Report Sample on Mass Communication on Marginalized Groups

Introduction

Mass communication is the processing of exchanging information through media platforms with a large group of people. Normally, communication is through media platforms like the radio, television, and even using social media platforms. Mass communication can negatively impact marginalized groups (Mammaova & Ahmadov, 2017). Mass media exposes these people contrary to their wishes. Mostly the marginalized groups seem to live a low profile life because they are ashamed of their situation. However, through mass communication, these people are identified and exposed without their wish. So, the paper discusses how mass media communication work to marginalize persons with a disability, for instance, the mentally ill. Since these people sometimes get traumatized, and they fear exposure to any source of media. Also, the paper outlines the impacts of marginalization on mentally ill individuals.

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Role of Mass Communication

The role of mass communication is not only to pass information to a wider group of people but also to expose the situations in real life. Mass communication exposes our real social reality. For instance, when discussing the mentally. Through mass communication, they are easily exposed; thus, it diminishes them since most of them prefer private life.

The discourse theory also contributes to the marginalization since it follows a hierarchy. Thus, disabled people cannot be heard like normal people. They are perceiv3d to be lesser people in society. According to the theory, disabled people are categorized among the lesser people who follow normal individuals. Therefore, the theory contributes to the marginalization of disabled people.

Some of these people fear meeting the public so, when they get exposed due to mass communication, they can feel offended and embarrassed. The media are the platforms used in discriminating against the disabled. For instance, the main platforms for mass media communication include television, radio, newspapers, and social media platforms. When mentally ill individuals are exposed to media platforms, they can even fail to communicate. They get emotional disturbance and interferes with their well- being. Additionally, mass communication has spearheaded a lot of activities happening within society. Mass communication ensures a lot of information, whether bad or good, is spread to a large number of people within the shortest time.

Physically Challenged Individuals

Again, mass media expose the disabled as having no normal life. For instance, the media identifies the disabled as those not able to help or contribute to society. Most of the tie, they are perceived to be people who have nothing to do with society (Mammadova &Ahmadov, 2017). According to American research, a lot of information concerning the disabled is found on the internet. However, most of this information does not portray them in a good way. They are normally discriminated against even when certain opportunities are offered in society.

Consequently, those with a physical disability or any form of illness that led to deformation are normally discriminated against in various ways. For instance, physically challenged individuals are portrayed as evil or people with bad characters, which is not the case. However, even in television, when acting the horror movies, they are used to portray the same. So, media diminishes the physically challenged through exposure to such activities. Again, through the media platforms, those who are physically challenged are used as the people who have no focus, selfless, and people who don't contribute to society.

Research conducted to determine the relationship between physical attractiveness and crime identified the physical ugliness as those close to violence and any form of bad habits within the society (Wolbring & Djebrouni, 2018). Again to the American newspaper determines the physically challenged people to be people who are dependent on others most of the time—Instead of perceiving them as people who are focused and can contribute to the building of the economy (Kinal, 2017). Nonetheless, the media sometimes promote only the bad image of the disabled or physically challenged, ignoring most of their achievements or the good things they do in society.

Subsequently, the disabled most often are viewed as people of bad character, depending on how they are disadvantaged (Kinal, 2017). The mass media spread negative information about these people. They get affected indirectly because of their information. Most of the disabled get so stressed and emotionally disturbed because of the mass media issues.

Further, the media perceive the disabled as people of no value in society. Most often, they are associated with evil things, violence, and other negative situations in society. The disabled are diminished in so many ways; they are considered as a burden, and individuals who cannot provide for themselves.

The mass media enhance the spread of this information; hence the disabled automatically become marginalized in society because that is how society has made them. Nevertheless, disabled individuals lack a voice in society because people want to speak from them most often, instead of giving them a chance to communicate.

Discourse Theory

In discourse theory, relevant to the topic of discussion in that the disabled usually follow the information of the normal people; they have no voice whenever the normal people are present as it is perceived in the society (Wolbring & Djebrouni, 2018).The physically challenged or the disabled individuals are normally dominated since they are not given a chance to communicate like the other normal people. Mostly, society believes that the disabled are people who are not able to do things that contribute to success in society. In discourse theory, and according to a hierarchy, the disabled are normally a second priority.

The disabled are considered people of no voice in society. Therefore, in making critical decisions, even if they are more knowledgeable about the situation at hand, they are not equally given the platform to air their views. Furthermore, society views them as lesser people.

