Role of Mass Media in Shaping Thoughts on the Poverty

Today’s mass media substantially influences, if not completely shapes, our opinions and beliefs (Pearson, n.d.). The importance of broadcasting in the issue of child poverty and its eradication in contemporary society cannot be overstated. There is no unified stance on the issue of economic sources and their distribution because it is directly related to political beliefs. Instead, there are two main discourses that rely on whether the media has a more capitalist or a more democratic political orientation. Therefore, through using mass media providing position of one of this parties or some neutral one, people initially getting and then reinforce their political views and these way passing the socialization processes.

Outside of this political division, in general, mass media has a power over people in their opinions construction and can make a problem of poverty much bigger in the eyes of auditory than it is. They can in couple days make a lot of noise on some particular case, the story of the poor and this way lead to peoples actions their owners wish. Therefore, mass media in the modern society plays a role of a strong instrument of ‘marketing’ in its broad meaning and socialization.

For example, the article by La Ferrara contains an analysis of opportunities television provides for agitation for social change. The author noticed that media effects on society come from three main sources: provision of information about the problem, the use of time for consumption of particular information, and the intended information presentation to change the preferences of auditory and support role modeling (La Ferrara, 2016). Among parameters, that commercial television can affect author names education, social capital, migration, gender norms, and fertility preferences. All of them indirectly can change the level of poverty. In addition, they can help in the social development and the socialization of its particular members.

The other article by Fox addresses the way news media presents the global poverty topic in their materials. The author points to the abundance of articles on such hot topics as natural disasters, epidemics, famine, overcrowding that can lead to the growth of poverty in particular places in particular periods. However, she says there is a weak presentation of systematical factors (economic, political, and ideological) that lead to poverty that is more permanent on a global scale. Therefore, the discussion of the global poverty in the western news media stays incomplete as there is provided with the issue without possible suggestions requiring by this society any serious costs. The picture formed by mass media is “a series of events, rather than the lived daily experience of many” (Fox, 2016, p.1). Such situation is related to the conflict of interests between the societies consuming such news and societies they describe because in the opinion of author one of the major sources of global poverty is a neocolonial capitalism and neoliberal ideologies. Therefore, in this case, news media are the source of forming a specific western view on the global poverty that is also a part of socialization.

The example reviewed in my previous paper, however, presents the other position as it contains an analysis of the reasons of poverty within the UK and suggests the ways to resolve and diminish it (Kenway, 2008). Suggested actions may tell a lot about political views of the media and author (laborite).

In total, it is reasonable to say that the model of socialization the western mass media provides and vision of poverty on the local and global levels is in accordance with their core political values and supports existing system on the global level and status quo.

Demographics and Social Factors

The demographic and social factors specifically pointed in the article and affecting the poverty are age, family income, and employment.

First, the age of central group discussed in the article is under 16-18. Children are especially vulnerable to poverty as soon as they have no ability to earn their own money due to lack of skills and restrictions by law. However, the author points that the problem of poverty in the system is relevant for working-age adults too. Moreover, this part of the problem should be resolved first as that will supply children with resources by their families.

The other demographic factor is an employment status that partly correlates with the age. However, among adults in the UK, the problem of unemployment exists. In New Labour’s opinion, the change of social status from unemployed to working is the best measure against the poverty (Kenway, 2008).

Geographical Factors

The geographic of the poverty discussed in the article is limited by the UK. As the author focus on the state politic against this issue, he makes no comments on any areas within the country where the problem has a higher presence. However, the role of economic geography in the poverty issue distribution is important, as it affects outcomes through the opportunities to work, study, or get investments, enough clients on the local market for running the family business and so on.

References

Fox, L. (2016). Hardship in the headlines: global poverty and neocolonialism in western news media. Media & Jornalismo, 16(29), 191-200.

Kenway, P. (2008). Social Justice and Inequality in The UK: Eradicating Child Poverty. Political Quarterly, 41-56.

La Ferrara, E. (2016). Mass media and social change: Can we use television to fight poverty?. Journal of the European Economic Association, 14(4), 791-827.

Pearson. (n.d.). How media and gender affect socialization. http://www.pearsoncustom.com/mct-comprehensive/asset.php?isbn=1269879944&id=25999