The Place of Media Influence in a Role Model

The Effect of Mass Media and Communication

The effect of mass media and communication on individuals, whether good or bad, is referred to as media influence (Zillmann, & Bryant, 2013). Print, television, and even social media are all examples of media today. In this case, certain influencers disseminate the material to the public, and it may be perceived in a variety of ways. As a result, some of the content may have either a beneficial or bad impact on the individuals (Zillmann, & Bryant, 2013). Because most individuals currently spend the majority of their time watching or listening to media material, there is a demand for role models in the business.

Traits of Good Role Models

Among the traits of people who can serve as role models are the following:

• Morally upright. Young people are more likely to imitate what they see on media (Zillmann, & Bryant, 2013). The well-dressed ladies in the media are therefore more likely to motivate ladies to wear decently and respect themselves.
• Courteous. Role models in media are gracious and accord everyone the highest form of respect (Coman, & Scarlat, 2014). In the various shows or written sentiments on both print and social media, there is no use of disrespectful terms and words, encouraging the learners to embrace politeness too.
• Motivational. Role models aim to have a positive impact on the lives of their listeners and students (Coman, & Scarlat, 2014). They, therefore, strive to give information which will help the recipients gain positively and enable them to become better members of society.

Factors Influencing Role Models

Individuals become role models based on the type of information they dispense to their audience. Some individuals purposefully become media personalities to help others lead their lives positively. An example is Oprah Winfrey, who had a considerable following and began a television show to help as well as advice and motivate viewers (Ghazali, & Cai, 2014). Therefore her drive drove her towards becoming a role model. The content specific media personalities deal with also determines if they become or fail to be role models. For instance, preachers are more likely to be role models compared to political analysts due to the content of the material.

Role Modeling and Social Factors

The issue of role modeling is relative. Ideally, tribe, race, and culture should not be an issue that affects if a person qualifies to be a role model or not. Since content on televisions, radios, and magazines is not limited to specific people only, the personalities address everyone and should be judged as such. That notwithstanding, aspects such as race apply to a large extent since different people relate to specific individuals. For instance, personalities such as Oprah Winfrey was a role model to many African-American viewers and encouraged them that they could also rise and become successful, particularly earlier in her career when racism was still very rampant (Ghazali, & Cai, 2014). Gender, however, plays a significant role in modeling since women can reach out to females more easily and men to the male. Ultimately, the information that a person is constantly fed with is likely to be adopted by them considerably.

The Impact of Violence in the Media

Violence in the media undoubtedly creates aggressive behavior. When people are used to playing violent online games, in as much as they may not realize it, the practice tends to become normal to them. Watching violent behavior on media has the same effect as it teaches the learners that the action is common, therefore normal. In real sports, the players are always taught that they are role models and therefore should refrain from bad behavior in the public eye (Giuliano et al., 2017). If the media teaches the viewers, especially young ones, that the best way to respond to competition, anger, and problems is through violence, that is the exact behavior that they are likely to adopt, ultimately landing in a lot of problems.

References

Coman, R., & Scarlat, C. (2014). The modern woman image as reflected by current media. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 4(1), 905.

Ghazali, R. M., & Cai, L. (2014). Social media sites in destination image formation. In Tourism social media: transformations in identity, community and culture (pp. 73-86). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Giuliano, T. A., Knight, J. L., Turner, K. L., & Lundquist, J.C. (2007). Gender and the selection of public athletic role models. Journal of Sport Behavior, 30, 161–198.

Zillmann, D., & Bryant, J. (Eds.). (2013). Selective exposure to communication. Routledge.