Pros And Cons Of The Daily Show

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Living in a world of increasing technological advances and a growing availability of information, our world has become a mess of controversy being presented from countless sides. Today's social issues don't just pertain to one particular region like they used to. Because of our newfound ability to communicate with massive amounts of people at one time, our issues have become the issues of the world. My generation, the millennials, may not be the largest generation in numbers, but we are the largest in untapped potential. It's a common misconception that our generation is least likely to vote, and it may have been true in the last presidential election. However, social media websites are beginning to insinuate that this was largely because a …show more content…
Shows such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver use humor to appeal to younger audiences with the intent of informing them through mock newscasts. While both shows have been criticized for being "fake news," one particular essay written by Jason Zinser, "The Good, the Bad, and The Daily Show," gave a critical review of The Daily Show, listing pros and cons of the show. In the opinion of Zinser, The Daily Show uses "diluted" informative techniques that don't give the audience the entire story or allow for lengthy discussion. Something that I believe a lot of people don't understand is that The Daily Show utilizes humor as an attraction piece and then actually uses those news stories to show their opinion of decisions being made by people in the spotlight, be it presidential candidates or newscasters. It became increasingly apparent that young adults weren't too interested in watching Fox News, which is understandable as the target group for Fox News is older, more conservative viewers. An article published in 2011 showed a study done to find the different major factors in the political socialization of teenagers. This article, published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, showed findings that suggested parental involvement in politics, family church attendance, and online political media activity to be the largest factors. What Fox News …show more content…
A majority of these television shows are those that are being watched by the younger generation. These shows include some that have been aired on ABC Family, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and many others. The goal of these shows in addressing these social issues isn't to stir up controversy but to promote a sense of tolerance in the younger generation. The introduction of social issues may have first been straightforwardly addressed in a Disney Channel show, Good Luck, Charlie, where a friend of the little girl's comes over with her parents, two women. The episode was met with a large amount of controversy and some outcry that the episode had been inappropriate. Disney Channel responded to the controversy, saying that their intent was to reflect the diversity of families and be relevant to children and families all over the world. Another program that will be airing soon on ABC Family, Becoming Us, is about two teenagers whose fathers are transgender and have just started the transition. The introduction to these social issues through such an established form of media encourages it to be accepted more quickly by those who watch the shows regularly. This, by extension, promotes acceptance and young adults grow up more likely to vote and legislate in a way that reflects that acceptance and tolerance of

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