Selective Exposure

Selective Exposure is a case of people only seeing or hearing what they want to. Selective exposure is very common because people will often search for sources or corresponding opinions to back their own up. Selective exposure is also common because people often can be afraid of seeing the other side of whatever the issue may be, as it may be more accurate than their own.

My stance on President Obama has shifted from very optimistic to disappointed over his the course of his first term. Given the information the media has provided on the GOP presidential candidates I have taken somewhat of a disinterest in the coming Presidential election. I feel as though Obama spoke a big game throughout his campaign and has leaned on the point that “It will take more than eight years to get the nation back on track.” But after 4 years I feel like America is in the same spot it was the day he took office. The lack of change that I see and experience in my day to day lifestyle is very disappointing considerning how “in touch” he was said to be with the middle class of America. Listening and following the republican candidates only make me think of one thing though: “The devil you know is better than the one you don’t.”

The effect that my stance on the President has on the news that I follow do not correlate very much. The news can report whatever facts and figures they want to, but in the end my opinion boils down simply to how the lives of my family and I will be impacted for the better, so when I do watch news I try to get it from a source that I feel is in touch with day to day Americans. Often times this is local news coverage, and not that of major news networks such as CNN or ABC. Most recently I get the aura that the local news is still seemingly higher on Obama than I am, hence why it does not tend to sway my opinion very much. Another reason why I feel as though major news sources should be avoided is because they seem to have an agenda. They want to show you what they find to be important instead of going into the lives of average day to day Americans. Its almost as if we have to different definitions of what is called “news” and the statistics they provide.

How the Media Impacts Us

Jordan Smith

Com 231

2-3-12

The media has a very large impact effect on today’s society. On a daily basis one may subconsciously vicariously live through a character on a television show. Personally, my all-time favorite television character “Will, from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” mirrors a lot of the things I tend to do, and how he would probably spend his time if he were a real person. For instance, Will often went out with friends, and got in some mishaps along the way. So anytime I get into a fix while I’m having a good time with my friends after the fact, I reflect on it and it would seem like something that would happen on the television show.

I feel like the media has impacts on the daily lives of most Americans -even if they are oblivious to it. Think about how much celebrity news and gossip is put in the heads of everyday Americans. Hollywood has spread into the daily routines of Americans such as reading a newspaper, or watching the evening news. When a consuming product such as television or music is thrust into your daily life for so long, it is I impossible to ignore it. I feel like the media has a great affect on our lives, but people either do not in denial of it, or are oblivious to it. Which in itself is ANOTHER reason that the media impacts our lives. Think about it. Who tells you that it’s a BAD thing that the media influences you? Maybe this is why so many are oppose to admitting that this is a bad thing. Who is it that tells you that you HAVE TO dress or act a certain way? Maybe this is how people are okay with being media-influenced. Or maybe one may be so consumed that they are not capable of realizing that the media influences them. The media impacts all of us, one-way or another -whether we admit it or not.