The article above is from KU, the University of Kansas, and it discusses how the media affects public opinion in different countries. The authors of the article conducted a study on this and even stated, “An old adage in journalism research holds that the media can’t tell you what to think, but it can tell you what to think about”, which is 100% true. The media influences our thoughts without us even knowing it most of the time.
The researchers of the study found that there are various factors that influence how media affects its users in different countries. Hong Tien Vu, who works at the University of Kansas as assistant professor of journalism states, “The central idea was that the effect journalism has on the public is a product of culture, economy and similar factors in a nation”. This means that different factors like age, economic status, and more affect the way people look at the media. The researchers looked at 16 different countries – “Argentina, Austria, Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Germany, Israel, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States”. They picked these countries because they are all very diverse in many ways to one another, allowing for good data.
The results of their data were very interesting. People who are less likely to be influenced by the media are younger individuals, people who are more educated, and people that are more politically liberal. The article that reviews the study says that individuals that live in big cities are more likely to be influenced by the media compared to individuals that live in rural areas. Findings also made researchers think that the population of people in developed countries are more “skeptical” of media than the population of people in under-developed countries. Studies like these help us realize who and how the media really does affect and influence all of us.
Digital Citizenship: Mallory 