Has Mass Media Helped or Harmed Us?

Media has become an increasingly useful tool in to today's society. It helps us connect, share, learn, and interact with others in ways we never thought imaginable. How often do we use media? Do you find yourself relying on media from day to day? Overall, how are our lives impacted by the media?

When you take a step back and look at the many advances we've taken over the years, it's clear that we are in a new age of digital communication. We often turn to social media platforms and other forms of technology to communicate and stay connected with loved ones near and far. Statistics provided by the Pew Research Center determined that the number of social media platform users from 2005 to 2019 increased by nearly 65%. Whether you think so or not, you probably interact with hundreds to thousands of different forms of media on the daily without even realizing it.

According to Forbes Magazine, the average person consumes nearly 7 hours of digital content, including phone, television, and other forms of digital media. Based off of these numbers, we spend over a fourth of our day consuming media. Now the question arises of whether or not this significant amount of media usage benefits or potentially harms us.

Mass Media has many benefits to our society including its ability to keep us connected, keep business booming, spread messages and culture, as well as uplift voices that typically go unheard.

However, with the current situation involving the COVID-19 pandemic, our screen time has continued to increase due to remote learning and the use of telecommunication to continue work from home. Although technology and media have allowed us to overcome many obstacles this year, as well as advance our society to become more efficient, this rapid increase in screen time has been strongly correlated with a decrease in mental health.

According to research done by The American Psychological Association, this increase in screen time has continued to take away from our face to face communication. In lieu of the pandemic that doesn't sound too bad, but the issue with this lack of face to face is a phenomenon known as social displacement. This is essentially the idea the the more time you spend engaging in the world of social media, the less time you spend engaging and socializing with people in the real world.

Considering the many benefits mass media provides, but also the many disadvantages that come along with it, the idea of mass media being a harmful tool in our life continues to be a conversation of debate in today's society.

What are your thoughts about the impacts of mass media? Let me know below!