Sydney Linscott

McDermott

American History

27 April 2017

Research Paper for Portfolio

Through researching the effect that media has on events, I learned about the many

forms of media that surround me. As time has progressed, media and the accessibility to

media has developed and increased. In todays society, media surrounds many people in

ways that may be overlooked. Social media, television, movies, books, magazines, and

newspapers are just some of the many types of media that people have access to every

day. Because media is surrounding us, the average person is more connected and

educated from the information that is being spread and shared. This connection and

access to mass produced and spread information have resulted in a biased alter in the

information, meaning the information has become more emotion based as opposed to

information based.

Today, media is more available than ever before in history. In 1949, only two

percent of US homes had televisions. In 2007, more than ninety-eight US homes had at

least one television set (Television: A "Continuing Pervasive" Medium). Televisions

became more accessible during the 58-year gap because of the advancement in

technology and the increase in demand for media and knowledge. These advancements

are not just in televisions, but also in smartphones. On a smartphone, people can go on

the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, or any other form of media. This media is more

accessible and spreadable than ever before.

 Social media has become a very important and popular way for people to hear

about news and learn what is happening in the news. As of 2013, 64% of US adults used

Facebook, a social media network, and nearly half of them used it to get their news. 30%

of US adults used social media like Facebook to learn about news (Anderson & Caumont

2014). This helps to prove that media and news are surrounding us. This also shows how

easy it can be to share opinions on what we are learning from the news. This has had a

negative impact on the authenticity of the media because stories have become more

emotional and need-based as opposed to telling the truth and the full story. The stories are

being told halfway to try to accommodate to the crowd it is intended for. This makes the

media inaccurate and biased.

With media becoming so easy to spread and find, reporting and talking about

things that are factually based has become less important than appealing to the biased

views of the viewer, and being able to do so first. In 2011, 77% of people believed that

news organizations tended to be biased, and 80% of people thought that people of power

sometimes influenced news organizations (Clark 2011). This shows that people do not

always believe the media that is surrounding them, but they continue to be surrounded by

it. Also, this shows that the truth in a story is less important than what can be profited

from it and whom it is being told for and to.

With the changes in the accessibility, production, and spread of media, the media

has become more emotional based and biased. The increase and change in technology

that allowed for media to be more accessible in homes, as well as in hand, helped people

form more opinions on topics. As this happened, the media altered to it. Stories have

become more urgent and rushed as well as more biased and one-sided. People have begun
to mention that media is biased and is influenced by power and money. Media is

continually advancing and changing which leads to news become less reliable and more

accessible. Media has a huge influence on daily life in the US and will continue to gain

power and control over opinions.

 Works Cited

Anderson, Monica, and Andrea Caumont. "How social media is reshaping news." Pew

Research Center. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 May 2017.

<http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-

reshaping-news/>.

Clark, Mary Pat. "Press Widely Criticized, But Trusted More than Other Information

Sources." Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. N.p., 22 Sept. 2011.

Web. 15 May 2017. <http://www.people-press.org/2011/09/22/press-widely-

criticized-but-trusted-more-than-other-institutions/>.

"Television: A "Continuing Pervasive" Medium." Facts and TV Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web.

15 May 2017. <http://w2.parentstv.org/main/Research/Facts.aspx#>.