MEDIA IN THE CONTEMPORARY ERA

The term 'MEDIA' stands for Multi Exposure and Dynamic Information Arena. It is the platform where awareness originates. It is a powerful tool that can be used to transmit information, news and render influence over large sections of the society. The major act of the particular medium is to inform, influence and entertain. It has an ability and capability to shape the lives of people. The importance of knowing the media and its influence is gathering momentum as displayed by the large number of people going into the field of mass media. Today, the media is omnipresent. The routine happenings in the neighborhood, global news, once in a lifetime events, or leisurely paced travelogues, its all either on tape, print or an internet website. Media is advantageous but now a days it is ruining the young generation.

    Advertisements shown on television or even on internet can effect the viewers. It contains violence, nudity or anything that is inappropriate to the viewers. The children are adopting the negativity which disrupts their whole personality in every sense. Previously, there were less vulgarity in the society but now a days it is spreading like a virus. The government should ban those channels which spreads salaciousness and indecorous materials in order to save his society from defilements.

    The excessive use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. are leading individuals towards isolation and due to excessive usage, they do not have any time and respect for their parents and siblings, which is the chronic issue in our society.

    In the good old days, books and theatre were primary means of passing along information from one generation to the next making it a highly streamlined method of transmitting knowledge but now a days, book reading is reduced to minimum. Nobody prefer books to read which is the major flaw and due to this act, the people of our society lacks reading and writing skills. One should also enhance these practical skills in order to be absorbed in every field of life because this is the mandatory act all around.

    In the contemporary era, the over usage of social media can cause mental distress or various other medical issues which leaves the detrimental effects upon society members. People who are addicted to social media may experience negative side effects such as eye strain, social withdrawal or insomnia (lack of sleep).

On the flip side, it can also causes negative emotions. The good example is the issue of cyber-bullying. It occurs when a person uses sites like Facebook to adopt a threatening behavior towards someone during a discussion or sends threatening messages.

  The cry of "fake news" has become commonplace and consumer confidence in even traditional media outlets has been significantly eroded. Unfortunately, false, misleading, or confusing online content can harm the brand's reputation, upset even loyal customers and can dissuade people from even considering the purchase of the products or services.

Since the introduction of social media, there’s been an increase in less real-life conversations. More people are building relationships online and drifting away from the real world. The people may trap themselves in scammers and treasons easily. The more we post, comment and like, the more we feel closer to other people (whether or not we know them in person). Phones are smart enough to become a studio of conversation with people across the world.

    The negative psychological effects of media are seen in terms of media changing the people’s outlook on life. Media have changed the cultural and moral values of society. A majority of the audiences believe in what is depicted by the media. Youngsters and children often tend to mix the reel and the real world under the influence of the mass media.

    The biggest problem in Pakistani media is that, it is promoting anti-Islamic culture and ideology. It is showing too much Indian content which is directly killing the ideology of Pakistan. They are ignoring all the sacrifices that our ancestors gave at the time of Partition, in 1965, 1971 and 1999. It uselessly shows Bollywood filth in all its news bulletins, they should be given warnings or otherwise they should be banned.

  When I look back in my childhood, that time, only one kind of media was stressed and that was television. Television transmissions were limited, was the only entertainment for all of us especially for me to watch cartoons. I still remember my childhood memories of my friends, used to play games, all siblings were so close with each other. Too much access to media 24/7 non-stop making us lazy, low self-confidence, even more isolated from friends and family, lacking face to face communication skills.

We have to think about it. We are all living in a self-created bubbles. Instead of wasting our precious time on internet and watching television or texting on cellphones, we should switch off our all smart devices at least for one hour daily. Spend time with family, go out, do some work in your garden, do some grocery, meet with your neighbors, invite friends. Everything looks good, when it balanced.