MMC6400 Blog Entry 1

The hypodermic theory examines the media’s influence on the public. Some features of the theory include

  • Humans are believed to act uniformly to their stimuli and instincts.
  • Media injects or inserts messages into the people’s brain as propaganda and manipulation like that by a bullet or syringe.
  • Messages have their own intention and are sent to get desired outcomes. (Bajracharya, 2018).

I think based on my undergraduate experience studying journalism, I have a good idea and understanding of the ways that the media influences us all. I would like to believe that I am more resistant to media influence than the general public, but the media definitely influences me a lot.

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

One way that the media has influenced me heavily in the past year has been through COVID-19 reporting. When the pandemic first started, there was a lot of hysteria and constant reporting on news outlets. Since then, I have noticed less reporting. I think the lack of reporting has influenced me to be more lax about moving around during the pandemic. Since I have had to go back to work, I’ve decided to start going to public events more often.

Another example of the way the media affects me is the frequency of reporting I see on the US vs. the world. For example, I just found out about the devastating floods in Pakistan. I consume American-centric media which I know causes me to not be as aware of some other events going on in the world.

Image by Freepik

The last example about the way the media influences me is the way that I fact-check and look into sources. Some of my friends and family send me fake news semi-frequently and post links from unreliable sources. As a former journalism student, I know the importance of fact-checking. It is easy for the media to disseminate false information to the masses. One recent example of this was when one of my friends sent me a tweet that said that Queen Elizabeth died.

The media influences us all in different ways and it is important to stay cognizant of the messages that we are being sent. Another way that I try to combat being too influenced by the media is by limiting the number of negative images and messages I consume and trying to consume media from reputable sources.