The positive and negative effects of the media on society Term Paper

The positive and negative effects of the media on society - Term Paper Example The media exists to educate people about the world around them. It is a tool of intelligence and education, and people that implement media into their daily routine find themselves gaining much insight about events and situations taking place all throughout the world. One of the greatest, positive perks of the media is how quickly the information and news are able to spread. If a terrorist attack against the United States were to be thwarted in another country, most Americans would know about it within minutes (Robinson 15). If a child were kidnapped in a small California town, the rest of California would be informed of it in the timeliest manner. Media has allowed people to be well-informed without letting time or distance get in the way of obtaining important knowledge. While media may be beneficial in keeping people filled in with up-to-date information, there are sides to media that are not as useful. Media has the ability to influence the way that people think and it has the ha bit of providing viewers, especially impressionable children and teenagers, with facts and images that are misleading and sometimes dangerous. People are presented with images of beauty and lifestyles that appear desirable, though they are really damaging.