To successfully understand the importance of Media Studies in the contemporary era, it is vital to have a successful understanding of what media is. In its simplest form, it is the main means of mass communication, but it is the most crucial tool in our lives for discovering new ideologies and perspectives. Therefore, when establishments like Cambridge University call them a “soft” option it begs the question - is academic progress more important than shaping the minds of tomorrow to think critically and independently?
The media impacts every aspect of our lives, with it being easily accessible everywhere in our ‘Digital Age’. You can get alerts from Apple News on your wrist hourly, you can browse the news manually on smart TV’s at your leisure, all while co-existing with traditional formats of media like TV programs and newspapers. While these forms are all educational and professional ways of delivering information, the most poisonous among young people is the newest form - Social Media.
Social Media has its perks - big corporations like Subway have amassed 2.3 million followers on the twitter platform through interacting with their audiences in a comedic manner (which is now referred to as ‘being a meme’), acting as a new way to connect with an audience. Being social is also a big part of this media form, as the ‘stan twitter’ culture allows like-minded people to connect through common interests and form relationships with people from different corners of the planet. Social media has also opened up a new era of communication without fear of repercussion, seen in the recent rise in profile by members of the LGBT community.
Yet on the flip side, the rise in social media has lead to what could be referred to as a lawless environment. Quicker than the social media services can highlight and remove it, content including- but not limited to- gore images including murder and school shootings, animal abuse, and explicit sexual content are available in the social sphere of these teens. A few days ago, on August 30th, a viral video of a dog being burned alive was in circulation, and this is no isolated incident. There are also scientific studies in progress - the most notable being by Michigan State University - that excessive use of this kind of media leads to a whole host of mental health problems. There are connections between social media and poor decision-making that is likened to people with substance abuse issues. With over a third of the population using these media forms, we must study them continuously to examine the effects of our new-found freedom and ensure it will not create lasting issues for young people in the future.
While the future of media is unpredictable; with the most popular social media site Facebook only coming to fruition in 2004, the need to study its forms and become self-aware of how it is used to influence and persuade audiences towards a viewpoint is becoming increasingly more important. The study of media leads us to an understanding of how society and the world around us work and function, and promotes a critical perspective on everything we see. This is why I think media studies are important, as understanding the inner workings of society is something that will create independent-minded adults that are hard to subject to the propaganda that surrounds us.
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