Stereotypes: Article Analysis

Everyone knows how much power the press and advertising have in shaping the news, how its choice of stories and words influence its readers. What are the media? Do the media reflect the views and values of society or is being influenced by it? The term media can be defined as the whole form of mass communications, including newspaper, magazine, television, and internet. As states in her article, “Television has become a scapegoat for all sorts of societal and cultural ills. Critics blame television for everything from obesity to the murder rate. While television is easy to criticize, and much of the criticism is justified, we also need to keep in mind that television benefits society in many important ways” (Mitu Bianca- Marina 1). The current …show more content…
Stereotypes play an important role in today's society, especially in the media and advertising. Stereotypes have existed since the beginning of time in our everyday life through religion, politics and media. As states in her article, “the media can influence people’s perception about a particular topic or person, it can change attitudes, feelings or behaviors” (Mitu Bianca 2). Stereotypes are the assumptions of people are like, whether true or false. The media often uses stereotypes which are significantly accepted among people in our society. In her speech, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Adichie tells the perils of perpetuating and believing just one story about a situation, place or people. According to Adichie, “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” The African single stories are the most negative around the world, which leads to the misconception of facts and the ignorance of individuals. The misconception of Africa is being primitive, savage people with lack of education and healthcare. Furthermore, all African live in a jungle with wild animal as pet. Often in the media, Africa is generally portrayed or mistaken as a big country filled with starving kids instead of being a continent full of countries leaving the entire world under the …show more content…
In fact, some of the greatest events in life have come through media and advertising. For example, the election of the first black African American President Barack Obama in the United States was one of the most broadcast event worldwide. The media and advertising also help increase general public awareness issue that frequently receive the most coverage. For instance, it is clear that access to the media is important for candidates and other politicians. It helps them call attention to certain issues, to promote their images, campaign or project themselves to the general public; so that, they will relate and freely make their own decision and choice. Additionally, the media expose us to a new whole world that we can connect and associate with. It provides us with countless means of communication in case we want to stay connected and updated with family members and friends through social media. Moreover, the media give us the everyday news for the rest of the world, making it easier to access international information at the tips of our finger through internet, radio, television and newspapers. Some may argue that in the way, today’s mass media and advertising united people on a different standpoint. For example, people celebrate the world big