously advanced in the past few decades in a way that would have never been possible had globalization and mass media never existed. After witnessing the many examples of empowered, independent, and confident women portrayed in non-patriarchal societies, the East has gradually seen a similar impact. The media has therefore greatly influenced the process of globalization around the world.

Nonetheless, many people fear the concept of globalization as a factor that will remove the boundaries between distinct cultures and societies due to the influence of the mass media. Although globalization is a necessity for the transfer of knowledge and education throughout the world, it has various negative effects on most cultures, one of which is the Arab culture. One mere effect of globalization is that adolescents nowadays prefer to speak in English as opposed to their mother tongue, Arabic, thinking that it’s easier for them to express themselves in a language other than their own. It is well known that Arab societies are conservative and tend to gravitate towards old traditions and religious values while the Western societies prefer a more liberal outlook. However, with globalization, this cannot be the case due to the fact that people are constantly exposed to other cultures and wish to experience reality through other perspective. Globalization has blurred the boundaries between different cultures and societies and has allowed most countries to share similar opinions and ideologies regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, or race, leaving little to no room for people to be unique.

When discussing the impact of the media on society, it is noteworthy to emphasize the dramatic political changes that have been brought about in the past decade due to the influence of the media because people are no longer limited to one news outlet controlled by the government as was the case in the past. This has led to the concept of 'civil journalism' or 'mojo' where regular individuals can conduct their own research via the internet, and write feature stories, news articles, and the like without being professional journalists. This proves how the media has enabled people to form their own opinions and views on various social and political matters. Furthermore, the media helped kick-start one of the biggest and most altering revolutions in one of the most politically stagnant and volatile regions of the world; the Arab Spring. After a video of a man who set himself on fire due to the injustices he faced within his country went viral on social media, millions of Arabs stormed the streets of their cities in protest for their rights. This movement led to the removal of leaders in many Arab countries, and has since resulted in the largest and most unfortunate refugee crisis the world has ever witnessed. The media has since played a fundamental role in the public's perception of this very crisis. In the past few years, the media has placed a large emphasis on pictures and videos rather than worded articles, which allowed the public to see what’s happening as opposed to only reading its description. This enables them to understand the context of the situation, leaving no room for false explanations on the defender’s part. According to Barry (2016), “photos offer one a chance to deal with emotionally complex events in compact fashion” (p. 3). The impact of photos on the general public is tremendous because they trigger an emotional response within the audience and forces people to think of those affected as actual human beings, rather than just numbers. This is clearly highlighted in the example of the infamous image of Aylan Kurdi, the young Syrian refugee who was found washed up on the shores of Turkey after drowning in an attempt to flee his country. This specific image was viewed by millions across the world and proved to be of great impact on all those who came across it. Although descriptions of atrocities as such had been more than common at the time, this specific picture left millions in awe of the horrors that Syrian refugees endure on a daily basis. This image is only one of thousands that have had a similar effect on the public; an effect that would have never been possible had the stories been reported without the use of digital media. Furthermore, the media was also a driving force behind the failure of an entire attempted military coup. The most recent attempt at removing the Turkish president saw it's demise at the hands of a single Skype phone-call that he made, which was subsequently broadcasted across the world and encouraged all of his supporters to protest the coup, which eventually led to it's failure in a matter of hours. This example further highlights the extent of the media's impact on significant political issues. The media has also influenced presidential elections, specifically those within the United States. Never in a million years would people have thought that presidential nominees would exchange insults over Twitter, yet evidently that was the case with the 2016 US presidential elections involving Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. This not only increases the coverage on the elections, but also allows the younger generation to be more involved with political issues as such. Thus, the media is clearly one of the most impactful aspects in regards to how people view various political issues.

Although the media has various downsides, it has brought many vital issues like racial discrimination and Islamophobia to light and made them frequent topics of discussion. It has also impacted the public’s perception of various social issues like globalization and has served as a virtual platform that enabled anyone around the world to voice their opinions and views about various social and political matters. One of the most important influences of the media was witnessed in the political sphere where its many impacts on political issues such as the Arab spring, the Syrian refugee crisis, and presidential