So, they wait for the decisions to be made for them instead of involving them in decision making. They are never given a chance to participate in forums where people contribute or get involved in the discussion by sharing their views (Wolbring & Djebrouni, 2018). Additionally, according to discourse theory, they cannot be given a platform like normal people because of what society thinks or perceive about the physically challenged individuals.

Consequently, in most British newspapers, the term disabled is often used to identify a person who is faulty or something that is not functional. So the disabled term is normally misused since it represents something that is messy. Additionally, the term is used to determine something that is not accurate rather than normal or operational things.

Subsequently, speaking on the mass media as a tool for marginalization. In the advertising stream, most of the time, they don't use disabled people in their advertisements. They fear portraying the images of disabled people in society—instead, they look for beauty and other forms of perfection. The disabled are usually kept away from mainstream or public places (Kinal, 2017). Most of the employers in the media platforms do not employ the disabled at any time. By not using the disabled in the advertisements on media is discrimination enough.

Additionally, hiding the various images of disabled people in society is proof of discrimination because it shows that disabled people are people who should not be in society or contribute anything to society (Kinal, 2017). Again, by sidelining the disabled, it means they are not considered as consumers like other individuals. So, this is also a form of mass media discrimination or marginalization of disabled individuals.

Charity Contributions

In the charity contributions, the disabled images are normally the worst. Besides, the money collected from the charity because of the disabled is always used for other purposes; in the end, the physically challenged people suffer the consequences. The organizations in charge of charity normally diminish the disabled by using them in making contributions.

Charitable organizations are at the forefront in diminishing or making lesser the disabled because they encourage them to depend on others (Kinal, 2017). They help them in making contributions. However, the abled people are independent, not like they perceive the physically challenged individuals in society. Again, they should be given an equal chance in society. To ensure, they also have a voice in society.

The charitable organizations have mobilized society by relieving that the disabled people need help. Hence, they cannot help themselves by working just like other people in society (Teng & Joo, 2020). So, they are part of the people contributing to the discrimination of the disabled people indirectly. The charitable organizations contribute to the dependency of the disabled by encouraging people to help them instead of encouraging or promoting hard work among the disabled.

Disabled people are rarely given a chance like other individuals. For instance, it is rare to find disabled people working in media platforms (Wolbring & Djebrouni, 2018), for example, on the radio or television channels. The disabled are usually kept away from mainstream or public places (Teng & Joo, 2020). Most of the employers in the media platforms do not employ the disabled at any time. Instead, they prefer individuals of perfection and beauty. So there are many forms of discrimination and marginalization of the disabled either directly or indirectly. But then, media is a major contributor to the marginalization of society.

Hence, the disabled or physically challenged individuals should equally be given a chance to participate in the activities of the society (Tohamy, 2017). Additionally, the organizations in charge of disabled people should be at the forefront to ensure these people receive maximum attention like the other people in society. They should participate in society and even get an equal chance like normal people (Teng & Joo, 2020). They should equally get jobs or employment like the other normal people.

Conclusion

There are many issues contributing to the marginalization of type physically challenged. However, the mass media plays a major role in ensuring disabled people lack a voice in society. They are made to be the dormant people who depend on other people for normal survival (Tohamy, 2017), which should not be the case. They also deserve equal opportunities, just like other normal individuals in society.

References

Teng, C. E., & Joo, T. M. (2020). Representation of the Disabled Community in Mainstream Media. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 10(2), 19-37. https://impact+of+media+to+the+disabled&hlcit&u=%2Fscholar%3Fq%3Dinfo%3AW0fnlfyYJKkJ%3Ascholar.google.com%2F%26output%3Dcite%26scirp%3D0%26hl%3Den

Mammadova, M., & Ahmadov, S. (2017). Impact of social media on the integration of disabled people into modern society. Problems of the information society.
http://article.jpis.az/66/

Kinal, J. (2017). The media image of disabled persons on the example of selected polish tv stations.119. (2), 47-55. https://www.prohuman.sk/files/Zbornik_NSE_VI_2017.

Tohamy, B. M. (2017). The role of mass media in raising awareness of the importance of intellectually disabled participation in Sports for All's activities. The International Scientific Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, 5(2), 93-99.
https://impact+of+media+to+the+disabled&hWolbring, G., & Djebrouni, M. (2018). Motivated reasoning and disabled people. Interdisciplinary Perspectives.