Blog Entry #2: The Media We Want

When you look at what media we are being provided with today in relation to the wants of the consumers in the present day, you can make a relation between the two. You can either think that the consumers (we), get the media we want, or do we want the media that we get. When I personally look at this, I believe that we get the media that we want. When referring to an individual in the mass media world today, the person would normally only partake in the media that they truly like. Seeing as how there is so much media in the world, people with different preferences can get the things they prefer since the whole media spectrum is covered. I believe that as the consumers, we shape what the media becomes. The creators of the media have to create the media in a way that it is likeable by the audience. The reflection of the world in the media displays the impact that the viewers have on the media, showing that it becomes what we are and what we want.  "The first suggests that the media reflect the realities, values, and norms of a society. Thus, if we want to study a society we could turn to its media-its films, novels, television series, magazines, and popular stories-which reflect to us what people feel and think, how they behave, and so on" (43, O'Shaughnessy). If the media is reflecting the people of the world then it can be easily seen that we shape the media and we get the media that we want. If the media is going to be successful, they need popularity. "When commercial television was first introduced into Western societies, audiences quickly turned to those channels that offered the entertainment they liked best, particularly game shows and soap operas" (37-38, O'Shaughnessy) For media to be popular, its consumers must enjoy what they are taking part in. Media that ends up successful is media that the consumers genuinely want. If they don't want it, then they will switch to another brand of media, for example a different television series. In short, media types will become popular and successful when consumers sincerely want what the media is providing them with.    

O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J.. (2012). Media and Society. 5^th Ed. South Melbourne, Oxford University Press.