The Roles of Media
Media has played a big part in the spread of news ever since it was invented. Newspaper, radio, television, all these are great forms of media that impact the spread of news around the world. The media has not always been as advanced as it is now or with the amount of variety but everything has a start. The oldest form of media is the newspaper. Newspapers are not the best for spreading news over larger areas, but they are good at spreading news over small towns. The best form of media at the time was radio. Radios are better at spreading news over larger areas but not too large.
Media coverage played a big part because it allowed information about the events that were happening at the time to be spread throughout the community. The use of media allowed everyone to be aware of what was happening and be able to react to things accordingly. Media coverage back then was limited and not as advanced but radios did a great job of reporting on what went on in the community. The events that this book portrays are devastating events that played a big part in history and led to the lives African Americans live today. If we did not have media then the events would not have received the attention they deserved and the world we live in may have been different.
The fear of not knowing what is happening is sometimes worse than knowing what goes on. Things happen in the world every day and it will always be important for everyone around to be aware. The media spreads news around the world no matter how big or small the issue may be. The media can be used in many ways to influence how people view different issues in the world. Sometimes the media is used for good and other times it may be bad. I use media as just a way to share pictures of my life and things of that nature. If it came down to me advocating for or against something I would not be afraid to use the platforms that I have to voice my opinion and fight for what is right. The media is there for many reasons so why not use it for good?
Ever since the Civil Rights Movement, forms of media have changed drastically. Back then it was things like newspapers or radio. The reason newspapers and radios aren’t popular anymore is that most people own a television or cell phone. Another reason is that to get newspapers delivered to your house, you have to pay for a subscription. The only time I happen to listen to the radio is when I’m in the car with my parents. Other times I just listen to Bluetooth from my cell phone. Now, it’s more social media and news channels. Most people nowadays get their information from social media. This can be both a positive and negative thing. Social media can be good to get information to people quickly but sometimes it spreads false news. The news on social media can be very controversial and people can be quick to assume the first thing they see is correct without digging deeper.
I agree that social media can also be a good thing to spread awareness about important topics going on like protests, natural disasters, and local emergencies. For example, it let people know about the Black Lives Matter movements going on and how they too can spread awareness. The other one I mentioned was natural disasters. Without social media and media in general, people wouldn’t know about the hurricanes in Florida or the blizzards in New York. They wouldn’t be aware of how to help or how to prepare if it happens to them. The next one is local emergencies. This can include a huge crash on I-95 or an amber alert. This notifies people to take caution and keep a lookout. I also agree that it’s better to be aware of what’s going on around you than to be completely clueless about it and media helps that.