Mass communication, propaganda and persuasion

Mass communication, propaganda and persuasion

In the modern and globalized world, there are rapid changes in technology and the way people are adopting it. More so, the way people entertain themselves, communicate, and influence each other through the mass media has evolved rapidly. The authors explain that communication may lead to persuasion, which consequently brings about change in opinions, attitudes and behaviours. Beliefs and biases play a very crucial role in persuading a person, especially when there is a choice. For instance, our phones have changed the way people transact their day-to-day business. Phones are used for entertainment, getting directions through GPS, booking air travel, shopping and doing research. Perhaps this is why most people spend more than 25% of their wake hours glued on their phones.

The drastic advance in the mass communication sector has led to increased concerns about social interactions and well-being of the people concerning media consumption. The mass communication advancement has brought about improved social interactions in one hand and deteriorated them on the other side. In page 155, the authors’ states that mass communication has led to distraction as many people are addicted to their smartphone. People keep on checking for the next news alert on Facebook, Twitter, we chat and other social connection. It seems as if people are becoming obsessed with focusing on phones. The addiction is more pronounced in teenagers, and this is associated with high incidences of depression and low performance in school. Adolescents’ tend to admire and tries to imitate the models they see on the media like Instagram. Others also post their photos on media expecting likes and comments; however, when they fail to achieve their expectations on social media, they become depressed. For example, many people have found themselves engaging in risky activities like texting or making phone calls while driving, which in turn may cause accidents.

Moreover, research shows that excessive consumption of mass media diminishes the cognitive development of a person. Experiments have shown that people who take intelligence test with their smartphone with them scores lower than those who take the test without their phone. Similarly, mass media leads to reduced social interaction skills and may lead to antisocial behaviour among adolescents and adults. Media leads to reduced eye contact, engagement, empathy and enjoyment during a conversation. The author also says on page 156 that most Americans spend up to ten hours a day on electronic media like television and phone. American children also spend more time on electronic media than they do for school and parents. Ideally,  family and school should socialize the children to become better members of society. On the contrary, many children are using so much time on media like television and video games at the expense of social interaction which is crucial for a child to develop cognitively and morally.

Mass media plays a significant role in spreading anxiety and fear among its users. For instance, in the news broadcast, the news on floods, violence, terrorism, protests, murder, among other scary news are reported first in the show. Perhaps this is because these stories are exciting and likely to attract more viewers than education, development, and peaceful shows would do. Mass media has made people believe that the world is becoming more violent and has, in turn, led to fear among people. Of course, some threats warrants intense coverage to update the public on the current situation.  For example, the case of a terrorist attack in September 2001, most Americans were glued on their television screens to know whether the situation was under control.

The insinuation is not that media is terrible, but the media should be responsible and tolerant when airing some stories. For instance, the cases of suicide reduce when the press stops emphasizing on the reported suicide cases. When evidence of suicide are stressed, it looks natural, and the vulnerable tend to think that they don’t have an option apart from death.  Some years back, media aired only logical and morally upright content that acted as a guide to positive societal development. On the other hand, today, mass media air content indiscriminately without taking into consideration the viewer’s needs. For example, celebrity songs get air time even if they sing naked without care if children are watching.

On the issue of persuasion, mass media have played a vital role in persuading people to accept a particular product, service or an idea. People pay thousands of dollars to advertise their products and plans for the case of politicians. Besides, people, especially children, have been seduced by some programmes aired and even find themselves buying the products featured in the programmes. For example, children buy some toys they see in Nickelodeon, Disney channel and cartoon network. To persuade people to accept a product, manufacturers give offers to get people to buy the products. Research has shown that if children choose between different candy bars,  most select the ones they have seen during an advertisement or a cartoon show.

The irony is that most advertisements made on mass media are not accurate, as shown in most studies. Everybody is susceptible to persuasion in one way or the other, and people find themselves buying things because they have heard about them but not because they need them. People tend to think that expensive goods are safer and of higher quality than cheaper products. A good example is cases of aspirin which is used to relieve pain. People tend to purchase the most advertised types of products, although they are more expensive. All headache relievers are aspirin, and all are equal, the difference is only the retail price of each. During advertisements, the manufacturers say that the tablet works in seconds which is not valid. Other products claim to contain ingredients that are recommended by doctors and very good for health, but research has shown that some of these products do not contain these ingredients.

More importantly, mere familiarity with a product influences a person’s choice when dealing with closely related products. Brand name can also play a vital role as people will look for things with similar names to what they desire to purchase. Recent studies have shown that customers go for the more common goods as it seems attractive to them even if less compelling. For example, when doing shopping and reaches to detergent section, one will reach for the most familiar also if it is not the best. The chances are that the familiarity came from an advertisement made on mass media station for several times.

The same case is seen during elections where the candidate who capitalize on advertisements receives more votes. This success usually happens when ads are done early during the campaign to identify the candidate to the people. Mass media has been widely used in campaigns; an example is the 1988 between Bush and Michael, where Michael was perceived to be leading as per the surveys done. However, this changed over after a couple of months when a prisoner accused of rape was released in Massachusetts, where Michael was the governor. The idea was that Michael is soft to crime, and thus, people changed their attitude towards him.

The author explains that when people are bored, scared or angry, facts alone are not enough to convince them. Information is only valid when tied to a solution directed to a specific problem affecting the people. Specifically, the more successful candidates are those who create strong emotions to the things people want to hear. People usually side with candidates who talk about gay marriage, unisex washrooms, elimination of fear and climate change among other reasons. Candidates who are more focused on a more reasoned approach of the economy have a harder time. The mass media plays a significant extemporary role in spreading these persuasions to the people.

The other aspect is propaganda which is a message aimed at influencing people’s opinions and behaviour. The issue of propaganda has become more pronounced with the advancement in technology and the internet, which gives people increased sources of information. Most people get their news from social media which is less filtered and thus giving people what they believe. On social media, the story is generated according to people’s interest and leaves out what one view to be offensive. People’s names have been tarnished through the mass media and social media when they are used to spread information concerning someone or phenomena.  For example, the issue of Michael Dukakis and Willie Horton was spread through mass media, and this led to a dramatic change in people’s opinion concerning his ability to the American president.

In conclusion, technology has played a vital role in persuading people to buy some products, believe in thought or do something to improve our lives. Although most people can be influenced by forces they are unaware of, the aspects of repetition and fear provocation and appeals are aspects that matter to people’s lives. People always want to be in control and have a sense of freedom. More so, people will always fight back when their liberty is threatened to restore it. For example, despite their having stern warning concerning drug abuse, people still traffic and uses these drugs. Attempts to stop people from writing graffiti on restroom walls have been futile. Research has shown that people write these graffiti where there are posters against them, indicating that people fight for freedom whenever denied.

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