annaiswriting, Benjamin

    In the “Introduction to Part I” of the book Media and Cultural Studies Keyworks edited by Meenakshi Durham and Douglas M. Kellner, the rise of public media is described. This chapter introduces the book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere by Jürgen Habermas, in which Habermas describes how ordinary citizens had the ability to form public opinions that went against the interests of the bourgeois. Although public media allows ordinary people to express their opinions, it also serves as a way to allow those in power to easily persuade media consumers. This chapter states, “in this analysis, the information between a sphere of public debate and individual participation has thus been fractured and transmuted in into that of a realm of political manipulation and spectacle, in which citizen-consumers passively ingest and absorb entertainment and information” (Durham, Kellner, 2012, p. 29). Even though public media platforms, such as newspapers and radio shows, allows for ordinary citizens to make their voices heard, it also is less filtered which means that people can easily take advantage of these platforms and spread misinformation. This idea is especially relevant today with social media. Social media gives us access to more information than ever before. It gives people of all backgrounds the opportunity to share their opinions. However, social media platforms allow misinformation to circulate.

     In my CMC 100 course, I watched a documentary called The Social Dilemma, which emphasizes the dangers of social media. Specifically, the documentary demonstrated the political polarization that Facebook is responsible for. It showed how Facebook analyzed the political views of users based on the types of content they had "liked". Rather than showing users neutral content, they show users content that affirms their views. Due to this political polarization on social media, people consequently struggle to understand those who disagree with them, as social media primarily exposes them to viewpoints to affirm, rather than challenge their positions on political issues. Consumers passively absorb the information as they scroll through social media with minimal effort. Although public media is important as it allows for ordinary people to express their opinions, it is highly necessary for these average citizens to be educated on the ways in which those in power can manipulate the media. Educating oneself on media manipulation is an imperative step for it to be a tool for social change, rather than a tool for those in power to continue to control the lives of average citizens.

References

Kellner, D. M., Durham, M. G., (2012). Media and Cultural Studies Keyworks. Wiley-Blackwell.

Orlowski, J. (2020). The social dilemma. Netflix.