Wanted: The Media That We Need

Stemming from the original question of “do we get the media we want, or want the media we get” it is important to note that there are so many forms of media and media sources.   I would like to begin by quoting a classmate “A want is defined as a wish, need, crave, demand, or a desire (Dictionary Reference, 2013).  With the topic in mind of whether we “get the media we want, or want the media we get”, the definition of a “want” reappears within my mind” (http://cassandragrahamblog.wordpress.com/).  I think examining the definition of want and applying it to the context makes the way you think about media shift a little bit.  I personally do not like to watch the news for the typically daily source of news based media.  I feel there is way too much negativity and I do not want to start or end my day with stories about murders.  I do not want to be surrounded by sadness. 

                I am a very go with the flow kind of person and when it comes to my source of media I tend to revert to google.com to get the information about the stories I may hear around me or I see mentioned on social media sites such as facebook.  This way I feel a sense of distance between myself and what the world wants me to know and believe.  “The media will cater their message to the desires of their target audience.  This is a pivotal method of trickery that the media employs on us today” (http://lunterhackey.blogspot.ca/).  I could not agree with this statement more.  I feel like we do not actually have as much to say in regards to the media we get as we would like to believe.  With our generation being raised in a way never seen ever before with the introduction of all the technological devices and grown dependencies, I have determined that the claims of “brainwashing” are true.  The youth of today are surrounded by different forms of media telling them how to look, how to act, who to like, what to watch, what to believe, and are being directed through life step by step in the way the media sources want them to.  They are simply being trained to be mass consumers from the get go and media sources are taking advantage of every form they can. 

                A similar belief is shared by someone who posted the quote “the media is tricking people into thinking that they are getting what they want, when really it is the media that makes all the decisions” (http://melissasblogview.wordpress.com/).  I believe that with the evolution of quality of life or life expectations, the question of “do you have a cell phone?” no longer applies.  The more realistic question nowadays jumps straight to “what is your cell phone number”?  I do not think that we truly have an option to go without them anymore. When you watch commercials on TV they make it seem like you have the option to purchase an iPhone for example, or not, when really, it’s the option to have an iPhone or another brand of smart phone.   The decision of “you need a smart phone” has already been made by the media and you simply feel like you have a decision as to whether or not you do because you are provided with numerous smart phone options that all tell you what you want to hear. 

                In conclusion, I believe that commercialism controls the world and we will never necessarily get what we want, but more what we think we want.