MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, MEDIA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL OF THEM ALL A Study on Media’s Influence in Society

Abstract

It is innate in people to be curious about what is happening around them. That is because people need to be updated about the status quo. They have to be posted with the different information. These thoughts are part of the daily lives of the people and these contribute to their various perceptions in life. In this case, media is one of the sources of information. Hence, people must be aware if the media gives the right information to the public. This research study serves this purpose. It is necessary to know if the people are properly informed or are just being misled by what they see/hear in the television/radio, or read in the papers/intemet. To know further about this topic, the researcher used three key informant interviews, from different sectors of the society; one focused group discussion; inquiries from media-men themselves; and surveys conducted locally and internationally about media and media’s effects in society. The results of all the data gathered by the researcher suggest that media influence society, and that media has the power to manipulate the information they disseminate to the public, except for some surveys conducted locally by the Social Weather Stations which say that media only has a slight effect in society and the people’s awareness about it. In the end, it is still based on people’s acceptance of the information the media delivers. The people must be skeptical and critical about what is happening in their environment and the world.