American Literature

The advent of the modern digital telecommunications era has made it easy for information to spread quickly from one corner of the society to another. As a result, the media, particularly television and radio broadcast media, newspapers and online sources of information are playing an increasingly bigger role in shaping public opinion (Carilli  Kamalipour, 1998). It is therefore inevitable that cultural beliefs and practices have been impacted upon by the media both on a global scale and here in the United States of America. This essay discusses the impact of the media on culture in the United States of America analyzing both the positive and negative influences of media on culture. It also looks at some of the outstanding stereotypes as existing due to media influence.

The last quarter of a century has witnessed unprecedented advances in technology. Since telegraphy was invented, the art of communication as aided by scientific and engineering discoveries has evolved to include radio, television, newspapers and magazines and now the most phenomenal of all the internet (Jenkins, 2006). The society is continuously depending on the media for opinion and ideas for determining which direction it takes. The overall result of dependence on the media to determine not only what is moral or ethical, but also what is culturally acceptable has diminished cultural diversity and at the same time eradicated a lot of unsuitable beliefs and practices (Carilli  Kamalipour, 1998). However, this dependence has had its upsides and downsides on humanities cultural dispensation.

Perhaps the biggest and most important advantage the media has had on culture in the United States of America is, as mentioned above, the extermination of unsuitable and backward cultural beliefs and practices (Carilli  Kamalipour, 1998). The United States was very culturally diverse on account of her demographic history. The main cultural entities are settlers from Europe who actually founded the modern nation, the native Americans who were already living there, African Americans brought as slave labor, the Hispanic populations among others. Media influence played a big role in persuading all cultural groups to shed away cultural beliefs that undermined the rights of either other groups or individuals (Jenkins, 2006). It was not uncommon, foe example for women to be treated as unequal to men but massive media campaigns have restored gender parity to such levels as we have today (Jenkins, 2006). In fact, American society has been transformed from distinct cultures as existed before to an almost uniform society.

Nowadays, the media is considered as the opportune channel for learning and gaining exposure to the world (Jenkins, 2006). As more and more people derive meaning, interpretation and significance to certain cultural and social phenomena through the media, the American societys interpretation of cultural issues affecting their everyday life and health have changed. For example, people now know the benefits or dangers of including or excluding certain foodstuffs from their diet. People also know the dangers of certain practices like female genital mutilation (Jenkins, 2006). Polygamy was previously culturally acceptable in many African cultures and by extension the African American culture. However, media portrayal of polygamy as unwise, immoral and unfeasible under the modern dispensation has made the practice vanish almost completely.

One disadvantage of media influence on cultural systems in modern day America is the rise of cultural imperialism (Bresler, 2004). The media, especially through news, television and film entertainment and advertisement portrays certain cultures as more superior to others. For example, the media has been hugely responsible for the portrayal of tall and slim as a standard of beauty for women (Saltzman, 2004). Before this consensual adoption, voluptuous was for example, the accepted standard of beauty among African Americans, just like it still is in most parts of Africa. Cultural imperialism not only leads to the obliteration of some otherwise very good cultural practices and beliefs but also the erosion of other cultures, eliminating the diversity that should instead be celebrated (Saltzman, 2004).

Another disadvantage of cultural effects on culture is the decline in moral standards within the society. The media, particularly through advertisements, entertainment programs and the film industry have projected certain practices relating to violence and sexuality as trendy (Jenkins, 2006). Because of this, the morality and upholding of chastity as was a virtue in most cultures in American society before the dawn of the information age has disappeared almost completely (Jenkins, 2006). This is mainly due to the fact that setting up policies that will effectively regulate the media is almost impossible since it will kill innovation and render the people unable to make choices over what they actually want to view.

Perhaps the most sensitive area of media influence on culture is its effect on young children. From a very young age, young children in America are being subjected to violence and sex on television (Jenkins, 2006). This exposure definitely shapes their values and attitudes regarding these characteristics of society. Exposure to unfriendly programming has been shown to abet the development of anti-social behavior in children as they grow up. Such children also have a higher probability of developing sedentary lifestyles, the tendency to overvalue material things and the inability to pay attention to other spheres of existence like classes, exercise and household chores (Jenkins, 2006).

The media, through its machinations, has led to development of stereotypes in some cultural entities in American society. For example, the media has systematically stratified American citizens according to their employment status, levels of income and race (Saltzman, 2004). Regarding race, the media has portrayed African American youth as a bunch of unruly gangsters who deal drugs and break into shops (Saltzman, 2004). These stereotypes are then systematically absorbed by the society right from high schools, to universities and then on to the job market. The victimized youths prospective for a bright future in the mainstream economy are ultimately shattered. Poorer neighborhoods in the United States have been portrayed as primarily characterized by poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and diseases such as HIV and AIDS (Saltzman, 2004). This not only lowers the dignity of their inhabitants but also their individual self and community esteems and integrity, compromising their motivation for seeking actualization through active participation in the social institutions put in place for that. It is also a cause of class friction and hatred.

It is not African Americans alone for whom stereotypes are developed. Other minority groups like the Hispanic, Asian Americans and even some white people are all victims. This stereotyping has far-reaching societal and economic implications often forming an opportunity window through which the elite and affluent continue to exert their dominance and monopoly of social, economic and political institutions (Saltzman, 2004). Statistics show that over 48 percent of all wealth in the United States of America is held by only one percent of the entire population (Bresler, 2004). To maintain the status quo, the affluent are likely to continue using the media to covertly promote racism and stereotyping.

The media in the United States has continuously played a significant role in the development of sex and gender stereotypes (Saltzman, 2004). The role of the woman in the society has been unjustly designated to child birth and rearing plus the undertaking of basic household chores. A surprisingly significant majority of men in the US believe that they are better cognitively and sexually equipped to undertake the major responsibilities in the social, economic and political circles (Bresler, 2004). This wrong perception of gender roles has the potential to deny the society invaluable contribution from gifted women. Fortunately, the society has woken up from such insensitivity tough much ground is to be covered. A significant level of parity has been restored around the two genders. The other stereotype built surrounds lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people (Saltzman, 2004). They are perceived as less equal and significant in the society but in essence such discrimination is unwarranted and only hinders the concerned victims right to liberal life, personal choices and the right to enjoy equal rights as any other citizen (Bresler, 2004).

In conclusion, the media revolution has a lot of potential to help the society reach unprecedented levels of civility and awareness. Almost by an equal measure, the media has the potential to gravely harm the society. There is therefore a need to educate the masses on what bits of information and opinions to absorb from the myriad projected by the media on a daily basis. Mass media, particularly television and radio, should be screened to monitor what type of content they air in an effort to safeguard young children who are in their formative stages from the harm that may therein arise from exposure to violence, racism, stereotypes and sex.