Media influence

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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Media influence

Part 1

            This book is by Karen Dill who discusses the influence of mass media on people’s lives. There has been a common belief that people think mass media is just mere entertainment with no impact. Karen disagrees with this belief and says the fantasy becomes reality. People’s cultures and practices have changed greatly by what is shown in the mass media. Regardless of the types of media, they are reflected in different aspects of people’s lives. Dill (5), has studied the negative effects of violence portrayed in video games. Her research shows the outcome in social psychology of such entertainment.

Some of the topics Dill has discussed in this book are the psychology on media. It talks about fantasy and reality brought by the media. She has mentioned the debates and issues surrounding the social psychology of mass media. The mass media is involves a lot on race and gender. Dill (88), talks to the reader about looking beyond and seeing through these two factors. In the last section, the author imparts knowledge on how to control media influence. According to Dill, it is impossible to evade mass media but people can subdue it negative impact in the society.

Part 2

            The book is divided into four major parts, each with a different topic. The major parts have sections, which discuss the details of the part’s topic. The sub-divisions have sub-topics enabling the reader to comprehend easily. Every part has a unique theme, which contributes to the title of the book. The heading on the parts of this book make it easier to trace where a certain topic or sub-topic is written. The table of content is well detailed and it contains all the pages with the heading. This book has combined the topics to come up with few chapters. Readers appreciate few chapters because they are easy to follow and understand.

Part 3

            Among the themes discussed in the first part are relationship between the media and social construction. This theme talks about the contribution media has given in people’s social structures. Dill says the relationship between people and mass media resembles a love affair between two people (Good reads, 10). The people do not want to notice the flaws brought by media because they have been carried away by its entertainment. Dill appreciates the positive contribution of the media in the society. It is one of the factors, which drew people’s attention. However, people are required to be more careful with what they are learning from the media.

Another theme is the benefits and shortcomings of the media. Some of the benefits mentioned are, the media provides a wide range of information. For instance, Dill gives an example of how she consulted a website for advice on how to become a mother. The mass media enables people to access what they need easily and quickly. For example, it is possible to shop online. On the other hand, mass media has brought negative effects among the people. Dill gives an illustration of a teenage girl who could go to a concert without her cellular phone. People have been attached too much to mass media and some are actually addicts. This is why it has been easy for the media to influence people in every way (Dill, 31).

The second part contains the themes of media violence, overcoming gender and race issues in media, and other issues concerning social psychology of mass media. Dill has made an observation of how race and gender has been stereotyped in video games. For instance, most of the video games show white men engaging in violent activities Part three’s themes are effects of media on social psychology. The specific areas mentioned are advertising, health and consumerism. These areas greatly contribute to life choices people make and it could be the reason Dill specifically mentioned them.

Part 4

            This book has adopted a simple format for the reader. The language used is simple for an average person. The book is also convenient to students in college, high school and junior high school. The author intended to target a large audience from different statuses hence, the use of simple language. The book is filled with examples, which are realistic and happen to people in daily life. For example, she talks about how models have portrayed women’s image (Good reads, 14). They starve or diet excessively to remain slender for their career purposes. This enables her to make her argument tangible to the reader.

Dill has discusses in details about the topic of media influence to the society. She has covered all possible areas regarding the topic. In addition, she has added chapters on how to solve the media influence problem. This is an important and contemporary issue in the modern society. Mass media has proved to be harmful if people do not practice self-control on it. Therefore, it makes this book relevant and updated about what is happening in the society. It would be wrong to consider this book old because its themes are still present and even advanced since the year 2008.

Part 5

            Karen Dill’s choices of themes are relevant to the modern setting of the world. There are many illustration happening, which show fantasy and reality caused by mass media influence. Most of people’s lifestyles are borrowed from the mass media because people want to do what they see in cinemas, video games and internet. They are excited by the benefits of the new technology, which makes it hard for them to pick up even bad traits. Dill has discussed about media psychology because it has a big role to play in people’s mentality. She mentions people’s perception about mass media (Dill, 141).

This book is among the best books, which have discussed deeply about the topic of mass media and the people. There are other many sources talking about the same topic and it complements Dill’s book. Authors with books or information about this topic add to the knowledge of this field. They help readers and the whole society to understand their environment. They teach people how to mitigate challenges caused by mass media. Regardless of the amount of information they write, the most essential thing is their contribution in education the society.

Part 6

            This book has enlightened me about mass media. There is a lot of information people do not know about mass media and they need to know. Dill has volunteered to educate people about this issue, which they deal with everyday. I am aware of both the positive and negative effects of the media and I will learn how to control the negative effects. I will capitalize on the benefits of the media, especially in my academic work. The internet is a valuable asset in education since it is rich in educative information (Dill, 221).

Reference:

Dill, K. E. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. New York, NY: Oxford University press.

Good reads. (2012). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. Retrieved from:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6499921-how-fantasy-becomes-reality