The Truman Show Essay
Media today is regarded as a door for learning and is also considered to be a gateway to the world. It is a powerful informative weapon of modern era used for multiple purposes: entertainment, news & current affairs, political awareness, education, advertisements etc. Because of its innate ability to reach large number of public, it is extensively used to carry message forward to build public opinion and consciousness. So far there have been a lot of debates about the effect of the media on people, but the most well-known opinions about this debates are Adorno’s and Fiske’s ideas, which can be exemplified in the best manner in “The Truman Show” movie.
“The Truman Show” shows a character who challenges and at long last escapes from a fake world that is an invention of media. The message of the movie is that people need to stand up to the manipulators of television if …show more content…
Is media’s power the real reason that people are so addicted to “The Truman Show”? Most probably the answer is “No”. If the people hadn’t like it, they would have not watched it. As a result the media would seek to find other ways to entertain the audience. From this, it can be understood that the people are the ones who possess the power to force the media to make different moves. Media can create a “starlet” but whether he/she will be a “star” or “totally forgotten” is something dependent to the audience, exactly what Fiske was talking about. People are not merely consumers of texts – the audience rejects this role ‘and becomes a producer, a producer of meanings and pleasures’. “ (Fiske, 1989c: 59)
With the help of Adorno’s and Fiske’s ideas, “The Truman Show” became a light to analyze the debate of “Media Power vs. People Power”
As a result, considering both sides of discussion, it can be concluded that when determined, people power can easily ‘checkmate’
“The Truman Show” shows a character who challenges and at long last escapes from a fake world that is an invention of media. The message of the movie is that people need to stand up to the manipulators of television if …show more content…
Is media’s power the real reason that people are so addicted to “The Truman Show”? Most probably the answer is “No”. If the people hadn’t like it, they would have not watched it. As a result the media would seek to find other ways to entertain the audience. From this, it can be understood that the people are the ones who possess the power to force the media to make different moves. Media can create a “starlet” but whether he/she will be a “star” or “totally forgotten” is something dependent to the audience, exactly what Fiske was talking about. People are not merely consumers of texts – the audience rejects this role ‘and becomes a producer, a producer of meanings and pleasures’. “ (Fiske, 1989c: 59)
With the help of Adorno’s and Fiske’s ideas, “The Truman Show” became a light to analyze the debate of “Media Power vs. People Power”
As a result, considering both sides of discussion, it can be concluded that when determined, people power can easily ‘checkmate’