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The Media
Media simply refers to the excessive amounts of information that is transmitted through television, radio, and other types of mass communication. This includes the stories and images that are pushed out by any form of media outlet. The messages that are being relayed by the media can vary greatly depending on what type it is. For example, a story about a car accident would have a much different effect when it was told on Facebook versus in an article for USA Today. Furthermore, no matter what type of media it may be, people tend to misinterpret what they hear or see from outlets and take those messages at face value without doing any independent research themselves (Market Business News, 1).
Digital media such as the Internet allows for a direct connection with the source of information, which gives people more insight into the matter. “Media” can refer to a variety of things, for example writing, the mass communications system in society, an individual’s life outside of work, or a way of thinking about social problems. Media effects can be divided into two types: direct and indirect. Direct media effects occur when exposure to media causes changes directly related to what is being presented in that medium. This is also referred to as mediated or interactive effects.
There are various issues that arise with the media, but tis post is only going to focus on two here: ethical issues and intrusions with privacy. The media is divided into several different categories, such as forms of advertising, mainstream news and editorial opinion, film and television programming, radio broadcasts, and social media. These types are almost always regulated by a set of rules which must be met in order for them to use open spaces for their marketing. In regards to privacy issues that arise from this unregulated medium; there has not been much research done on the subject so it is difficult to come up with a concrete definition or policy. However, what we see is an increasing number of individuals who are trying to establish terms concerning how an individual’s privacy should be protected online.
Media’s ethical issues arise from a number of different aspects. There is the issue of financial gain, in which case the media will usually remain objective in order to avoid any conflict of interest. However, there are other areas that ethical issues can arise from, such as product endorsement and advertisement(Rao, Akash, 30). An example of an ethical issue drawn out by this is when the media takes an interest in certain brands or products because they are being endorsed by someone in the public eye. Another example is when news producers seem to get more pleasure out of showing pornographic content rather than things that truly matter like, politics or current events.
The main ethical concern that arises from the media relates to privacy. With the use of social media and internet to communicate, people no longer feel safe at home. Because of this, people are using social media as a way of finding out what’s going on in the world or even just checking up on themselves. For instance, a Facebook user took to Twitter in an attempt to find out if there was a local news station broadcasting his home. While there is an ethical issue here, it’s important that we look at it with more than just our own interests in mind (Rao, Akash, 34). Although we wouldn’t want anyone spying on us while we are doing something personal, other people want this same access too. Because of this, there shouldn’t be a hard set of rules put in place that can prevent the public from what they want.
Work Cited
“What Is Media? Definition And meaning”. Market Business News, 2022, https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/media-definition-meaning/. Accessed 11 Mar 2022.
Rao, Akash. “Ethical Issues with Social Media Business Practices: Motivation, Consequences, and Character Formation.” (2021).
