Mass media has raised materialistic aspiration

Mass media creates curiosity by disseminating information among the masses. In an era of information and communication networking, everyone wants to travel on the information highway because information is synonymous to power

CJ: Dr. Anita Singh

Tue, Jan 27, 2009 19:22:35 IST

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Media In India :

IN A modern society, the mass media presents images of distant places and events most of the times. When a traditional society moves towards modernity, it also starts depending upon mass media. Hence, the ideas generated in the minds of masses have their cues or origins in the media. Mass media promotes people, products, concepts and even nations. Ad campaigns can create history in the field of business and trade.

If the media of a developing nation is responsible, they can shift focus not only on commercial aspects of life but also on the broader socio-political canvas that can help the nation become a modern advanced society. The media can bring new customs, procedures and activities to the notice of the masses. They can also focus on the ill-effects of dowry, ostentatious marriages, drinking etc by censuring these issues and events. As such, it can change the mindset of the society from the traditional to become an advanced one.

The mass media can also raise aspirations. They can motivate people to buy new or improved products, services, concepts and ideologies. They raise the aspiration levels of the masses of both advanced and developing nations. During the late seventies, the media added fuel to the fire and motivated people to say even those things that they did not want. Commercialism and materialism overcomes the ‘fear to change’ if the media raises aspirations of the masses through carefully planned media campaigns. The campaigns are planned so that change has to look ‘natural, positive and in tune with the existing value sets of the audience’.

There are many limitations for the masses though. Socially unacceptable products, imported goods, free sex, pornography, high-tech gadgets, sport cars, fashion apparel etc are some of the many things that our rural masses do not need. Hence, we can conclude that the media raises the aspirations of the urban masses largely and to some extent it raises the aspirations of the rural masses too.

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