Media Use of Stereotypes Essay -- Media Stereotypes Stereotyping

Media Use of Stereotypes We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be wrong or changed than what reality is. Different stereotypes work well in propaganda with the help of propaganda tactics through the use of political campaigns and commercial advertising exposed by mass media. Many critics define propaganda differently; however, there is a general agreement that propaganda is concerned with influencing opinions (Cole, 1998). The word propaganda has many other synonyms such as big lie, persuasion, brainwashing, disinformation, etc. Propaganda is not a realistic portrayal of an issue; rather it is something that is changed to manipulate the intended public. Propaganda is the aim to change people's views about an issue and the way these aims are intended on the targeted audience is the way propaganda is presented, especially through mass media. Evidently, people strongly tend to select the media, which carry contents with which they already agree (Jackall, 1995). Media tends to produce what they know people will like to hear. On the other hand, people make ce... ...hat how much of the information they consume reflects reality and therefore, propagandists benefit by creating stereotypical views, which work well in portraying propaganda. WORK CITED "Definitions of Propaganda." Ed. Robert Cole. The Encyclopedia of Propaganda. 3 vols. New York: Sharpe Reference , 1998. "Do The Math." FIRST For Women On The Go 19 Apr. 2004: n. pag. Johnston, Carla B. Screened Out - How The Media Control Us & What We Can Do About It. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, Inc, 2000. 23-24. LaRose, Robert, and Joseph Straubhaar. Media Now - Understanding Media, Culture and Technology. 4th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2004. 379. Propaganda. Ed. Robert Jackall. New York: New York UP, 1995. 89. Ryan, John, and William M. Wentworth. Media & Society - The Production of Culture in the Mass Media. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 52.