We are bombarded with media messages throughout our day, from television news, advertising, and entertainment, to newspaper content, to outdoor advertising as we travel, to a variety of potential content accessed via the Internet. If asked, we would likely deny being influenced by these media messages, so as not to appear naive or gullible. Let's not mention the brand name products we purchase, the issues of current events that we discuss with others, or the tear that came to our eye during a particular poignant episode of our favorite television program. No, we're not influenced. However, when asked if we think others are influenced by media messages, we're quite likely to quickly agree that yes, they are influenced. Maybe when we consider these "others," we might think of people with less knowledge, fewer skills to resist those media messages, or perhaps instead children who might be more vulnerable to mass media content in some way. Unless it is a media message that would be good to be influenced by—perhaps a public service announcement for some prosocial activity—then maybe we're all influenced by those messages.
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