Media

In today’s society, media are all around us, and they are impacting our lives in ways that we may not even realize. Marketing has become a multi-billion-dollar industry whose goal is to try to get you, the consumer, to purchase their products. Every day we are exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages. These can be in the form of a label on a package of cookies in the grocery store or an ad for a used car dealership on the radio. But by far, the most influential media messages we are exposed to are the ones we see with our eyes. Billboards, movies, television shows and commercials, music videos, and social media all provide us with a view of what someone else thinks our experiences, lifestyles, and bodies should look like.

Media can also make us think that if we act a certain way or if we buy certain things, then we will be popular, have fun, and be able to do extraordinary things with no consequences. However, this is not an accurate reflection of real life. For example, a body spray company might show a commercial where an attractive young man is using their product. Soon he is surrounded by members of the opposite sex. But using a certain brand of body spray will not cause members of the opposite sex to drop everything to try to date you. The company wants you to change your behavior and buy the product so they can make money. The media want to tell us what beauty is, what success is, what you should buy, and how you should act. They are also creating pressure to be something that you can’t be.