Epting 1

Chris Epting
Professor Connie Douglas
UWRT-1101
5 October 2016

The influence of the media and the manufactured reality of the world around us.
The media has always had a huge influence on how the world is perceived.
Throughout history events and information have been communicated to the public by
various media outlets. As the world has developed and changed over the years the way
information is communicated has changed also. Newspapers have given way to
websites. Magazines and books have been displaced by ebooks and online
publications. With this natural progression in technology the news we see has been
given a broader scope and now has the ability to reach further into the world than ever
possible. With this change comes the realization that news outlets and social media
have become businesses that have to worry about profitability and long term viability.
Obviously, this reality affects what is reported and how it is reported. Social media is all
about the number of views a page or comment gets. Additionally, this progression is all
influenced by the fact that these media channels are revenue generating entities now. It
is not always about reporting what is right, it is more important to report what is popular
or what will generate the most interest to increase the visibility for a particular revenue
stream.

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When youre young, you look at television and think, Theres a conspiracy. The
networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize
thats not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want.
Thats a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the
bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give
people what they want. Its the truth [sic].-Steve Jobs(Wolf)
The researcher spend two hours at a local sporting goods retailer observing the
firearms section. There were approximately fifty customers at any given time and fifteen
to twenty sales clerks tending to the customers needs and answering questions. While
observing the researcher saw several distinctly different groups of people. The first and
most expected group were the hunters. They talked mostly about the plans they had in
the coming days that revolved around hunting and what type of guns they would be
using. There were conversations about family and future activities. There was a lot of
passion and detail involving guns and outdoor activities being discussed. The second
group was simply your average middle-aged, middle class families that basically
looked like every other average person. The researcher listened to the ongoing
conversations and began to hear a common theme. There was a lot of discussion within
the various groups about the recent events in Charlotte centered around the officer
involved shooting and the ensuing riots. Many of the conversations overheard had a
similar tone. The opinion seemed to be that there was a need to own a gun due to what
was seen on social media or the news. Several fathers had brought their daughters to
look at guns. They talked about how there was a need to arm themselves, so that they

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could be protected from all of the things they have seen online. Facebook was
referenced many times. The most common statement the researcher heard was: Have
you seen whats happening on Facebook? Its not safe. Of course this is a
generalization and the statements varied to some degree, but this was the common
theme. As the hours passed, it became evident to the researcher that there was
definitely a huge influence by the media on many people's perception of safety and
what was going on in the world around them. It appeared that many people see what is
portrayed online and communicated by the media as the absolute truth and not an
interpretation of the reality that is shown to them. The researcher also noticed that smart
phones were out and being used constantly. The attachment to these devices was
evident during the observation.
The researcher decided to interview someone that not only has a personal
interest in firearms, but who was has also seen the potential impact the media can have
on how society perceives firearm ownership and the news that is reported to the public.
Jason Smith was a police officer assigned to the patrol division during the 2007 Virginia
Tech shootings. Jason strongly believes in the second Amendment but questions its
interpretation by many groups. He discussed the pleasures of gun ownership and how
he believes that when in the proper hands, a firearm is something any qualified citizen
should be allowed to own. Jason was asked how open he feels the interpretation of the
second Amendment is. He stated: There are of course limits. The Supreme Court has
affirmed that it is not a blanket statement. Restrictions on gun ownership and rights
implemented by legislature have been both sustained and overturned by the court

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systems. There are appropriate limits to an absolute interpretation of the second

amendment The researcher used these question to establish Jasons beliefs and then
led into how he feels the media influences these beliefs in himself and others.When
asked: How often do you believe what is reported on the news about gun violence? He
replied: Gun violence is, and has always been present in our society. I believe that the
transition from traditional news reporting in the late 90s to the 24/7 cable news and
twitterized news, the populus is more polarized and more susceptible to confirmation
bias. There is very little discussion grounded in statistics and fact. Jason also talked
about how he is an avid user of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and various other social
media sites. He says that he does not, however, utilize them for all of his news. The
level of hyperbole, close mindedness, and sheer lack of facts and research that
dominate the social media based discussions make it nearly impossible for me to use
social media as a legitimate news source.(Smith) He stated during the interview. With
his beliefs firmly established, the researcher really wanted to hear about how Jasons
experiences while at Virginia Tech were influenced by the media and how he felt it
impacted what was being reported versus what actually happened. Jason was
presented with following: Tell me about a time when you think social media was
leveraged to influence the public opinion of an event involving gun violence. His
response reflected the personal impact the events had on him and how he feels about
what happened. The influence the media had on that tragic day resonated from his
words and he closed with the following: Following the shooting at Virginia Tech, the
national and world wide media descended on Blacksburg, VA. During the hours, days,

