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=Does the media control us?= Yes, to some extent. Control is a rather strong word, but the media certainly can affect us and sometimes divert our attention in different direction good or bad.
 * Hypothesis:**

Articles

 * 1-4**:[]
 * Summary**: Most of the articles on this site discuss occult symbolism found in objects of popular culture. From these articles arise many legitimate questions relating to the purpose of those symbols and the motivations of those who place them there, but it is impossible for the author to provide satisfactory answers to these questions without mentioning many other concepts and facts. He has therefore decided to write this article to supply the theoretical and methodological background of the analyzes presented on this site as well as introducing the main scholars of the field of mass communications. Some people read this articles and think he is saying “Lady Gaga wants to control our minds”. That is not the case. She is simply a small part of the huge system that is the mass media. Ecological Theory is linked to these articles. It is not one thing that influences us, it's a bunch of things.

5:Media Power is Political Power
Concentrated ownership of media results in less diversity. This means that the political discourse that shapes the nation is also affected. And, given the prominence of the United States in the world, this is obviously an important issue. However, politicians can often be hesitant about criticizing the media too much, as the following from Ben H. Bagdikian summarizes: [M]edia power is political power. Politicians hesitate to offend the handful of media operators who control how those politicians will be presented — or not presented — to the voters. Media political power has always been a fixture in American history. But today the combination of the media industry and traditional corporate power has reached dimensions former generations could not match. … Today … political variety among the mainstream media has disappeared. As the country enters the twenty-first century, the news and analyses of progressive ideas and groups are close to absent in the major media. Similarly absent is commentary on dangers of this political one-sidedness to American democracy.

— Ben H. Bagdikian, The Media Monopoly, Sixth Edition, (Beacon Press, 2000), pp.xv—xvi Bagdikian continues in that paragraph to then note how the American media are good at recognizing similar problems with other countries, by pointing to certain New York Times stories as examples. Yet, when it comes to looking at one’s self, then that example of good journalism seems to be less likely. Many other media commentators have pointed this out as well, including, for example, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman in their book, Manufacturing Consent (Pantheon Books, New York, 1988). In that book, they point out that there are many occasions, where the U.S. mainstream media have been very thorough, critical and in most cases, appropriate, in their look at the media and policies of other nations in geopolitical issues. However, when it comes to reporting on the actions of their own nations in geopolitical issues, reporting often fits a propaganda model that they also defined in their book. This propaganda model isn’t necessarily explicit. Sometimes it is very subtle, but comes about through natural interactions of the various pulls and pushes of different political, economic and social aspects that affect decisions on what to report and how. In some countries of course, especially authoritarian regimes, propaganda models may be very explicit.


 * Summary:** This article simply talks about how media is a political power. If politicians aren't respecting the media then media will disrespect them. The media controles how some politicians are seen and therefore affecting our overall view on the politician that the media has targeted. Humanism theory is linked to this article because it's up to us to believe or not believe what the media is throwing at us.

//By the Research Staff of National Vanguard Magazine// //PO Box 330, Hillsboro, West Virginia 24946 USA. FAX# 304-653-4690// There is no greater power in the world today than that wielded by the manipulators of public opinion in America. No king or pope of old, no conquering general or high priest ever disposed of a power even remotely approaching that of the few dozen men who control America's mass media of news and entertainment. Their power is not distant and impersonal; it reaches into every home in America, and it works its will during nearly every waking hour. It is the power that shapes and molds the mind of virtually every citizen, young or old, rich or poor, simple or sophisticated. The mass media form for us our image of the world and then tell us what to think about that image. Essentially everything we know -- or **//think//** we know -- about events outside our own neighborhood or circle of acquaintances comes to us via our daily newspaper, our weekly news magazine, our radio, or our television. It is not just the heavy-handed suppression of certain news stories from our newspapers or the blatant propagandizing of history-distorting TV "docudramas" that characterizes the opinion-manipulating techniques of the media masters. They exercise both subtlety and thoroughness in their management of the news and the entertainment that they present to us. For example, the way in which the news is covered: which items are emphasized and which are played down; the reporter's choice of words, tone of voice, and facial expressions; the wording of headlines; the choice of illustrations -- all of these things subliminally and yet profoundly affect the way in which we interpret what we see or hear. On top of this, of course, the columnists and editors remove any remaining doubt from our minds as to just what we are to think about it all. Employing carefully developed psychological techniques, they guide our thought and opinion so that we can be in tune with the "in" crowd, the "beautiful people," the "smart money." They let us know exactly what our attitudes should be toward various types of people and behavior by placing those people or that behavior in the context of a TV drama or situation comedy and having the other TV characters react in the Politically Correct way.
 * 6**:**Who Rules America?**


