In my English 102 class we are discussing the power of media and as I do my research and hear of other peoples topics I started to pay attention to the media around me and the impact it truly has.
Media and Bullying
Of course it is a well known issue but cyberbullying happens way more then people may think. Even something you may have done on social media such as liking a funny post can be seen as bullying and can contribute to the harm. Since it was prom season twitter was filled with prom pics of girls getting dressed up and looking their best and showing off their looks. One girl posted pictures feeling pretty and beautiful but people saw it as an opportunity to make it into a joke and soon she became viral as a laughing stock. To see the post and the reaction towards it here it here Prom Post. After the hate she received she made a post saying "Why did I even go". Though the bullying was terrible and on a large scale the love and support she received was truly amazing. People flooded her with messages and comments about how she was beautiful and should never care what others think. Just a simple twitter post of your prom can turn into something you may never get to escape from.
Media and body expectations
Social media is filled now a days with posts about motivating people to work out. Which is a very positive thing to be advocating and a healthy life style is important to follow. What harm could be done in promoting health? Well as I scroll through twitter I see more and more girls complaining about their body and how 140 is too heavy and they need to lose weight, at 14 years old. Their tummies are flat and their arms bodies are average but they feel the need to worry about the gym and dieting rather then hanging out with their friends and enjoying school. It isn't an issue to want to have a nice body but at that age it can be emotionally damaging. There are also posts about "If you're 140 you shouldn't be aloud to wear shorts" excuse me? Not allowed to? At any weight a woman (or man) should be allowed to wear whatever they want. An item of clothing is never only allowed to those who are 130 and below. That isn't a realistic view and it can make girls think that they are not good enough. I completely encourage a healthy fit lifestyle but do it for the right reasons!
Media and Violence
I have never really believed this one and still am little sceptic about it myself. People don't like to admit that something like the media can control how we act such as wanting to do violent crimes. How can a video showcasing a gun make a teenager want to kill people? It may be a far stretch but one student showed me their essay and she made a good point. Media has a great effect on children. I never thought of a little kid being harmed by media but if you consider for a second how much young kids are like sponges and will soak up any and all information around them and act in that way. She had an example about a young toddler who would sit in their fathers lap as he would play grand theft auto. This didn't seem like a harmful thing as the child was young and "Didn't understand" well even if the child dint understand it sure didn't have a problem saying the words "Mother F*&^%$". The parents were shocked and turned off the TV right away. Kids are developing so much in adoesence and it is important to consider the effects media can have on them. Not saying it will put a knife in their hands but it could make them repeat such words and who knows what could come next.
These are just a few ways media contains power. Next time you are scrolling through instagram or tweeting on twitter look around and see if you can see the power as well.
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