NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE

UNIVERSITY
BHOPAL

TRIMESTER-III

ENGLISH PROJECT
INFLUENCE OF MASS MEDIA ON
SOCIETY

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Prof. Mukesh Srivastava Lokendra Nagotra

2014 B.A.LL.B. (HONS.) 86

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is my immense pleasure to work under the guidance of Prof. Mukesh Srivastava.
While working on thIS project, I came across the wonderful insights about the influence of
mass media on society. It was an enjoyable journey working on this project. I also thank my
friends’ discussion which proved very beneficial for shaping this work.
1. INTRODUCTION

This project is all about the influence of media mainly social media. To step towards the
proper understanding of influence of media, firstly we need to understand the meaning of
media; social media, Society and also we need to know about the historical background
of media. Media basically can be classified into two categories 1. Print media 2. Digital
media further they are classified into television, books, radio, newspaper, magazines
internet, Facebook, Gmail, Orkut, Yahoo, Mobile phone, telephone, and so on. For the
proper understanding of society, we should aware with what is going on in the society
and what influence the all activities of society. In this project my emphasis is on how all
these media affect and influence different group of people, different sections and society
as whole. Further we will understand what media is and what its historical background is.
Further in this work I will emphasis on how media (social media) influence children,
teenagers, youth, business decision, consumer preference, life style, etc. All these things
we will discuss later on in this work.

2. WHAT IS MASS MEDIA

The word medium is defined as "one of the means or channels of general

communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or
television, and media is the plural form of medium. There are different types of mass
media that we are accustomed to in this day and age. Whether it's children, young people,
or adults, we've all had our share of media-related exposure every day.

Mass media refers to communication devices, which can be used to communicate and
interact with a large number of audiences in different languages. Be it the pictorial
messages of the early ages, or the high-technology media that are available today, one
thing that we all agree upon, is that mass media are an inseparable part of our lives.
Entertainment and media always go hand in hand, but in addition to the entertainment,
mass media also remain to be an effective medium for communication, dissemination of
information, advertising, marketing, and in general, for expressing and sharing views,
opinions, and ideas. Mass media is a double-edged sword which means that there are
positive as well as negative influences of media.

Mass media is basically classified into two categories that are Print media and Electronic
media (often digital media). Print media encompasses mass communication through
printed material. It includes newspapers, magazines, booklets and brochures, house
magazines, periodicals or newsletters, direct mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards, press
releases, and books and Electronic media is the kind of media which requires the user to
utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also known as 'Broadcast Media'. It
includes television, radio, and new-age media like Internet, computers, telephones, etc.
3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MEDIA

Advancements in media technology are now becoming the calibration marks for history's
major paradigmatic shifts. "Mediology," even, is a recognized and ever-expanding field
of study. French radical theoretician, Regis Debray, for instance, proposes three
historical ages of transmission technologies: the logosphere (the age of writing,
technology, kingdom, and faith), the graphosphere (the age of print, political ideologies,
nations and laws), and the newly born videosphere (the age of multimedia broadcasting,
models, individuals, and opinions). Though these temporal strata have not been widely
accepted, Debray's work exemplifies the fact that the technologies of transmission have
taken on a position in our culture of vertiginous power --- almost omnipotence --- as
media now get credit for shaping not only to the information we distribute and consume,
but our powers of perception, our political, social and economic systems, and our general
constructions of truth. This is the journey of media from print media to electronic media,
as the print media is the origin of the media.
As it is well known that “need is the mother of invention” and the reality of the history is
dominance of power, colonization, rule over others, exploitation, and so on. So there was
a need of unitary voice to revolt against the suppressive and exploitative actions of those
who were in power, and to unite the voices of people a single revolutionary idea should
convey to the masses, which was done by the of slogans, poems, articles, with the help of
printing. Plato... saw writing as a mainly destructive revolution. Later on this act of
conveying the messages through books and magazines were unsuccessfully condemned
by the rulers. Later on, this media was used for government’s official purposes, and after
that it became prevalent among masses.

