Impact on American Culture influenced by mass media

American mass media and culture are deeply intertwined, and it is hard to imagine an aspect of American culture that is not influenced by mass media. Spirituality, politics, and even our language are influenced by media. In this assignment, you will investigate how 2 different types of media have impacted American culture.

Choose 2 types of media from the following list:
o TV
o Movies

Write a 600- to 900-word paper that examines the impact that the 2 types of media you selected have had on American culture since 1970.

Include the following in your paper:
o Describe how the 2 types of media have influenced American culture since 1970.
o Identify at least 2 important examples of each media type in your response. For example, if you selected TV and movies, you could identify specific TV shows or movies in your response.
Cite sources to support your paper.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

ANSWER

The Impact of Media on the American Culture

Movies have an impact on cultural attitudes and customs. Movies gradually became an American pastime. Movies have evolved from silent movies to talkies, movies with a synchronized soundtrack, and so on. Movies being a pastime, have had an influence on the American culture as the audiences adopt the attitudes and the styles of the characters. Movies address social issues, and most film directors say that they made the movies to pass a certain message on certain social issues and, thus, their influence on certain things and events in the US. From the 1890s to 1920, the American culture experienced changes (Gripsrud, 2017). People moved from farms to industrial centers, and the urban areas became more concentrated. Within this period, film and methods of mass communication were also developing, and messages were being passed through media on certain ideas, customs, and behaviors. In this period, movies played a significant role in influencing behavior, dress code, and even ways of communicating.

Movies reflect people’s cultures, beliefs, values, and anxieties. They also shape the way people behave and how they act. For example, in the case of fashion trends, movies have had a history of influencing how people dress and the way they talk. After the movie Flash dance in 1983, the fashion trends in the film became the hallmarks of fashion in the 1980s. The people started dressing in torn t-shirts and legwarmers (Gripsrud, 2017). Apart from the trivial influence on culture that movies have, they also have more impact. They have an impact on shaping political ideologies and political reform. They are also capable of changing the way people view each other. For example, films like 12 years a slave helped highlight the issues the slaves went through with their white masters. Movies influence the American culture because the filmmakers have a message and the message often impacts the audience.

TV, like film, also has a strong impact on American culture. TV has influenced the view of social issues such as the view of class, race, and gender since the 1940s. TV, unlike movies, has more impact. This is because TV occupies most of the time for Americans TV plays a role in the political processes. The campaigns are aired in the news, and anything that happens in the political world can be viewed on television. The images portrayed by this media impact Americans’ views (Gripsrud, 2017). If TV portrays certain politicians in a certain way, it influences Americans’ views. For example, a politician can make a statement, and out of that statement, the media can handpick a few lines, and these lines influence how the voters view them.

Before the 1970s, the majority of people who appeared on TV programs were Caucasian white, and this was what was portrayed as normal. The minorities who appeared in the media were presented as stereotypes. This influenced the American culture, especially on the way they viewed minorities. This perpetuated racism due to stereotypes. This racism still exists in America, and some of the stereotypes are still being portrayed on TV. However, the issue of minorities not appearing on TV improved after the civil rights movements (Gripsrud, 2017). African Americans fought to end segregation and to gain equal rights, and the TV news programs covered the civil rights protests, which helped turn the public to the cause of equality.

The media plays an important role in shaping American culture. Young people today depend on the media to decide what they will wear, how they will talk, and what is cool and what is not. Media has had an influence on the people’s culture for centuries now, and it continues to influence American culture today.

References

Gripsrud, J. (2017). Understanding media culture. Bloomsbury Publishing.