The media is somewhere where the majority of us are drip fed information about current events as well as notable news and other stories. However unfortunately there have been many instances in recent years where misinformation has been spread through the media and filtered through into the general public. This has sparked a wider debate over just how much influence the media has and its impartiality.
The Media
The media is a term used to describe a variety of different organisations and outlets, News organisations such as BBC news , sky news and channel four news are amongst some of the biggest media establishments in the UK and all have a duty to maintain impartiality and report on current and future events that are deemed to be in the “public interest”
In recent years one of the biggest and most controversial events that the media has been covering religiously is that of brexit. Brexit has been an ongoing issue which has engulfed politics as well as the media’s attention. As a result of this coverage many people within the public are treating the media with scrutiny as it is clear that in some areas impartiality rules are being broken. An classic example of this is the newspapers. Many newspapers up and down the UK have been influenced by politicians as well as media moguls and as a result put a spin on what they publish. This leads to an increasingly toxic atmosphere in the media as different organisations try and defame the other side and promote their political disposition as much as possible.
Another key piece of information that was found to be misleading during the campaign for the brexit referendum was the amount of money being sent to the EU each week that could have allegedly been spent on the NHS. after much debate and discussion it was finally settled that the figures on the side of campaign buses promoting brexit was exaggerated and probably not accurate. This was therefore a piece of misinformation and it has caused mistrust from the general public towards the UK media and government.
Social Media
As well as the conventional media channels social media is an ever growing phenomenon which is becoming increasingly popular with younger generations. One of the significant impacts that social media has had on society has been the way social media has been used to organise social and political movements. Revolutions in Egypt , Libya and Syria were all partly organised online which meant the protests were coordinated and effective overall. Without the use of these technologies the protesters and rebels may have struggled to rally people to the cause.
Social media has also had an effect on the way that we communicate as a society as well. Previous generations did not have mobile phones or tablets and would often talk to each other on public transport. However since the introduction of the mobile phone increasingly society is becoming more involved in the online world around them rather than their immediate surroundings.