Media: Do we want what we get? (OR) Do we get what we want?

Hello CPCF 1F25,

             In today’s society, it is safe to say that media has the power to shape our lives. There is a very relevant argument behind today’s mass media influence; and that is: Do we get the media we want? (Or) Do we want the media we get? 

Take advertising for example; “Because advertising promotes goods, it produces materialism” (Media and Society, 37) When materialism is produced, this is when society wants what they get in the media. Through advertising and reactions of the public to forms of mass media, media gets an idea of possible ideals that society wants to see and hear. This is when getting what we want comes into play. “The media teach us about masculinity and femininity, what it means to be a normal man or woman”. (Media and Society, 36)  For example, you see a cleaning cloth that has a certain technology in it allowing for more absorption when wiping; and then later that night one of the commercials on the show you are watching has a 30 second advertisement  specifically dedicated to that product; that is mass media influence at its finest. They know that in terms of cleanliness, that particular product can make a cleaning job way easier, quicker and more effective; they also know that people want a job made easier in any circumstance. Another example could be Swiffer Mops.  In a Swiffer commercial, mass media is addressing the hardships of using a regular mop to clean, and offers a solution to make mopping quicker and easier: The Swiffer Mop. These are two examples of the media giving us what we want. The particular audience that both advertisements are addressing is offering an easy way to do the things they do; the real question is: Who doesn’t want life to be easy? In conclusion, getting what we want and wanting what we get in the media are both factors in terms of influence.  So do we get the media we want? (Or) Do we want the media we get? Personally I feel like it is a mixture of both. 

- o'Shaughnessy, Michael. Media and Society. Fifth Edition. Austrailia : Oxford University Press, 2008. 36-37. Print.

Thanks,

Ernest Coetzee