Media

1. To what extent are the modern mass media creating a truly informed world?

A truly informed world refers to the availability of information and news to people. It does not just mean the availability of information to the general public, but also to the government bodies and economic sectors. An informed world is important as it allows wiser choices to be made, as people have the knowledge of better alternative. Evaluations can be made and changes to better government policies can be implemented. Economic sectors can source for factor inputs which minimize costs and even new markets for possible investments.
The mass media is the tool by which this can be fulfilled. Through the mass media, information can be gathered quickly and in large amounts for evaluation. Information from government bodies and economic sectors can also be released to the general public. This two-way communication binds the people to the government bodies and economic sectors and vice versa.
In modern times, there are many types of mass media. The Internet, radio, television and newspapers are just some of them. To a large extent, these different types of mass media help create a truly informed world.
Recently, due to the creation of the Internet, creating an information super highway, information is shared in vast quantities. With the upgrading of the service providers and servers maintaining the super highway, the speed and ease of utilizing this tool has increased tremendously. Each day, billions and billions of megabytes of information are uploaded and downloaded from the Internet. Anyone can just hook on to the information super highway and merely with a few clicks of the mouse, retrieve all the information they want. Through this, the information of the world has been shared. Across states and countries, unrestrained by State borders, the information can be spread. No news in the world can be hidden from others once it is on the Internet. Information ranging from how to raise your pet komodo dragon, to what caused the death of actor Leslie Cheung, to what are the implications of New Water and even the latest issue, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) can be obtained. Anyone can put up a notice online for free, and this can be shared. Government bodies can release information on why certain political decisions are made to the general public. Economic sectors can release information on products, customer service, and firm's information to the public. Not only that, but these two bodies can obtain opinions and comments from the general public by setting up online polls and forums. Thus, with the Internet, a well-informed world is created.
Radio and television broadcast stations have existed before the Internet. The main role of radio and television broadcasts are to inform the general public of what is happening around them in their country and in other countries. Radio and television have also been used for entertainment too. Radio and television sets are common household appliances in modern times, and these can be well used in informing the general public. Through the radio, audible information can be obtained by the public once they tune in. Latest news updates and news flashes can be quickly transmitted to the general public to notify them. Examples of these are, updates on SARS and its impact and the possible traffic congestions due to road accidents. The public can also contribute to these by calling in with first hand news, such as witnessing an accident on the road. Thus, from this, everyone is better informed. Televisions broadcasts function the same way as radio broadcasts, but with images to allow the general public to identify with the news and also to have a clearer point of view. Therefore, to a large extent, the radio and television broadcasts have helped create an informed world.
Lastly, the printed media, such as newspapers, magazines and handouts too have contributed greatly to this cause. These printed media provide recent, although not truly the latest news to the general public. As these printed media, especially handouts are not difficult to create and reproduce, large amounts can be churned out and given to the general public. Printed media can also be kept for referencing and this means that the information can be retained. The printed media has been the first form of mass media and till now, it is still widely used. This form of mass media, although costly when massive quantities are produced, can reach more people as some people or even whole communities do not have access to the Internet and/or radios and televisions. Information can also be gathered when newspaper forums are set up for the public to write in and voice their opinions. Thus, the printed media has also helped create an informed world.
From these examples, it appears that modern mass media is only beneficial to the world. However, there are certain limitations and downfalls of mass media.
One limitation of modern hi-tech mass media is that not everyone can get their hands on the technology needed to access the information. In many third world countries, the Internet is a totally alien concept, and radios and televisions may also be non-existent. People there may rely on messengers and printed media only, and news is passed on less quickly and less efficiently. Thus, the society is not truly informed.
Not only that but due to the availability of these tools for mass spreading of information, some have even exploited it for their own interests. For example, on the Internet where information is freely and openly shared with millions of people, people have created websites with seemingly authentic news and information on issues and have caused confusion. One example is that of the death of Princess Diana. There is so much speculation and all these are available online for surfers. How are the people supposed to filter out the real cause then? Gossip and rumours of issues are also made available to public, affecting their points of view when it comes to criticisms and discussions. For example, magazines purposely exaggerate celebrities' lifestyles and make them sound interesting, either in a positive or negative way, to try to attract the public to purchase their materials. This not only hinders the flow of useful information, but also informs the public of wrong concepts. Hence, the society would not be truly informed.
Therefore, as seen, the mass media has contributed to a large extent in creating an informed world via two-way communication between different sectors of a society. However, the world cannot be rated as “truly” informed as the mass media has also been misappropriated. False information, half truths and the sharing of overwhelming amounts of information have resulted in the world being informed of the wrong view, and even confusion as to what is the truth. Thus, like a double edged sword, the mass media to a large extent has helped create an informed world, but to a small extent, it has also hindered the process.