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To
what extent do you think people are controlled by the media?I think the media
keeps people informed to all areas of life. But some things just don't need to be known by
the general public. For example, who is cheating on who in the celebrity circle or who has
gone bankrupt. That stuff is not news, it's gossip.
Stephanie, 25
TX USA
To a large extent if you let your TV
think FOR you. Shut off the idiot box and suddenly life becomes much clearer. When your
opinions and knowledge isn't filtered through that
worthless medium it becomes easier to think and feel for yourself.
Maggie, 20
Sandwich, IL
USA
I use to think advertising was bogus. I mean
showing me a Coke on TV doesn't propell me to drink Coke. Yet now I realize that a
constant bombardment of images and messages is like a silent virus. Yeah media controls,
but not in a really obvious way.
Felicia, 35
Lowell, MA
USA
People are maybe not controled by, but
manipulated by the media. They are great spin doctors of the truth. As a camera is focused
at something it turns its lens against something else.
Tina, 31
Medford, MA
USA
To a very large extent. I find it
frightening how much power the media has over the large majority of the public, most
notably the tabloids. They have the ability to change people's opinions completely. It's
very, very 1984.
Shanna, 15
Cardiff ENGLAND
Controled by the media? I think sometimes
people's perceptions are scaped by the media, but I really don't think people are wholly
controled by the media.
Jaden, 21
Brampton, Ontario CANADA
That depends on the person.
Jane, 60
West Linn, OR
USA
I think people who are controlled by the
media extensively are a bit. . .well, I don't know how to say that nicely, so I'll keep my
mouth shut. Let's just say smart, interesting people live according to what they want and
think, not what some publication/TV show/whatever says.
Karen, 21
Marshelltown/Ames, IA USA
This is a hard question. I don't think
anyone is "controlled" like mind-control, but I think media has an enormous
influence on our habits. Commercials in particular have a big influence.
Laura, 36
Lowell, MA
USA
People who are "controlled" by the
media are people who avoid self-examination. The unexamined life is not worth living.
Jill, 60
Saylorsburg, PA USA
a pretty great extent. I believe that a lot
of our opinions are based on what we see in the media, and the sad part is, the media is
often bias.
Angela, 16
Aiken, SC
USA
It's an unfortunate fact, but
greatly.
Fisch, 45
Preston, CT
USA
I don't think the people are controlled by
the media to any extent.
Jason, 21
Oneanta, NY
USA
I hate this type of question. I think people
are to "some" extent controlled by the media. That's my answer -
"some." It depends on the person, it depends on the amount of exposure to the
media, etc. etc.
etoile, 20
Washington, DC USA
It depends on the intelligence and education
level of a person. The more uneducated and unenlightened a person is, the more likely he
is to follow what the media tells him. Just look at the Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Tons of other presidents have had affairs, from Jefferson to FDR to JFK. But the
media exploited Clinton's case for a story, and made a lot out of nearly nothing. But when
a person is more open minded and eduated, he sees beyond the media's hype and takes a look
at the real person or issue. We all fall victim to media -- from the images of the
starving children in Asia to stories of Bush's drunk-driving charges from several decades
ago. The trick is to filter the information for the truth, and to discard the hype.
Katie2, 18
Detroit, MI
USA
That is a question for people far
smarter than me to answer.
Mick, 30
Chicago, IL
USA
I don't know if anyone has seen the movie
"Danicng in September" it is an HBO special. Something in that movie really made
me think. If the media can convince us that a certain kind of soda is "the right
one" and that a certain kind of breathmint is "fresher" than others, why
can't the media in turn convince these school children that violence is the only way to
solve problems
Anjel, 19
To whichever extent they allow
themselves to be controlled.
Kim, 30
New York, NY USA
A HUGE extent. Even if you do think for
yourself, the only information we get is through the media. It's impossible to avoid their
control!
Eric, 18
Beverly Hills, CA USA
i think most people dont have any
concept of the great control the media has over us. think about it... the media is where
we get all of our information... and they can edit
tapes and use certain soundbites to manipulate what we hear... in effect manipulating our
opinions. how many times have you heard someone complain that their comments were taken
out context by the media? all the time. while i dont think the media is being harnessed in
any sort of malevolant way right now... the potential does exist.
Steve, 29
Lake Worth, FL USA
totally
and absolutely. . . we are all mindless automotrons, and we just don't realize it. . .And
Bill Gates is God. . .
mothmc, 36
Los Angeles, CA USA
Well, I think that people tend to believe
everything they see on the media and then stick with that point of view. I've noticed that
here, because of drugs that have been used as raves, the media has labeled them as
"parties where teens go to use drugs" and that's not what true raves are about.
Jeremy, 13
Highlands Ranch, CO USA
Only as much as they allow themselves to
be....
Firelady, 23
Dallas, TX
USA
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