Kaicie Boeglin
Opinions Editor
The outlets consumed by mainstream media are feeding society propaganda through ad bias and marketing to induce the percentage of consumerism and individual cognitive dissonance. Real news should lay down the facts of a problem, issue or event, not propaganda that promotes one side of a situation or a select individual. Fake news renders societal and interweb judgement, as well as bigotry and the separation of the population.
Mainstream media is categorized as the highly publicized news channels, popular television and movies, music and talk radio, social media and advertisements in the environment. These outlets are controlled by the corporate monopolization leaching to the government. Individual loyalties to an ideology, belief or political party keep society dispersed. Bias in today’s world can also manifest a fast and rampant spread of fake news. In a world strung by heart strings of emotional opinions, it has become hard to mold a proper understanding of an issue or situation due to fake news and propaganda. A favorite example comes from the SNL features that attacked President Trump back in 2016. The increased numbers in funny #MAGA skits, and anti-Trump ads boosted his name recognition and voter participation. I wonder if a less endowed candidate such as Andrew Yang would have had a more equal opportunity if they were given more of a public spotlight.
In the aspect of solely news, reporters and channels do what they must in order to be heard; they always have and always will. Take the 1981 Janet Cooke Pulitzer Prize scandal on “Jimmy’s World”, or the current Breonna Taylor case misinformation to solidify this point. Cooke had to give back her prize after coming forward with the fact her story on an 8-year-old heroin addict was fabricated. In this current year after unresearched stories were published, many civilians were under the impression the recently deceased Breonna Taylor had been murdered in her sleep. Social media had also forced fake facts into the Taylor case, such as the officers acting on the raid order were at the wrong address, however the raid was intended on Taylor’s residence. Fame and name recognition should never intrude on the trust and bond of a readership.
Aside from news, there is also ad bias and marketing that play a role in the illusion of media. The stereotypes that advertisements present to the world led to the death of individualism. These are control mechanisms to manifest society’s norms, spike consumerism, and keep the population divided. When the population is divided people are easily controlled and various ideals can then become mass marketable. Just as a magician would direct the audience's attention one way while the trick is actually done elsewhere, politicians and media distract us while the upper workings of the government pursue their personal political agendas.
Material goods of our world consume too much human time and thought. People would rather buy the newest iPhone than deposit a dollar into a charity or college fund. Global marketing has worked its way into our lives through use of propaganda across all media platforms. A wise and witty Brian Carroll Jr. stated, “ It’s a scheme in which they want your wallet. The media doesn’t teach you how to invest, it just teaches you how to spend.” However Carroll, among many others, had agreed that the news today seems irrelevant, useless and depressing. As my mother loves to say, “unless it's local and dire, we only watch the weather in this house. You will learn to think for yourself despite what the world wants to tell you.”