Media Unlimited

Media is a global, source of information that provides us with entertainment, feeling, emotions and a sense of freedom. It defies national boundaries, and is virtually unlimited in its reach, thus making it hard to ignore. As the need for stimulation in humans constantly increases, we can observe how society finds additional ways to integrate media into our lives. Although society has an urge to have media as a part of its everyday life, at times, the vastness and the global torrent of media overwhelms us. Todd Gitlin, in his book ‘Media Unlimited’ compares the vastness of media to a forest. Gitlin says that the vastness of the media saturates us to an extent where we are unaware of being affected by the media.



Media has tremendous power, which is sometimes not effectively used. It allows individuals to base their thoughts and ideas on what media thinks, assumes and feels, at times taking advantage of these individuals and their faith in the media by playing on the emotions of viewers, and not giving out facts. It can be observed that the media at times creates information based on half truths in order to increase profits, and the number of viewers. With the ‘information age’, media conveys messages by getting into our heads. It pushes our thoughts and feelings in certain directions. Although we are aware of the power media has over us, we continue to fulfill our needs by turning to the media. The media constantly sends across information to its viewers, and saturates their lives with a promise of feeling.
Gitlin discusses the concept of ‘Virtual Plenitude’, where media (television and computer screens) get our undivided attention, but do not reciprocate. Although we own these sources of media and decide what images and sounds should be viewed, these media sources demand a certain attention from us, without reacting to us and as Gitlin says, “…to a certain degree, it is they who possess us.” (Gitlin 21) The key argument Gitlin makes is that most people are habitual viewers and they do not even realize it. They spend hours watching television, even when there is nothing to watch. Gitlin states that there are more people watching prime time television rather than being engaged in any single activity. It was only after reading Gitlin’s book did I realize that I too was a habitual viewer. While flipping channels, I would come across a show that would interest me, and then after watching one episode, I would religiously follow the television show.



The constant repetition of images and sounds in the media brainwashes us. We confuse the ‘almost real’ with reality. When we watch a television show, or a film, we relate to the characters on the screen. We imagine them to be real, and while watching the show, we feel as though we know those people; but in reality we know nothing about them. It also shapes the way people think; making us believe all the images we are constantly shown. When we flip through a magazine with pictures of extremely thin models, some of whom are anorexic, we believe that’s what one should look like, even though that is not true. This is how we see media being a cause for people who live life whilst dreaming about what media makes them consider.
Keeping in mind the impact advertising has on us, I agree with Gitlin’s argument that commercial media and consumerism, force viewers to impulse buy products even though they do not need them. Further, the media tends to distracts us from important duties and responsibilities we have as a citizen of a democracy. Advertising through media sources, pushes us in certain directions, and brings about a desire for the product advertised. In a democracy, an individual, as a citizen, should be allowed to think for himself, and not be influenced by media. He should be active, involved, and critically thinking in regards to the media. This does not happen in the consumer driven world we live in, since media distracts and influences us to an extent where we buy products knowing we do not require them. Being a consumer myself, I would not want to admit that the media has the power to convince me to buy something I do not require, even though it does. Through the continuous repetition of images, it convinces and sort of dupes an individual into buying something that is unnecessary.



Gitlin’s opinion in regards to over simplification made me realize how often media distorts information, and alters it in favor of the image they are trying to portray. They do this through sound bites, in order to speak the language that is clear and understandable to everyone. Using sound bites, media decides on what content should be shared, and what should be altered in order to prove their point. This is evident in Gitlin’s anecdote about his experience giving an interview. Gitlin, who was anti war, was shown by the media as someone who was rooting for war. The media managed to successfully convince his friends and other viewers by manipulating the interview in order to prove their point. This further shows how influential the media is. The media decides on what to broadcast, in order to increase profits. Gitlin presents the argument that violence and sex are universal, and can be sold in every culture. By observing the US media, we can see how much importance the media gives to violence within the country as opposed to internationally. When the massacre took place on the campus of Virginia Tech, it became “breaking news” across the globe. In comparison to this, we see how the war in Iraq was covered by only three percent of the media.
I never realized the amount of power media had in influencing society. It uses emotions and feeling to modify our thoughts and beliefs. Even though the original motive behind media was to keep people informed and thus use media for the betterment of society, today media has deviated from its original purpose and become a medium of profit making for corporations. Thus the great power of media is exploited for the benefit of the media producers as opposed to improving the society.