The Role of Media in The Lives of Americans

Hi and thank you in advance for taking a look at my essay! It is for freshman year English Composition. I'm really looking for advice on the content, rather than grammar and spelling. Feel free to correct it if you see it though ;)

Prompt: Please discuss the role of media in the lives of Americans past and present. Please use Frederick Douglass, Barack Obama, and Christopher Phillips as your required sources.

Essay:

Media has had a profound affect on the lives of Americans. Whether it be print media in the 1800s, or new media in the early 2000s. Media has attempted to both shape and reflect the moral values and ideas of American culture. It has greatly affected the way the Americans view certain political topics and tragic events. In the 1800s, Frederick Douglass published an abolitionist newspaper called The North Star. The North Star had a very great impact on how many people in America viewed slavery. The North Star was one of the main contributors in starting the conversation on abolishing slavery. The media also had a very large affect on how the events of September eleventh 2001 were seen. For the first time, a terrible event that took many lives was broadcast live to the world. One could perceive it as being similar to a spectator sport. An event that is meant to be watched and enjoyed. Media, both past and present, has had a profound affect on the way American society views events and topics.

Frederick Douglass was born a slave in 1817. He eventually escaped bondage and self taught himself how to read and write. He was very well spoken on the issue of slavery and became an abolitionist in 1841. His magazines were used to both denounce slavery and fight for rights of other oppressed groups of the time (PBS).

Douglass skillfully used the media in the fight against slavery. By using print media, he was able to spread his important message to people all over the north. It was now possible for people to learn about topics like slavery, without physically having to show up to an event, risking being seen by those who are against it. (ELABORATE)

Just like slavery, race was an issue that was created and left to be solved by future generations. Barack Obama says in his speech "A More Perfect Union" "But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of Jim Crow laws and slavery" (479). A large way in which this issue was partially solved was with the media. Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have A Dream" speech was watched and listened to by millions on the radio and television. There were a quarter of a million people on the national mall during the speech, but the reach would not have been nearly as high without the media. The media were a large contributor to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

On September 11th, 2001, America was attacked by the terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda. Four planes were hijacked, and three met their final destination. One plane was flown aground by courageous passengers who had reclaimed the plane. One plane crashed into the Pentagon, but more notably were the two airplanes that flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

At 8:46 a.m the first plane crashed into the north tower. Once the media had turned its cameras towards the incident, the second plane hit the south tower, erupting into a ball of fire and smoke. The images of this event have been ingrained into most American's mind. (I need to elaborate on this)

The September 11th attacks were far different from any other tragic event because of the enormous amount of media coverage and attention it received. The events of that day could be compared to a spectator sport. To a degree it was entertaining, but it was also frightening because so many people died. (ELABORATE)

The images of the second plane hitting and the eventual collapse of both towers were replayed on news stations for weeks, if not months, after the attacks. These images will last forever, and will, in part, preserve the fear and anger Americans feel about this event. Christopher Phillips says in his Article "Necessary Fictions," "Only a decade ago reputable philosophers were of history still argued that observing a Brady photograph of the civil war was for all practical purposes, equivalent to observing the historical scene itself" (455). Watching footage of the events of September 11th is very similar to observing the historical event again. One still feels the pain and horror of what happened. In a sense, a person is reliving it while watching.

An event like this had never happened before with new media technology and the widespread of its reach. What would this event have been like if new media such as live television were not around? It may be a stretch, but maybe the United States would not have invaded Iraq. Without the live broadcast of the attack, the effect the images had on society would not be nearly as strong. Frederick Douglass says in his essay "What to the Slave Is The Fourth of July", "They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity" (462). Just like the colonials, Americans felt themselves the victims of a horrible wrongs after 9/11 and they felt that they had to do something about it. This outpouring of support would not have been nearly as strong without the tragic images appearing on television.

Before the attacks, nobody understood the psychological consequences of repeating horrific images on live television. Many small children who watched replays of the planes hitting did not perceive them as just replays. They perceived them as multiple planes hitting multiple towers multiple times (Bauder). Studies have shown that people who witness the most violence in the media perceive the world as a far worse place than it actually is. In the past twenty years, the crime rate in America has decreased while the perception of crime has gone up. This is thought to be due to the increasing presence of violence in the media (Overberg). This matters because if people believe the world is more dangerous that it actually is, they will play it safe. When a person limits their potential, they are not benefitting themselves and most importantly future generations.

During Barack Obama's presidential campaign, he used new media much to his advantage. A significant reason for his success can be explained by his use of the media. In 2008, Obama was running against John McCain. McCain comes off as a very stiff man who lectures from behind a podium. Obama and his campaign coordinators knew this, so they made sure that Obama came off differently. He presented himself as a man who was free flowing, relaxed, and most importantly relatable.

Obama also had an edge against other opponents in how he used social media. In the 2012 election, Obama racked in twice as many likes and twenty times as many retweets as Mitt Romney did. Obama and his campaign coordinators understood that social media were not about how much or how often one used it, but how much engagement you get with the other users. This could be compared to how John Kennedy used television to his advantage more than his opponents (Rutledge).

The Media has, and will always have, a large effect on how Americans view society. Americans now view their world, not as what actually exists in their backyard, but rather by what exists on their television and computer screens. A major event may be taking place thousands of miles away from a person, but one still acts as if it immediately affects them, and it becomes the top thing constantly on their mind. Media, both past and present, has had a profound affect on the way American society views the world.

Media has had a profound affectimpact on the lives of Americans / Media has profoundly affected the lives of Americans


... These should be combined to be one sentence'
Be it print media in the 1800s, or new electronic media in the early 2000s, media has attempted to both shape and reflect the moral values and ideas of American culture.


Its influence is quite obvious in the way American perceive certain political issues and tragic events.