Influence of Media Portrayal in Everyday Life
The media, one of the most vital and defining fragments of a country. The power it withholds is immense. Capable of shaping what the nation perceives, believes, and even sees, media can be a very crucial part of the success of a nation if used wisely but can prove dangerous if put in the wrong hands. Media can mold a person’s views, opinions, and thinking about certain issues, government affairs, political parties.
Seeing is believing, we can easily be misled into believing something that might not be true, or an incident that could’ve been orchestrated to the Media’s liking. Media owners can be easily bought by political parties because of which no neutral view is passed. The portrayal of a nation by its media can have a great effect on what an inherent might think of his nation.
The effect can either be good or bad. Not only does it affect the belief of its natives, but also affect what foreign countries might think of them. If the media chooses to air something positive about the nation, it will be directly proportional to what the viewer thinks. For example, if in the daily newspaper, every day, the same news like “twelve died in a police shoot-out” or maybe “eighty-one people dead and a hundred more injured in a terrorist attack” is being delivered, then no native will ever think that his nation is in a peaceful condition.
On the contrary, if the news is conveyed in a more positive way, the pressure of native thinking he might not be safe in his own country could be a little less, for example, “Pakistani Olympic Wrestler, wins first gold for Pakistan.” The point being made is to make a much more peaceful and calm environment, Discomforting or distressing news should not be made public, instead, the news that might make a native proud of his homeland, or might feel safe in his country should be publicized.
In our everyday life, media plays a key role. Every other day in Pakistan, the media is displaying news that makes its people concerned. Many Pakistani people are uncertain about calling their country a safe and prosperous nation. The reason behind this is that all the stuff media tells us is about Political instability, economical problems, water and electricity shortage, etc.
No one tells us how successful our army is in counterbalancing terrorists, no one tells us how Pakistan has number one intelligence in the world, sadly, no one tells us that what we have accomplished and are capable of great things. Every country has its own problems as well as achievements but, bringing light to the problems and shadowing the achievements of a nation, undermines and demotivates a native. We are being brainwashed, we are being controlled, we are being forced into believing what they want us to believe, we see what they want us to see, they make us who we do not want to be. They shape us into what they desire. They, the media, are the puppeteers behind all sad stories.
IGCSE-I
Marble Arch Campus.