Interview Example on the Influence of Social Media on Societal Values

Introduction

It was an opportunity to meet one of the news anchors in the popular TV station for an interview regarding emerging issues in the media. The purpose of the interview was to examine the influence of social media on societal values. Ideally, media comprises newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations. The different media has an implication on the culture of the people, politics, and the economic dimensions in the society. The political leaders of the 21st century visit the media stations to popularize their policies and manifestos to the public. Most of the emerging issues in society reach various parts of the globe through the media. In an attempt to understand the implication of the media on society, the following questions were helpful in the interview process:

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(a) What is the role of the media in ethnicity and racism?

(b) What is the role of media in the formation of subculture?

(c) How does the media contribute to the formation of negative stereotypes about a specific population?

(d) What is the role of media in social stratification?

(e) How does the media influence the distribution of wealth in the community?

(f) What is the role of the media in the formation of leadership?

Transcribed interviews

Interviewer: What is the role of the media in issues of ethnicity and racism?

Anchor: The media catalyze and reduce the animosity of racism depending on the usages. For example, the media can be used to paint a negative image on the people of a particular race and thus increase issues of racism in the society. It is also evident the cases of ethnicities may rise depending on how the people of a particular ethnic group are depicted in the media. It is evident in the countries like US that the black people remain the subjects of torture and humiliation because of the skin color and their representation on the social media. However, media influence racism such as TV is helpful in sensitizing the community regarding the need to embrace diversity. The equal representation of the people of race in the media creates an impression of equality among the people of different races.

Interviewer: What is the role of media in the formation of subculture? How does the media influence culture and society?

Anchor: The world today is becoming like a village because of the spread of information in the very first in the modern society. The media promote the spread of cultures. The TV programs, the movies, and songs represented in the media contribute to the penetration of cultures of one community to another. If you will ask, in what ways have various forms of entertainment media shaped American culture and its values, the answer is: media contributes to the erosion of cultures as the viewers attempt to copy the dressing styles of the actors. Western cultures are global because of the media.

Interviewer: How do media contribute to the formation of negative stereotypes about a specific population?

Anchor: The use of social media may paint a negative picture on the people of a particular culture. For example of negative stereotypes in the media, the use of media may affect the society negatively if the users paint negative images on the people of a particular race

Interviewer: What is the role of media in social stratification?

Anchor: The society exists in strata, the rich, and the poor, so social stratification in the media is reflected too. The media can be used to reveal the situations of the poor people and statues of the wealthy community. Social stratification is related to social media in a way that the TV stations, the print media and radio stations contract with elites and businesspersons to advertise on their behalf. In the process, the society is grouped into social structures.

Interviewer: How does the media influence the distribution of wealth in the community?

Anchor: Media enables the government to reach the people in the easiest way possible. The people get to know how the government allocates the resources to various projects in the country and reveal how wealth is distributed between the rich and the poor.

Interviewer: What is the role of the media in the formation of leadership?

Anchor: The political leaders use the media to popularize their manifestos in the public. Most of the political leaders organized political rallies using TVs and radio stations. In most cases, most of the political leaders visit the TV station for interviews on some critical issues in the society.

Relevance of the interviews to readings

According to the reading, the media contributes to the formation of negative stereotypes in society. Ideally, the media is responsible for altering the psychological mindsets of the audiences considering the nature of the information they view. Bradley Gorham gave an insight regarding how a stereotypical image has negative consequences on the viewers (Gorham, 2010). The videos have the power to change the perspectives of the people regarding the particular issues in the society. In the past, the media has depicted black people carrying weapons, possessing drugs, and robbing other people (Gorham, 2010). The revelations in the camera have the potential of changing the mindsets of the people to believe that black people are robbers, drug abusers, and lawbreakers. Analytically, the users of social media may decide to use it to paint negative images on the people of a particular race. Media can also act as a means for the people to fight for their rights. The victims of racism in the media and negative stereotypes can use the media to demonstrate against the injustices.

In the reading, the media is responsible for the globalization of culture. In modern society, the western cultures are dominating around the globe because of the increase in the number of consumers of video in the popular television channels. The information in the reading shows a close relationship with the revelations from the interviews. TV programs affect the cultures of the people (Lind, 2004). The actors in the movies have the capacity to influence the viewers and can transform how they talk, the dress code and the social skills. The use of TV has brought about the global village effect to the community. The happening in the communities in various parts of the globe reaches all viewers at the same time in various locations.

The representations of workers in the media reveal the racial difference. Ideally, the ratio of the black to white people in TV stations and movies shows disparities because of the race. The unequal representation of people of different races in media houses shows how people of a particular discriminated in the society (Neeley, 2002). The media acts as the platform to acquire power over other people. Hegemony is one of the tools for acquiring power that most elites use in society today. The dignitaries who visit media houses for interviews tend to gain power after their interviews. Ideally, the media enables wealthy groups of people to reveal their net worth, which tends to ignite the respect from the lower class. The political leaders tend to use the media to mobilize for campaigns and to solicit for followers in the society.

Conclusion

It was apparent from the interview that the media helps to reveal the living standards of the people who need support. The smartphones in modern society have helped to reveal the situation of poor people. The media has been used to report cases of abduction, sexual abuse and to critic the cases of unequal distribution of wealth in the society (Neeley, 2002). In capitalist nations, there are cases of exploitation of workers. The media has helped to communicate the inequalities and oppressions in such nations. The media has helped to deter criminal activities in different countries. For example, the media reporters have used the media to discourage evil activities such as racial discriminations. The media analysts have used the skills of data collections and reporting to compile the information regarding the states of matter in the communities.

References

Gorham, B. W. (2010). Considerations of media effects: the social psychology of stereotypes: implications for media audiences, beyond blackface: Africana images in US Media. Houston: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 93-101.

Lind, R. A. (2004). Laying a foundation for studying race, gender, and the media. Race/Gender/Media: Considering diversity across audiences, content, and producers, 1-10.

Neeley, E. (2002). Understanding Inequality: The Intersection of Race/Ethnicity, Class and Gender. Teaching Sociology, 30(3), 385.