Social change has been facilitated by media coverage and stories over decades. Besides, multiple communication and social theories elaborate on how the media enables social change. For example, there is a direct connection with how media influences society and people. Thus, the impact of media on social transformation entails multiple perspectives such as approaches of communication, social marketing, social learning, and democracy. Consequently, the increased circulation of propaganda, political information, and public opinions shapes society differently. Individuals learn from observation, and everything presented by the media enables them to develop different viewpoints that transform society. Young viewers can also imitate a movie or television scene perfectly, while others can imitate behaviors or images differently. Nevertheless, social change entails different steps whereby individuals transform from the information media presents to action. Therefore, the media has initiated social change. It has facilitated crucial social movements against injustices such as sex slavery, domestic, gender-based, and gun violence, allowing survivors to relay their personal experiences.
Media has become a tool for justice in society. Many people engage in social action calls when they read an incident on media forms such as television or newspapers. For instance, various social movements have been established to fight social justice, such as gender and economic equality. Moreover, people can relay their feelings towards social injustices in society. For example, social media enables people to communicate their messages and feelings to a wider audience. Individuals can share their personal stories on social media platforms to explain a specific message. The issues of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and crime can be effectively combated through media awareness because most people can develop ways to stop these social vices that affect the psychological and physical well-being of people in society.
Also, sharing personal stories on media assists survivors or victims to know that they are not alone. However, the mainstream media provides a different perspective of most stories by supporting the perpetrators and facilitating stereotypes. Social media allows advocates or survivors to share information and respond to specific events without promoting biased information. Nevertheless, social media has provided a platform where individuals can share their personal stories and experiences. Thus, society can use the information to plan on the best course of action to facilitate social change. Activists use social media as a tool for transformation because they can encourage other users to engage in current events and solidarity with political or social movements. Information on gender-based violence can change the societal perspective towards women if the information is shared on social media. This will facilitate a radical call to action for perpetrators and practices that seem to cause victimization.
Moreover, social media gives people the power to condemn injustices in society and promote real contexts. Hashtags are important because they can change personal movements into unified and extensive forces in the current world. For example, the Black Lives Matter Movement promoted the “Say Her Name” hashtag. This hashtag was crucial because it promoted awareness of gender-based violence against Black American women, which was not successful through other forms of media. Also, the hashtag enabled the rise of other social action groups such as anti-violence against women and anti-gun violence, and they have facilitated unity in the world against social vices. Hashtags on domestic violence and gun violence have enabled the survivors to present their experiences to diminish the inaccuracies and stereotypical information that the media gives. They provide an understanding of why people leave their families or marriages. Therefore, the media enhances social change since people can use social media power to facilitate social transformation in a place where social injustices and vices such as gender-based violence and gun violence are limited.
Nevertheless, the media provides diverse perspectives on society. Most media stations and websites offer various stories on the lives of individuals. Sometimes television or online news websites provide biased information on common social topics such as gender or domestic violence. For example, sex slavery was prevalent, and the media promoted misinformation about victims’ experiences. However, the personal stories of survivors provide fundamental insights into how it occurs and its effects on people. In “The Diary of an Escaped Sex Slave,” Sreypov Chan elaborates her story and explains how she was forced to engage in sexual intercourse with numerous men at ten years. The painful past experiences facilitated her hopeful future. Her story shed light on how many women who encounter the same fate cannot share their stories based on how the media shows their experiences in a biased way.
Furthermore, Benjamin Skinner’s “Slavery’s staying in power” highlights how sexual slavery is still prevalent in the current society. Skinner highlights his personal experiences on how she was introduced to a woman who had tried to commit suicide many times. The woman was being sold to clients against her will, and Skinner uncovered many human trafficking networks where people are sold, increasing slavery in society. Thus, Skinner shows how children and women are sold across the national border daily to be used as sex dolls. His story provides insights into how the media has fought against slavery through news posts and opinions on television shows and newspapers to enable social change.
Ultimately, “Death Constant Beyond Love” reflects on a dying senator and how a man offers his daughter to him so that he can take care of legal matters for him. However, the senator dies while in bed with the woman before he can sleep with her. This influences disgrace and scandal in his family. In the story, Gabriel Garcia Marquez reflects on sexual slavery too. She highlights how some parents can easily give away their children to work s sex dolls so that they can solve their issues. Hence, the information has encouraged the war of sex slavery, and many social movements have facilitated actions against it, enabling the survivors to share their stories effectively. As a result, this has enhanced action through social groups and activists’ movements. They ensure that the victims are liberated and their stories are heard.
Conclusion
The media has initiated social change. It has facilitated crucial social movements against injustices such as sex slavery, domestic, gender-based, and gun violence, allowing survivors to relay their personal experiences. Moreover, media has become a tool for justice in society. Many people engage in social action calls when they read an incident on media forms such as television or newspapers. Furthermore, sharing personal stories on media assists survivors or victims to know that they are not alone. Also, social media gives people the power to condemn injustices in society and promote real contexts. The media provides diverse perspectives on society. Most media stations and websites provide various stories on the lives of individuals. Benjamin Skinner’s “Slavery’s staying in power” highlights how sexual slavery is still prevalent in the current society. Therefore, this has facilitated a war against gender-based violence or gun-related crimes whereby social action groups, movements, and hashtags have promoted social change.
Works Cited
García Márquez, Gabriel. “Death Constant Beyond Love.” Collected Stories (1984): pp 237-45. file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Death%20Constant%20Beyond%20Love%20by%20Gabriel%20Garcia%20Marquez.pdf
Kraidy, Marwan M. “Social change and the media.” (2002): pp 1-5. https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/328/
Pesta, Abigail. “Diary of an Escaped Sex Slave.” MarieClaire (2011): pp 1-9 https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a3618/diary-escaped-sex-slave/
Skinner, Benjamin. “Slavery’s Staying Power” Los Angeles Times. (2008): pp 1-3. file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Slavery’s%20Staying%20Power-1.pdf
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