HOW THE MEDIA SHAPES PUBLIC PERCEPTION

January 2nd, 2021

By Adesanya Olusola

What we know, think and believe about the world around us that is out of our personal first hand experience is shaped or orchestrated by how they are reported in both the print and broadcast media.

The role of the media in shaping public perception on significant issues such as politics and social issues have at one time or the other been debated and even speculated.

A typical example would be a person who has not at any point in time been in America but believes that America is goldmine, where people makes money with little effort.

This person's perception of America is as a result of how America has been portrayed in the media as a place full of opportunities.

Only few people has had experience in first hand robbery attack, but we all hold a perception of how robbers operate. Our perception of robbery operations or it's reality and how we respond to it is greatly influenced by how they are reported in the media. The mass media brings assumed reality into our lives and we find our self viewing and interpreting the world around us through this lens.

The Cultivation theory holds that the popular media such as Television has the power to influence our view of the world and most times is primarily responsible for our day-to-day norms and reality.

This theory is not without its criticism though, especially for those who argue that the capacity of the mass media to influence our thoughts is exaggerated. True, this is because even though the media plays a role in shaping our thoughts and perception about the world through media content, as human beings we do have our own minds which can objectively select and interpretes data the way it wants to.

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