SUMMARY

At the beginning of the story, the author reminds us that mass media have been
with us all our lives. In childhood we watched cartoons, in school we discussed
episodes of modern TV series and continue to do so today. The author concludes
that: "Mass media play a big and influential role in your life."
Reflecting on the influence of mass information, the narrator claims that
mentioning the negative influence, people usually talk about television, the most
powerful medium of mass communication. "Mass" is "the people", a phrase too
often associated with such adjectives as stupid , gullible, ill-informed, uncritical
and passive. Or the mass of people is well educated, experienced, thoughtful and
active.
Recalling the Experiment recently conducted in Europe by the Society of Rational
Psychology, the author claims that watching TV is psychologically addictive.
Because there is a need to absorb immediate information about the surrounding
world, thus you kill concentration and attention. All ideas have been presented to
you - and are still being presented to you - directly or indirectly through
entertainment, advertising and information. The strongest ideas are those that you
absorb indirectly. They are digested emotionally at psychological depths. The
effect of reaching these depths is particularly strong and long-lasting in terms of
emerging behavior patterns. They change our language, stimulate our emotions,
inform our intellect, influence our ideas, values and relationships.
The author emphasizes that most material is selected or designed to elicit a
predetermined response, even the so-called "entertainment" media is selected to
keep you quiet, unquestioning, accessible and receptive to the commercial
messages inserted everywhere. Journalism, current affairs, news or information
provided by the media is selected, edited, produced, slotted or placed in a
newspaper or magazine to reflect and support the policies of the owner. The main
detail is that no one neither the screenwriter nor the editor should ever specifically
explain what the boss's policy is. In this way, the owner's policy determines the
reaction that the media expects from you, even if it is only silence and
acquiescence.
At the end of the story the author draws the conclusion We-numbered in the
millions, the mass media audience-are then programmed to buy, vote, credit,
believe, and support other people's interests, interests that may be commercial,
political, charitable , philosophical, or educational.
In most cases, mass media materials still hit people's interests and turn out as
planned, but not all materials can be considered useful physically, emotionally and
intellectually.