Mass Media

The media plays a huge part in the way we live, dress, and act. As C. Wright Mills explains that in the sociological imagination we can see how the large social picture affects the individuals life.
I recently watched the movie The Town. It’s about 4 friends that make their living by robbing banks. It shows how they rob the banks and how they cover their tracks. It makes it look smooth and easy, an easy way to get cash fast. The rate of bank robberies have increased in the last few years. I have noticed that there have been a lot of movies about middle to upper class white males who beat the system by robbing banks. The movies portray it as something cool, and easy to do. Just to name a few bank robbery movies there are Takers, Inside Man, The Italian Job, The Bank Job, and Public Enemies. This is not the only example of why there has been an increase in bank robberies; obviously the economy plays a huge part in this. The shortage of jobs in the last few years and an increase in demand.
Another form of media that affects the individual is the portrayal of women. You see women that are skinny, beautiful, and dumb in the media. This is portrayed in magazines, T.V., music and even children’s toys. Anorexia is one of the underlying issues women face today. We see women all over the media that look poorly nourished and unhealthy. It’s easy to understand where this all stems from when we look outside the box. Media’s influence on the public today is one of the ways we shape our society and values. Any of the high school, teen shows you will see girls that are pretty, skinny and popular. It portrays an image that is unrealistic and unhealthy. We develop our identity through the media and use it’s influence to make decisions.