The Debates Over The Benefits And Negatives Of Broadcast Media
Since the advent of contemporary mass media, sociologists and media scholars alike seek to understand whether mass media facilitates societal expansion or disengages individuals’ cognitive functions. Mass media refers to all media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media pertains to movies, television and music. Through the evolution and convergence of mass media, broadcast media has maintained a prominent role in society and has invoked moral panic rooted in the form of dystopian rhetoric. Although many researchers and individuals express deterministic views about broadcast media, it has inadvertently educated the masses, promoted democracy and cultural diversity. In addition, the argument against broadcast media is that it disengages an individual’s mind and decreases overall cognitive ability which is not entirely substantiated. In fact, according to a New York Times article, television programming has “increased cognitive benefits ascribed to reading such as: attention, patience, retention, and parsing narrative threads”.
The complex narratives in contemporary media allow for audience engagement and in effect produce similar cognitive benefits. Essentially, mass media has become a neoteric tool for education. Through the various forms of broadcast media, information can be distributed to large populations in a short period of time. Individuals acquire knowledge on a variety of current issues such as politics, environmental conservation, public health and other global discourse. Diverse content that’s presented throughout different broadcast mediums is likely to broaden knowledge, perspective and can lead to an increase in imbibed knowledge on a plethora of topics. In retrospect, the act of understanding, analyzing, processing the material and then creating individual opinions is what expands the mental boundaries and in effect engages an individuals’ mind.
An equally significant aspect of broadcast media is its ability to promote democracy through critical engagement. For example, talk shows and radio debates allow for individuals to voice their opinions on a particular issue. This allows an individual to learn multiple ideas and perspectives on a topic. These mediums also allow for subjective discourse without the fear of authoritative power. Furthermore, mass media acts as an accountability mechanism. For instance, citizens can hold the government accountable through public debate. It can help the public to question issues such as policy failures, corruption and scandals. According to Harvard professor, Pippa Norris, “independent press within each nation is essential in the process of democratization by contributing towards the right of freedom of expression, thought and conscience, strengthening the responsiveness and accountability of governments to all citizens, and providing a pluralist platform and channel of political expression for a multiplicity of groups”.
The sentiment expressed in the quotation, embodies the view that, free press is vital to the adherence to democracy and acts as the advocate for a country’s citizens. Evidently, mass media increases critical engagement in individuals by providing a voice to the otherwise voiceless minority. Having considered that mass media promotes democracy through critical engagement, it is also reasonable to look at how mass media encourages cultural diversity through alternative realities. Visual media allows individuals to experience other cultural perspectives and aids in the understanding of different cultural practices. It is important to note however, that visual media can also be used to promote biased ideologies to exercise domination and perpetuate prejudice. But it has become evident that in contemporary mass media, social shaping takes place because the consumer base demands diversity in television, movies and music. Representation of different ethnic backgrounds and differentiating sexualities/gender identities has increased within the last century of mass media due to the consumer market and has inevitably produced cultural diversity through exposure. Additionally, these mediums can allow other cultures to preserve a collective identity by providing autonomy and empowerment while also allowing for self-representation in media.
In summary, while broadcast media can be linked to a “culture of distraction”, it’s imperative to realize that there are some advantages to these mediums. As mentioned earlier in this paper, mass media fosters democracy, cultural diversity and provides education to the general public which in theory dismantles the notion that broadcast media is disengaging individuals. To express that notion, is to completely ignore the achievements and advantages of broadcast media and it’s influence on society. In retrospect, I have come to the realization that I have agency over technology, while also understanding that it possesses an influential authority over me as the consumer.