 * Summary:** This article talks about the power of media control, and how no one has ever had such a great manipulator. It talks about how if we don't know somewhere or someone media will influence our tviews of it. The author talks how media is employing carefully developed psychological techniques, they guide our thought and opinion so that we can be in tune with the "in" crowd, the "beautiful people," the "smart money." They let us know exactly what our attitudes should be toward various types of people and behavior by placing those people or that behavior in the context of a TV drama or situation comedy and having the other TV characters react in the Politically Correct way. This article could be linked to Cognitive theory. We are being assimilated to think that their is an in crowd and an out crowd, when really we are all just humans.

//April 3, 2006 - 12:39 PM// ||  ||
 * **7: Does the media control us??**

It controls you only if you are weak minded.

but the idea that "government controls media, media controls us" is very simplistic.

I work in the media - no one from the government EVER tells anyone in Hollywood what they can write or say - or what kind of movies to make - it just doesn't work that way (thankfully) -

most people in the media have a healthy distrust of the government.

to begin media is not that organized - it is split into many number of studios, production companies, networks and cable outlets - which are all competing all over the place.

there are Producers which make material for all the studios, some who work exclusively -

but competition makes collusion basically impossible.

advertisers certainly WANT to control your behavior - they want you to buy things - and often advertisers have an undue control on television because they pay for it.

But basically - in the end the idea that media influences or controls us - we control the media - this is a symbiotic relationship - a dynamic one - people create the media in the first place.

Luke Lieberman


 * Summary**: Luke Lieberman talks about how if you are weak minded then the media will easily influence you. He says the government isn't in full controle of what we are seeing. Hollywood writers aren't told what kind of movie to make or what to write. He goes on to say advertisers want to control our behaviour, they want us to buy their products. In the end we are the ones creating the media not media creating us or controlling us. Humanism theory is linked to this blog answer. We are in control of what we want to believe and not believe.


 * 8**:http://www.rense.com/general69/mass.htm
 * Are Your Thoughts Your Own?**

The most disturbing thing about spending a single hour examining network cable news and modern Hollywood films are the reoccurring themes in the backdrop. The central ideas of countless "investigative reports" or "Friday night special" features are about a threat of some type over the horizon. The end of the world as we know it is being sold. If the news isn't feeding it to you, then the History Channel or Discover Channel are either talking about the crusades, asteroids, UFOs, earthquakes, terrorism, or exposes about serial killers. They are crafted a message that our world is unstable, and the threat is always an invisible and dangerous one that only our military can fix. When you record and log all the messages, you end up with a script, a screen write produced through the movie studios of Hollywood hell.I am not alone in noting this observation. Local and network news are designing their editorials about despair and fear because the owners, producers, and editors now understand that fear sells. The end result are the desired ratings, delivered like expected. The masters of modern spin understand that we like to be terrified. Just look at the success in the action/suspense/terror genres that have plopped onto the conveyor belt and packaged for our glee consumption. When the editors in charge found out that simply plastering a terror alert chart didn't scare the people the same way it used to, they began to kick up the campaign of terror a few notches with new and creative ways to sell the police state.


 * Summary**: This article talks about media selling the end of the world and how people love fear. Fear sells thats why it's always on TV, if the news isn't selling it, then the history channel or the discovery channel are by talking about the crusades, asteroids, UFOs, earthquakes, terrorism, or exposes about serial killers. The author realizes that he ain't the only one that knows this knowledge. Thats why fear will always be on TV. Therefore TV is trying to make the public scared of the world. THis article could be linked to humanism theory, as humans we all have a free will. It is us that have to come up with our own opinions and views of the world.


