Have you ever noticed that every time you turn on the news the first thing you hear is something negative?
As you continue to read the news the amount of negative stories significantly outnumbers the positive ones. When you watch a movie there is violence and questionable content in 90% of the movies you watch.
When you view advertisements they are filled with sexual messages and other subliminal strategies that convince you to buy the product. The majority of video games have violence, sex, and highly questionable content that is unsuitable for children and adults. The amount of negativity goes on and on which allows the media to shape our minds and attitudes.
We are so bombarded with negativity that is important to be aware of the effect that media has on us and condition ourselves to constantly seek other perspectives instead of blindly accepting what we hear in the media.
Prolonged exposure to negativity has a adverse effect on our thought processes and on our society, yet mass media is a powerful influence over our actions. The unfortunate part is the sources, such as Time Warner, which produce media see it as a source of profit and political influence without giving any thought to the impact it has on our lives.
1How Media Affects Your Life
Challenge yourself to write down your day's events and at the end of the day sit back and take a look at how much media you were exposed to during the day. Here is what the scenario might look like:
- You get up in the morning, make coffee, and turn on the TV or Internet to get the latest news. The opening stories are negative and as you go on the majority of the stories are negative.
- On you way to work you are bombarded with media over the radio, advertisements for products you do not really need; you pass multiple fast food places with ads, then you may see a skinny model on a billboard that promotes designer clothing. Your trip to work is riddled with conflict which includes negative and positive news, the pressure to eat junk food, and the pressure to be skinny.
- During the day you are exposed to negativity when you are performing computer tasks that require the Internet. When you go to lunch you see negative stories on the front pages of publications on the newsstand. All around you there are people with mobile media devices.
- On your way home you stop at the grocery store and are bombarded with media as soon as you walk in the door with televisions promoting the latest junk food product. When you reach the checkout line the first thing you see are the gossip tabloids tearing someone to shreds on the front page.
- When you get home you turn on the TV to negativity again, perhaps watch a violent movie, and someone in your family may be playing a video game with questionable content.
No wonder our thought processes go through ups and downs, not to mention our health and our bank account. The media works on the principle of repetition. If you see a product enough you will buy it. If you listen to the media repeatedly telling you that the sky is falling, you believe it. It all works on your subconscious mind while the media profits from all of this negativity, alters our psyche, and shapes the young minds of our future society.
Our children are constantly exposed to negativity and violence during a crucial time when they are shaping their personality and their beliefs. Many are exposed to inappropriate content on the Internet and repeatedly play violent video games. After a period of repetition children cannot tell the difference between myth and reality. In fact, some of the children who have taken guns to school have been linked with violent video games.
2How to Make a Change
So how can you extricate yourself from the power of media and gain a more positive perspective of the world around you?
- Turn Off the News: While it is important to know what is going on around you, put things in perspective and don’t watch the news. Many of the news sources repeat the same negative stories over and over and distort the facts to gain their viewer’s attention.
- Recognize It for What It Is: If you are exposed to media such as billboards and the tabloids, simply recognize it for what it is: a tactic to make money on ignorance.
- Engage in Positive Activities: Instead of sitting in front of the TV or the computer, surround yourself with positive influences. Spend time with positive people, read positive and helpful books, engage in intelligent activities.
- Books on CD: When commuting to and from work listen to positive self help books or a great story. Listen to books that are written by successful people who have a positive outlook on the world.
- Ditch the Video Games: The content that is used in video games has an adverse effect on your thought processes. Much of the content is about shooting people and encouraging behaviors that are wrong. Adults play video games as well as children and the creators of this media are making a profit on warping our society.
- Watch Healthy Programs: Get in the habit of watching DVDs. If you have a recording device or Tivo, record programs that are healthy for your mind and spend your time wisely by watching great content. What’s more is you will be able to fast forward through the endless string of advertisements as well.
These are some of the things that you can do to extricate yourself from the unyielding grip that the media has on our minds and our society. For some reason it seems that human nature and society has been holding on fast to the negative and there is no question that the media plays a significant role in this mentality. Just like young people succumb to peer pressure, adults succumb to media pressure and follow the crowd. Your job is to be in the small percentage that knows better than to be swayed by what the media says is the right or “hip” way to think. Practice positive affirmation and stand your ground when it comes to giving your time and attention to the media. It will also be easier to achieve your goals and live a happier life as well.
