The document discusses the effects of mass media on people. It notes that media is ubiquitous in modern life through television, radio, the internet and other means of communication. While media was not initially thought to have counterproductive impacts, over time limits like censorship have emerged to control what media can communicate, especially regarding children and adolescents who may not be able to differentiate what is real from fictional. The document also discusses studies that found people living in rural areas away from media influences report greater happiness than those in cities, as they feel less stress from issues like insecurity, the economy or consumerism. However, media can also have positive impacts when used to promote social development and instill positive values and thinking skills, if people interpret the

1. UNIVERSIDAD LATINOAMERICANA DE CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGIA
School of Education
Professor Carlos Tánchez Newspaper Contribution: II Quarter, 2010
Student: Paula Garro Ramírez
THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA TODAY
Have you ever think about the effects of mass media today? Everybody knows
media even if they think they don’t know. Media it’s part of our life, is everywhere,
television, radio, telephone, internet, newspaper, magazine, and all kind of way
you can imagine to communicate.
The problem is if media can control or alter human life. I imagine that at the
beginning no one thought that the impact of the media would be
counterproductive. Over time, limits have emerged to maintain control of what
they can communicate and who they can communicate. Those limits are called
censorship.
I am really interesting to talk about censorship. I am completely agree with this
because the mind is like a sponge and absorb everything he sees, no matter the
age. But there are sensitive periods where people are more apt to learn from
what they have been observed more than what they hear. I refer mainly to
children and adolescents who do not have the ability to differentiate what is good
and what is bad for them. For example young kids equate all of television with
reality.
Naturally, by the pass of the time kids are going to adopt new definitions and they
are going to know what is real. Any way is incredible how mass media can
change their points of view in early age.
There are many studies about the effects of mass media on people. For example,
it is interesting to know that people living in the countryside, away from the
media, are happier than those living in the city.

2. This is because they are not afraid of insecurity, or concerned about the global
economy, or stressed by a consumer society, where they must have, to be. And
that’s what I call “the power of the mind”. People have to be careful with the
influence of all messages that they receive daily through the media.
In the same way media can have a negatively influence, also can have a positive
impact on people. The media can be used to promote social development, instill
values, and thinking skills.
The point is that we expand our senses with the messages we see and hear,
doing that people can interpret them in a constructive way.