4. CHILDREN AND THE MEDIA

Today, all members of our society are influenced both directly and indirectly by
powerful media vehicles, including printed materials, television, sound recordings, and
the Internet. Publicists, promoters, and sales personnel have at some point used all of
these media to advocate what people should wear, what they should eat, and what values
they should hold. Vivid colours and language tell us what is happening in the world and
how to react to the events shown. Although much of our society’s media seems
dominated by superficial chitchat, hyped news events, and depictions of violence, it is
also a source of education, humour, and nonviolent entertainment. Just remember that the
effect of media will vary with a child’s age and stage of development.
we discuss what we broadly term the entertainment industry in its role as a general,
society-wide influence on young children. We first discuss two of its primary forms,
print and television, and then treat other current media under the rubric of the industry in
general.
PRINT MATERIAL

The kind of books and other print media that children read and have read to them
influences and support their emotional, social, and intellectual development both directly
and indirectly. Print materials, such as books, magazines, and newspapers, reach the
child indirectly, through parents, caregivers, and teachers, and directly, such as when
children participate in a library presentation or select particular publications to buy or
borrow.

TELEVISION

Television’s substantial impact on all growing children began in the 1950s with the
proliferation of TV sets. Three generations of children have been raised with TV, and
very different role models, interaction modes, and experiences are now visited on Indian
youth. Today, more than 68% of Indian households contain at least one television set,
and children start the viewing process early even before they reach 2 years of age.
Conservative estimates are that preschool children watch nearly 3.5 hours of TV per day,
and this average continues through age 18. In the 21st century, however, television
viewing is becoming somewhat diminished because of increased use of computer games
and the Internet, and also because children now spend more time in child-care, school,
and after-school-care programs.

Television influences children in direct proportion to both time spent viewing and the
overall effect of what is. Certainly, eating habits, family interactions, and use of leisure
time are considerably influenced by television. Commercials take up 12 to 14 minutes of
every hour of television, and in that time, advertisers try to influence viewers with all
types of consumerism. Children are especially susceptible to electronic media, and
televised advertising has a huge effect. Heavy viewers are drawn to the advertised
products, including unhealthy food products, and they tend to eat more snack foods and
be overweight. Social interactions are also affected: Heavy viewers hold more traditional
sex-role attitudes, behave more aggressively, are less socially competent, and perform
more poorly in school compared to light or no viewers.

5. MEDIA INFLUENCE ON TEENAGERS

Media influence on teenagers can be deliberate – for example, media advertising is often
directed at children and teenagers. This means that teenagers are increasingly conscious
of brands and images. Media influence can also be more indirect. An example of this
might be the increasing sexualisation of content in advertising, magazines, television
shows and music videos. These media products often show women with unrealistic body
types and ‘sexy’ appearances. Other kinds of media feature violent imagery and coarse
language – for example, video games and song lyrics.These indirect media influences
can suggest to teenagers that these are ‘normal’ ways to look and behave.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: there are some links between media content
and negative teenage behaviour. If teenage girls see unrealistic, ‘thin’ body types and
beauty messages often enough, it can have an impact on their body image and dieting
behaviour. This is especially when there’s no-one to disagree with the ‘thin is beautiful’
message.
Body image ideals in the media have increased teenagers’ desire for plastic surgery. For
example, some teenage girls now want breast implants and laser hair removal, and some
boys want soft tissue fillers (muscle enhancers).

Likewise, seeing violent media content often enough can make it more likely that
someone will behave in an aggressive or violent way.
This kind of content doesn’t always – or even often – show what would happen if people
behaved violently in real life. It can mean that teenagers don’t get a realistic
understanding of what happens when you’re violent in real life.
Media can also influence other unhealthy or risky behaviour, including smoking, alcohol
consumption and other drug-taking. Alcohol use by adolescents is a major health
concern. Approximately three-fourths of adolescents have tried alcohol by the end of
high school. Adolescents who begin to drink at an early age are at higher risk for injury,
illness, long-term alcohol abuse, or even death related to alcohol use. Another influence
on adolescent drinking is the media: movies and television that depict alcohol use, music
that includes lyrics about alcohol use, and advertisements for different brands of
• Alcohol use on television and in movies
• Alcohol use as a topic in music
• Alcohol in advertisements