In a world of ever advancing technology, it is no wonder that society has become dependent on this phenomenal development, one of the more prominent of which is mass media. Media, over the period of its existence, has had several roles. Originally, these roles include communication of the truth to society, share wholesome entertainment and interact with people of different cultures. However, in this day and age, has media compromised these obligations? The truth that they promise to give has become more and more unrealistic and distorted.
The entertainment that is supposedly family-oriented, seems to have become, in one way or another, vulgar. Also, it seems that media has been one of the overly dominating forces in the lives of people to the point that it has created a whole new culture under its direction. This research paper will look into media’s influence on people’s way of life through the many messages that it sends out—from the deformation of principles to the alteration of reality to the misrepresentation of women.
It will, in particular, focus on its representation of the lifestyle of the young, rich and famous. It will provide a picture of this kind of lifestyle, a lifestyle that is being overly promoted by media. By observing the everyday life of the different young celebrities of today, it intends to juxtapose it with the customs of regular high school girls. Specifically, this paper aims to identify the effects of such messages and representations on this young audience.
This paper argues that the fascination of high school girls towards the lifestyle of the young, rich and famous, as depicted by media can cause adverse effects on their personal and social development. On the other hand, this fascination can be manifested in a positive light. The many different ways in which this can be done will be stated at the end of the dissertation. With much optimism, this research work expects to be able to counter these negative effects. Loorthusamy, A. (1993, January). Communication, Media, and Social Change.
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