| Society has always relied on media for essential information and for the most part has been greatly influenced by the media. This influence is becoming greater and greater as the availability of media increases and as people can choose the media they want. |
| “Whereas the ideology of charisma regards taste in legitimate as a gift of nature, scientific observation shows that cultural needs are the product of upbringing and education: surveys establish that all cultural practices (museum visits, concert-going, reading etc.), and preferences in literature, painting or music, are closely linked to educational level (measured by qualification or length of schooling) and secondarily to social origin”(Bourdieu 1). This statement by Bourdieu directly relates to today’s society and the media outlets that certain people choose. Although education does influence the way you live, your social upbringing has a great influence as well. If you grew up watching NBC news with your parents more likely than not you will watch NBC news when you eventually move out. Politics play a huge role in media; although news stations claim to be bi-partisan and unbiased it is almost common fact that Fox News is a republican channel and CNN is a democratic. |
| In our society aesthetic appeal is as important if not more important than the actual content.“In the world of publishing, the paratext is not only equally significant, but many industry people argue that the cover is the foremost aspect of the book”(Yampbell 1). The idea that a book is nothing without a good cover can be said for any form of media; a good website is nothing unless it looks good and is easy to navigate. It is human nature that a person will pass up on meaningful content if it is not aesthetically pleasing. Let us look at television again; now that high definition (HD) TV is available I do not watch any station that is not broadcast in HD. Sure I am missing out on half the channels but the ones that I do watch look a lot better. |
Picture of Fox News symbol found at this website.
CNN symbol found at this website.
Screen-shot of ESPN homepage found at this website.
