Final Blog

Social media is, I believe, both the most effective and the most dangerous form of mass media. In journalism, there is, in theory, integrity. The newscasters attempt to disseminate information that is true. There is also accountability – if a network disseminates misinformation, or otherwise fails to engage in ethical journalism, the public will demand the situation to be rectified. With social media, everyone is their own broadcasting network, there is no need to reveal personal identity or relevant affiliations, and no real way to determine the validity of any information. This model is extremely helpful in allowing individuals to organize movements against dangerous government powers, but it also allows individuals to be manipulated in ways they are not even aware of. This is exemplified in Russia, where anti-Ukrainian propaganda is produced, and thousands of fake profiles are created in order to support a government manufactured narrative. In most forms of social media, the algorithm is key to getting content seen by most viewers. By interacting or not interacting with social media posts, liking, disliking, viewing or commenting, people automatically influence what is shown to others. This leads to emotion-arousing, easily understood content being spread, but not necessarily content that is true or relevant. As we engage with social media, it’s important to be aware of the power, and sometimes danger, that interacting on these platforms can have.

This past semester we have been introduced to all the significant forms of mass media, their histories, their benefits, their drawbacks, and the effect they have on larger society. I believe you can largely sort most types of mass media into two distinct groups – forms that are declining, and therefore influencing our society less, and those forms that are increasing, and therefore influencing our society more. As books, newspapers and radio decline, they take with them a degree of stability and validity that our country leaned on for decades.

As social media and the internet become a continuously larger presence in our lives, they lead us to ask questions about who we can trust, how much privacy we’re entitled to, and how we will connect with others in a digital age. These two factors have also irreversibly changed the role that music, television, movies and advertising play in our lives. From my phone, Spotify gives me access to millions of songs, whenever I want and wherever I want for about $5 a month, a luxury absolutely unheard of twenty years ago. Streaming services like Netflix give us more access to television and movies than ever before, and targeted algorithms have brought advertising to a new, unnerving, intimate level. 

I never saw myself being particularly interested in a mass media course; I took it because it was recommended to me by my adviser and fit with my class schedule. However, I’ve loved this class and honestly, if I had taken it freshman year I may not have ended up being a psychology major. Dr. Schlegel, thank you. It’s been a wonderful semester.