Yesterday, I was part of a discussion on the effect of mass media in shaping gender roles in society. By 'part of a discussion' I mean to say that I sat in the same room as people who all agreed with one another on the topic. I disagreed, but a bitter case of the Mondays kept my tongue tied for the duration of class. Now that it is Tuesday, I feel the need to redeem myself, even if its done on an almost personal level.
The main argument was that we would be ridiculous not to believe that mass media has an immediate impact on culture. The class consensus would've left me with the impression that everyone that watches television does so as a guide for how life ought to be led. This is not to suggest that media does not have an effect on trends, as it certainly does, but I question the degree that we accept and, by default, blame, mass media for creating or reinforcing our social/sexual identities. The group consensus certainly implied the consumption of media as something active, which I think is a bit inaccurate.
It would be an error in judgment to assume that media has no effect on culture, as it certainly does, and has, and will continue to do so. We could argue that children are a fair watermark for how much media effects the public, as children are impressionable. This, I feel, seems fairly evident every time we see a young girl seeking beauty items, or playing house, or any time a young boy plays war. My concern though, is how much did society already influence those roles? Mass media has only been prevalent for a comparatively brief amount of time, at least when put in context. Its hard for anyone to really have perspective on the issue, as no one alive has existed without constant media influence.
I suppose it depends entirely on how information is digested. If you believe that women read the '50 ways to please your man' per Cosmo, then I suppose you would in turn believe that media has a reflective and influential role in society. I happen to believe that people are much more passive in their consumption of media, be it news or entertainment, and that although it may pose as an influence, social mores have remained pervasive with or without television to tell you what to do. At least I hope that people are more than what they watch.
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Television is one of, if not the, essential tool in maintaining our consumer society. It shapes, and in most cases, dictates the rediculous desires that fuel the consumer culture. Take away TV and it would still be there but TV's power is quite powerful. Look at the bullshit about the president drinking beer with that cop.. And then there's sports.. No wait. Sports rule. You know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but by the same token, television, and by extension the internet have opened up a world of information to skeptics. Look at those websites that exist only to bust presidential candidates who quote things wrong. You can argue for the benefit of mass media, as well as the detriment. Since you can make pretty compelling arguments in either direction and since we as a culture have no perspective on a mass media-less world, its kind of impossible to argue how much we're influenced by what we see/hear. I'm not saying it doesn't have an influence, just considering our lack of perspective in the matter.
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