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and months that followed, the national media focused on an attempt to get the next big
scoop. There was a dishonest judgement of what went wrong by television news
reporters who had no knowledge of what transpired and what the historical factors were.
Each special interest pushed their agenda, framing the discussion to meet their political
and policy aspirations. I long for the day when arguments are backed with facts and not
steamrolled by emotion. US policy is a living and breathing thing. Our laws do not stay
stagnant. There is always room for improvement. I want to be able to have rational,
calm, discussions about what policy changes would address the very real issues we
face in this country. I do not like being used as a pawn, made to fear an overhyped
boogey man. Violent crime is largely trending down while suicide is growing. Its sad
that the political discourse in the country focuses on guns as the reaction to the
perceived explosion in violent crime. Frame the debate with facts, disregard your
sacred cows, be rational, be informed.(Smith)
Research has shown that the information being communicated to the public has
been and will continue to be used as a tool to manipulate a desired outcome or
perception of an event. The manufacture of public opinion today is a compulsory
activity. Whether we like it or not, any public organization, major business or political
entity can either seek to manipulate the brutal judgements of public opinion, or become
their victim. (O'Shaughnessy). Technology has grown over the years to become an
essential part of our everyday lives. With this progress comes the inherent possibility of
it being used by the media to control how what is going on around us is reported. Social
media, television and even radio dominate our lives and overload our senses with

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information. The younger generation has found it increasingly difficult to distinguish

between fact and fiction. Being raised in a technologically advanced society has
subjected them to an onslaught of manufactured data. Throughout history media
manipulation has been used as a way to control and influence public opinion. Elections
are fueled by this as well as most businesses and organizations. Wal-Mart for example,
accused of paying staff low wages, fights back not with new policies but with public
relations advertising. (O'Shaughnessy).
The recent events in Charlotte North Carolina are another great example of how
the media uses their influence to increase ratings and and skew the reality of what is
actually happening. If one were to look at just the news and social media during these
events the perception would have been that Charlotte was in total anarchy. The media
made it appear that the riots were violent everyday and the city was in complete perile.
However, this simply was not a truthful representation of what was really going on. Why
would they do this? They did it because drama sells and the better the rating the more
commercials spots they can show.With increased viewership comes increased
profits.Improving information literacy as a whole is an area that librarians and
information professionals as a whole can continue to improve upon.(Moore) Most
people view the media as an all knowing entity that is looked to as a source of the truth.
Unfortunately, this has never been the reality. There is simply too much influence and
power controlled by the media for it to be an honest venture. Environmentalism, anti
war, poverty,spiritual values, Racial justice,human rights, and democracy are all
common themes controlled by the media.(Hackett) Consider what is reported about

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these subjects. Is it true? Is it accurate, that is something each individual will have to
decide for him or herself. Do your research. Do not assume everything you read or hear
is the truth. The world we live in is a business in itself. There is money to be made and
agendas to be pushed. Open a book and read about our past, a time before social
media and the sensationalization of information. Or better yet get out and talk to others.
Put down your cell phone, learn about the people around you first hand, do your own
research and form your own opinions.

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Works Cited
Hackett, Robert. "Why Media Reform Should Be A Democratic Priority." Canadian
Dimension 42.1 (2008): 26-29. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Oct. 2016
Moore, Cherrie L. "A Study Of Social Media And Its Influence On Teen Information
Seeking Behaviors." Serials Librarian 71.2 (2016): 138-145. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas. "The abuse of rhetoric." Journal of Public Affairs (14723891)
Feb. 2007: 109+. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Smith,Jason. Personal Interview. 21 October 2016
Wolf,Gary. Wired MagzineU, 1996, https://www.wired.com/1996/02/jobs-2/ Accessed
20 Oct. 2016.