The mass media is becoming a significant part of people’s lives. We cannot deny the power and influence of media in today’s world as it has proved to be a vicious weapon through which the powerful people influence the minds of the weak population. The general population is not helpless; and it can decide to believe things and negate the others. However, the sole purpose of media is to control people’s mind.

Firstly, the media has many ways to carry out its procedures; the old media consisted of radio, television and newspaper but the new, media which is the internet has proved to be the most powerful. Billions of users appear online on social networking sites to socialize with their friends and families; but little do they know that they are being brainwashed. The social networking sites gain revenue on each user. The users become sleep deprived and addicted to these websites and considers it as a necessity.

Media may portray certain norms and values which are demonstrated through TV series and movies. These may become instilled into the minds of viewers and they may unconsciously accept it. The more frequently they watch TV, the more they will be influenced by it. The never ending TV advertisements are also created in such a way so that they can be effective in forcing the viewers to buy their products. Each time a person views a 10-second advertisement, he/she may be unconsciously forced to desire for that product. That is the whole purpose for the catchy phrases and sentences used in the ads to may make them stay in your long term memory.

A consequence of watching too much news channels is that people can become desensitized to violence; especially in those countries where terrorist’s attacks and target killings are normal. The same effect may be seen on children who play violent video games. These children may get used to the concept of murdering, killing and blood shedding. Studies have shown that such youngsters can become desensitized to violent scenes in reality. If very young children are exposed to violence, then they may also show such acts by beating their own siblings or showing a tantrum. However, this case may differ from individual to individual.

The media may also have a positive effect on people and negativity may not always be there. Some movies portray positive messages to the audience, which may force them to think on that issue. Media has also been used as a medium to raise voice against injustice and at many times, it has been successful. This is only possible if the number of supporters is large. Awareness can also be raised against controversial topics and people can be explained to follow the right path.