Media Identity and Difference Research Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

Media Identity and Difference
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MEDIA IDENTITY AND DIFFERENCE
Introduction
It is evident that mass media constructs events and stories of such events in the manner that will make the audience want to identify with the story. The television and Radio programs intend to portray events in such a way that the audience sees the reality on the ground even when the event happened some decades ago. Notably, the mass media wants to stimulate the audience to identify with the events and happenings that affect them, or that may have affected them in the past. However, it is important to note that watching a TV program that shows certain happenings cannot be the same as seeing the events happen first-hand or in the real life. Thus, the media represents the real world to the audience through documentaries and news bulletins. Therefore, representation involves the media trying to presenting the real world to the public.
There are possibilities that one may fault the media for representing the false account of events on many occasions. Faulting the media requires one to witness the reality of events on the ground and then comparing the same with the representation of the press. However, such a person needs to have an identity with the event or he should have an interest in the event. Thus, it may be impossible for one to see the reality unless he creates an identity with the event that the media wants to present to the audience. The producers of the programs that reach the people through the mass media such as the radio, television, newspapers and the social media platforms aim at presenting events as they appear in the real world. Such representations aim at influencing the audience so that they can identify with the happenings as they would have done if they witnessed the reality of events (Brian, 2007). The contemporary mass media understands the stories that the audience wants to identify with, and they make efforts to make representations that appear as reality. However, social media may present the false account of events to please the audience. This discussion explores the relationship between the identity of the audience, representation of news and programs and the reality of events by the mass media using Baudrillard's theory of simulacra and constructions of identity online.
Representation of adverts
First, advertisement through the contemporary mass media requires the advertising agents to understand the icons and events that the target market intends to identify with before designing the adverts. For instance, if the target market would want to be associated with celebs, then the advertisers create the adverts that show the performance of the celebs to the audience in a way that will make them want to be like the celebrity figure. Interestingly, a majority of the audience may not have seen the celebrity figure in reality. However, the media represents the figure to appeal to the audience by first creating an identity between the person and the audience. When the audience identifies with the celebrity, they can view the representation as they would see the reality (Domenico, 2016). For instance, football fans who buy the Jerseys printed with the pictures of professional footballers establish the identity with the player even if they have not met him in reality. The manner in which the media represents the player prompts the audience to want to be like him and as such, they form the identity and view the person as would see him in real life situations.
When advertising energy drinks, the media uses basketball players that show exemplary performance in the game. As a result, the lovers of the game build an identity with the player and as such, they can purchase the drink for them to share that identity. It is the representation of the performance of the player that appeals to the audience and as such the media picks the talented players that will most likely appeal to the fans of the basketball. However, the fans may not be attracted to the players if they viewed them playing in real life than they like them when the media presents their performance. The difference emanates from the fact that the media chooses the best clips that show the performance of the player and portray the same to the audiences. Baudrillard's theory of simulacra indicates that by creating an identity between the audience and the celebrity, it is possible to represent reality without illusions through simulation (Brian, 2007). Simulation enables the producers of the content to make the audience believe that what they see in the media is the reality and that the reality may not exist outside the context that the media represents.
Representation of news events
The mass media tries to represent reality as it is when covering events that happen every day. For instance, the news about wars in countries such as Syria and other nations that have witnessed the Arab Spring may portray the true account of events. Such news aims at appealing to the neighboring nations and the international community to accept immigrants fleeing war-torn countries. The international media houses such as CNN and Aljazeera cover the events that need international attention. However, the presentation of such news is in such a way that prompts the international community to make decisions that can address the problems facing a country or a region. Besides, citizens of the world who want to relate to international events tend to follow such news because they view the media as portraying the reality (Abbinnett, 2008). It is possible to point that news covering civil wars dwell much on the adversities of the war and may not show events happening in the peaceful areas of a nation.
Notably, those that follow events in other countries may wish to visit the nations in the future and as such, they would want to know the happenings in their planned destinations. Thus, the media ensures that it prompts such people to identify with the events happenings that attract international attention. The manner in which the contemporary mass media makes a representation of the wars in the world is an indication that the producers want the news to have a huge social impact (Domenico, 2016). For instance, showing wars and destruction in Syria indicates that the media intends to prompt the world to see the needs of the Syrians as the global concerns of all the countries.
As a result, the audience may change the attitudes they have towards the asylum seekers if what they see in the media appeals to their feelings and have pity on those suffering. Notably, the media houses with international coverage tend to influence the global discourse about the events of war because they represent the events in a way that elicits pity and as such the world may come to help those that are suffering due to the wars. Such shaping results from reinforcing the representations that have been in existence since time immemorial and it makes the audience imagine that what they see is a reality of events (Von, 2003). However, the representations may be actual, but the contemporary media does not show the positive side of countries that experience civil wars.
Simulacra in news narrative
According to Baudrillard (2000), it is possible for the media to create news that follows a certain narrative. Such creation requires a representation that appeals to many viewers, listeners and readers of news about certain events. Consistency in representing some places may lead to loss of reality as a result of the simulacra. Thus, to those that do not know the reality, they can believe what they see in the media as the true representation of the reality and as such the media may create hyper-reality that is different from the reality. For instance, the media has built narrative about Somalia as a war-torn country that lacks basic infrastructure, and the audience may not accept another reality about Somalia. However, there may be another reality about the country, but the audience in other places of the world may not accept it because the media does not represent it. Therefore, for people seeking asylum from war zones, the peaceful nations can accept them after considering the reality that they see in the media. Interestingly, the media houses with great reputation tend to shape the opinion of the majority in the world and as such influence their decisions.
However, the contemporary mass media is using experts in different issues to analyze the narrative that the news and stories tend to follow. The experts in issues like security and health are likely to elaborate the outcomes of some occurrences. Interestingly, the experts analyze the issues drawing examples from some events that have occurred in the past. Thus, the stories that the mass media has aired in the past influence the opinions of the professions. Therefore, even what the experts may quote as the reality may be a “reality” that the media has created in the past.
Construction of ‘reality’ by mass media and digital media
Additionally, the contemporary mass media can "construct reality" such that the audience may tend that what is not available in the media may not exist. Sometimes people may consult the media to confirm the reality of events because they believe that the press should air the reality when events happen. As a result, the media can manipulate reality to make the audience believe the altered version as the true representation of events. For instance, the social media can shape reality depending on the person who gets the information first. According to Von (2003), manipulation of reality through the social and online media may involve the use of Photoshop to represent an altered version of a place or event.
It is noteworthy that the digital media may seem to construct a reality that redefines the relationship between identity, represe...