 * 9**:**Words Provoke Action**

From this side of the twentieth century it is difficult to understand how so many people were duped into unleashing unimaginable atrocities on humanity. But in the moment, at a time when the economic gap was widening and many people were looking at a bleak future, the bellicose utterances of despotic leaders manipulated the vulnerable into calculated, efficient killing machines. Those with other ideas—words grouped together—were exterminated.

It’s no accident that the first thing these despots take control of is the media streams to the people.

Moving forward to today and terrorism. It may seem like a completely different set of circumstances, but the underling issues have not changed. Now, the bellicosity of self-appointed prophets, with political motives, persuade a group of mostly illiterate people into detonating themselves on buses and in schools filled with innocent children. These terrorists, often adolescent children themselves, are indoctrinated with hate from a young age.

When the fire of adolescence burns through their veins they are ripened to be God’s vicegerent. How many of those people were given a choice of what religion to choose? How many of them had even read the Qur’an, the Torah, or the Bible? How many of these people realize how closely Judaism and Islam are related in spirituality and language?

And perhaps the saddest question of all:

How many of these children realize that they are silencing their own potentially powerful voices in a moment of fury. Voices, like Gandhi’s voice of non-violence, that would go further to right the wrongs bestowed upon their people.

Language is a powerful tool that must be appreciated fully by anybody wanting to thrive and survive in this coming era.

//“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We don’t let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."//–Joseph Stalin

We are bombarded daily with ideas telling us what to buy, think, and do. Large companies of the world spend billions of dollars each year logging their logo into our brains. Political parties use media streams to caress sound-good slogans into our brains and lure us away from integrated, critical thinking required to form our own opinions and live our own missions.

What is the answer? Turn off CNN and read scholarly articles, reports not supported by big business and political parties, poetry, and, most importantly read great literature. There is nothing better to shift the brain into gear than by reading great metaphorical prose.

If we must read the newspapers and stay on top of world events do so sparingly. We must be conscious of the thoughts that we allow to circulate around our brains and recess in our bodies. If we want to affect positive change in this filled-with-opportunities era we live in right now we must start by taking responsibility of our thoughts.


 * Summary:** Words are stronger then actions.This article talks about how terroists at a young age are indoctrinated hate. Th political groups persuade the illiterate people into detonating themselves on buses and in schools filled with innocent people. How many of this kids have read the qur'an, the Tora, or the Bible? How many are actually spiritual and religious? Gandhi had a voice of non-violence, that would go further to right the wrongs bestowed upon their people.Language is a powerful tool that must be appreciated fully by anybody wanting to thrive and survive in this coming era.We are bombarded daily with ideas telling us what to buy, think, and do. Large companies of the world spend billions of dollars each year logging their logo into our brains. He says the answer is to Turn off CNN and read scholarly articles, reports not supported by big business and political parties, poetry, and, most importantly read great literature. This article could be linked to behaviourism. Some people will react according to how there models do. When Gandhi behaved a certain way the whole nation changed. This led to a peaceful independence in India.


 * 10**:http://www.illuminati-news.com/Articles/05.html
 * summary:** This article talks about how the media comes to us in a variety of ways. All of the controlled media — television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, motion pictures speak with a single voice, each reinforcing the other. Those in control of the media all want are attention, they want us to think like them. The TV acts as a stimuli. It attempts to grab our attention and divert it to make us think a certain way. This could be linked to the Psychoanalysis theory. The TV throws us so much information and our brain processes it. Then it sits in the back of our minds, beyond our awareness affecting the way we would normally think.

**Conclusion**: These articles clearly show that the media is trying to influence us. It is up to all of us to believe or not believe everything the media throws at us. We can definitely see that people now a days follow what the media considers cool or not cool. The media is something very powerful. As individuals we must also be strong and make sure we don't completely fall out of control when the media tries to influence us.