The Media: Is It Easy For The Mainstream Media To Control What People Believe?

While there are people who listen to the mainstream media, there are others who pay attention to the alternative media. It hasn’t been this way for long, though, and this is due to the fact that there only used to be one option.
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The Main Source

If someone wanted to find out about what was taking place around them in the past, they would watch TV, read a paper or listen to the radio, for instance. One may have believed everything they were told, or they might have questioned certain things.

But as this was the only source of information that was available, it would have meant that it would have been a lot harder for them to find out if something was true or not. As a result of this, the people who were presenting this information would have had a lot of control.

The Same Old Story

Thanks to the alternative media, it is no longer necessary for someone to rely on the mainstream media. Yet, even though this is the case, it doesn’t mean that they will look towards this source of information.

The reason for this is that they might not even be aware that this source exists, and this is then going to stop them from changing their behaviour. Conversely, one might believe that this source of information can’t be trusted.

False Information

As far as they are concerned, the only people who look towards this source could be the ones who believe anything. It will then be as if these people are gullible, simply going along with whatever they are told.

Due to this, it will be in their best interest to stay well away from this source of information, and to look to the one source that can be trusted. There is then not much chance that they will turn their back on this source.

Trusted Organisations

One could think about how their parents and their grandparents also look towards this source, or did once upon a time. Their friends and colleagues could also do the same thing, so it won’t be as if they are all by themselves.

And if they live in the United Kingdom, there will be a news organisation that is funded by the public. This could be seen as a sign that this source of information can be trusted; if this wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t be funded by tax payers.

One Big Illusion

However, if one doesn’t pay attention to the mainstream media, they might find it hard to believe why anyone would pay attention to this source of information. Then again, they might understand why someone would look towards this source.

The first thing that could come to mind is that it partly comes down to habit, and how this was probably something they have done for their whole life. Looking towards the mainstream media to be informed is then no different to going to a supermarket to get food.

Authority

Another thing that could come to mind is how the mainstream media positions itself as the only authority, and this causes someone to go along with this source. This is then no different to how they might have believed just about everything their parent/s came out with when they were younger.

The people who hold special positions are going to be seen as the ones who have all the answers, and this means that it won’t be necessary for them to think for themselves. Another way of looking at this would be to say that human beings are taught to accept what people in positions of power come out with.

A Time and A Place

This is not to say that all of the people who hold positions of authority and influence are out do deceive others, far from it. What it comes down to is that they are imperfect like everyone else, which means that they can make mistakes and get things wrong.

Also, someone could believe that they are making a positive difference, even if there is evidence to contrary. There is then going to be no reason for them to change their behaviour and, if someone does speak up out, they could simply dismiss what they hear.

One Purpose

So, if one was asked why the mainstream media exists, they could say that it is there to control people. The people who create the news will be seen as the ones who define how so people perceive the world around them.
On the surface, it can sound as though this is something that takes place in ways that are hard to see. The average person is then a sitting duck and there is nothing they can do to protect their mind.

It’s Very Simple

Yet, although it can sound this way, it doesn’t mean that it takes a lot of effort for the mainstream media to control what someone believes. The only thing that they need to do is to gain their attention.

And, once someone has been exposed to something, it can end up going straight in and defining their outlook. What they say to themselves, and others, about the world, will then be the result of what they read or heard about throughout their life, or even a few moments ago.

Intellectual Boundaries

When this happens, one won’t be using their brain; they will be nothing more than a mouthpiece for the mainstream media. Still, this is likely to be something that happens to everyone from time to time.

There are a number of things that someone can do to protect their mind. Firstly, one can take a step back when they hear something and question what they are being told.

Secondly, they can look into if what they hear is in alignment with what they believe; if it is, they are more likely to believe it. The trouble is that just because one believes something; it doesn’t mean that it is the truth.

Conclusion

What this shows is how important it is for someone to question what they are told. Their mind is like a garden and if they don’t look after it, it will end up making their life a lot harder than it needs to be.