The Positives and Negatives of Mainstream Media

    Defining mainstream media is pretty simple. It is where most people go to get their news. In the past, that would be with the use of a local newspaper, local TV news, or one of the main national broadcast channels. A few of these are CNN, Fox News, and NBC News channels. However, with new technological advances, we now have a greater variety of news sources. Mainstream media is very important to learn all about events happening within your area or even nationwide.

    When the idea of mainstream media was released, it was just based on simple newspapers and popular TV news channels. Nowadays, it has grown so much. You can now hear all about the latest events on podcasts, videos online, and even social media apps. The idea of news has changed dramatically and is now viewable through many different websites and apps all in the touch of a finger.

    This new development in technology has prompted more uncertainty than ever. There is a lot more disinformation spread about topics. This creates a lack of trust among the readers and listeners of the news. 33% of Americans now have a huge lack of trust in mass media due to false claims and fake content. Trust in any news source today is hard to come by because of the spread of fake news.

    Additionally, mass media can empower those who already have tons of power. Along with other social media content, news sources are filtered to what they want us to see and hear. This gives the higher-up positions a greater advantage because they have the money to influence their voices more than others. This is a major downside to mass media as it gives the richest an unfair benefit to take power over other sources. 

 

    On the other hand, mainstream media can help keep us all connected. In the past, without any form of easy access to communication, you would not know anything about your community and the world you live in. With the use of mass media, we now can stay connected more than ever. We can hear about any mass causality around the world within seconds. If it weren’t for sites such as Facebook, I wouldn’t have known about the recent bar in my hometown that burned down while I was away at college. Social media may not be viewed as the greatest thing imaginable, but it has undoubtedly kept us informed when others couldn’t.

    Furthermore, there are tons of unheard voices throughout the world that want to be heard and share their opinions. The use of mass media has been a revolution for giving voice to the voiceless. Every day in America alone there are people who have something to say. Those voices are not broadcasted all over the news and are nearly silenced. With the development of these new forms of media, we are able to share what we want when we want to. Those that speak up may even be heard across the world. Without the use of mass media, we wouldn't be able to have our voices heard by millions of people.

    Mass media hasn’t always had the best reputation and it still doesn’t today due to the many consequences following it. However, it has given us tons of new information we wouldn't know otherwise. I learn a ton from social media sites on a daily basis. While some of this news may be incorrect or completely fabricated, I'm grateful to have this type of technology at my fingertips and be able to listen to others who may not have a voice without mainstream media.