media studies
How do you assess the role of the traditional media in the process of national integration and consumption of cultural heritage? Explain it.
ANSWER
Traditional Media in National Integration and Consumption of Cultural Heritage
It is evident that the media plays a crucial role in society. In the previous century, visual media like television consisted of three networks, mostly government-owned and the concept of independent media was fairly new. However, the media played and still does, a key role in national cohesion. A good example is the September 11th terrorists’ attacks across the United States. The media actively engaged in the reporting of these events to the public that led to the public outcry that prompted safety in airports as well as a government response to the nations global enemies. People from all over stood up to aid each other and for a moment, the nation was united against one common threat. The same has also happened during Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters that have occurred since.
On cultural heritage, the media has been on the frontline of spreading cultural knowledge and artistic works around the globe. A good example is a music. Apart from informing traditional media also plays a key role in entertainment. Artists who rose to fame unequal to any other begun on television as entertainment to their viewers. To the artists themselves, the media has been a tool that has enabled them to begin and run their entire careers and even later maintain art after long after they left the industry. Without the media promoting key pioneers in pop culture, then it would not have gained popularity in the late 90s to become a lifestyle and a way of life. Traditional media has promoted togetherness through art and also determined culture in what we consider entertainment.
