Topic > The impact of the media on adolescents' views on politics

What is the media? The media are the means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing and the Internet) considered collectively. Collects information, thoughts, ideas and transmits them to the eyes of the public. The media intends to reach a large audience. The bigger the better in most cases. There are different forms of media. The most common form is modern media which includes television, movies, mobile devices, and even video games. Over time media has progressed and become easily accessible. Older forms of media have become accessible through modern forms. Newspapers, the oldest and best-known form of physical media, are now readable on tablets, computers and phones. Most devices provide automatic news updates without having to install any applications. It is important to note that the established topic concerns only the United States and no other countries. In the United States alone there are a total of approximately 283 million technology users compared to a population of 327 million. This is a considerable figure considering the child population incapable of using technology. With this widespread use of technology, there is a considerable number of people who use media for multiple reasons. Media affects all aspects of life such as entertainment, work, school, and relationships. Each country and region and the adolescents that make up the countries are all individually different from those in the United States and from each other. Some of this great media use among teens will spread into politics and government. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayTeenagers have been influenced by the media not just for decades but for centuries. From the mid-1900s and live streaming of presidential campaigns to the early 2000s and easy access to political opinions to the first recordings of the printing press in the 1400s. Other forms of ancient media included telegraphs, cinema, music, and radio. The newest and most easily accessible form of media is the Internet. The Internet was created in the late 20th century and has grown rapidly from there. The Internet allowed information to be sought and disseminated more quickly than previous forms, such as visiting the library to retrieve information about a president or calling a newspaper about an event so the newspaper could publish it a few days later. With the surge in Internet usage and the rapid spread of thoughts and ideas, the effect on the human psyche is being questioned. Applications like Instagram and Twitter have a “Like button” that serves as a representation of interests and have created a stir about the need for attention among teenagers. A study led by Dr Dumontheil at Birkbeck University found that receiving attention on the Internet activates new parts of the brain and can improve some areas that had not been activated before, particularly among teenagers. “Likes” and “Comments” have created a new form of satisfaction in the teenage brain. New areas of the brain have been found to become activated when using media. These new findings may help better understand its effects on the brain and could potentially be used for negative benefits. If tested further, the information could end up in the hands of the wrong people and could be used to manipulate the minds of young voters and influential teenagers. Adrenaline is released from the body when individuals experience pleasure and this pleasure can simply be a "Like" upan image so that addictions can form from the use of social media. This information helps you understand why media targeting is important among teens to get their point across. This relates to adolescents' susceptibility to accepting or rejecting certain beliefs. When it comes to different age groups, the average adult is influenced by the media, then teenagers are influenced even more significantly. This is due to the fact that teenagers are in an era of their lives where they are easily impressionable. They are constantly searching for who they are and what they believe. A person becomes impressionable from the moment he is born by the people around him, his parents, friends and what he sees through technology. Technology has opened up the possibility for more people to influence an individual's life. The media is everywhere, all the time. From the moment a person wakes up and reads the news during breakfast to the last scroll on Twitter before falling asleep. Once they turn 18, teenagers will most likely vote in the next election. It marks one of the turning points into adulthood which is important for them because for many years they have been confined within the limits of their parents and legal guardians. Websites like Twitter have earned a reputation for being an outlet for political opinions. President Donald Trump is known for having “Twitter fingers” whenever he wants to express his thoughts and opinions on the current political climate. Social media platforms have become a key part of politicians' efforts, whether it is to create conflict or actually get their message out. The biggest user of social media is the average teenager. Researcher Amanda Lenhart found that 92 percent of teens, ages 13 to 17, go online every day. This creates a window of time for new ideas to be incorporated into the minds of impressionable adolescents. Teenagers are constantly surrounded by news and opinions. Whether it's technology or basic in-person human interaction. The original contributor to the beliefs is a child's parent. They take care of a child for years and the child spends most of the time with the parents. Adults, and more specifically parents, act as authority figures since children from a young age are usually taught to listen to their parents' authority. At a more basic level, children need their parents for biological reasons such as protection. In the process of receiving protection from parents, a connection is created that makes children respect their parents' thoughts and opinions. In short, this shapes teenagers' political views. Not only do parents shape adolescents and spread their ideas, but so do teachers, friends, and even strangers. Connected to parents, acceptance of those other people's ideas comes from respect. Teens are constantly bombarded with what they should and shouldn't believe, and technology and media have just made it easier to add to that extreme wave of beliefs that they already face every day. Accessibility to education plays a smaller role in political opinions among adolescents because with the power of knowing past history and politics it creates an environment for open discussion among peers and teachers. Should an individual lack political vocabulary, their understanding of what is happening within government will be limited and, in terms, discourage them from getting involved and not voting when voting is an essential component of government. Media and technology have allowed people to acquire theresources needed to educate themselves. Online school and widely known services like Rosetta Stone allow people to learn different topics. Especially with Rosetta Stone, people who move to a new country with a different language can learn the language and this can help them get more involved in politics because understanding would be more possible. With the increasing availability of media, there has been a growth in adult political participation. Lenhart found that online use by adults grew from 41 percent in 2006 to 90 percent in 2015. This largely includes new young adults who were teenagers in the 21st century. Along with large participation among adults, these adults will influence children and adolescents. Since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, political activity has been on the rise. An important question to ask is: has the media caused change in the past? The Civil Rights Movement marked a time in United States history where the public influenced all aspects of life at the time. It created hope among teenagers especially because the movement would more directly affect them in the future and their quality of life. However, this goal was not achieved with pure thoughts and prayer, but what determined its meaning is action. The action through the media has lit a new fire within the political scene. Conservative media have been attacked verbally and, in some cases, physically. Whether or not the physical attacks were justified is up for debate, but this has created a call for change. Many 21st century teenagers have drawn inspiration from the civil rights movement and the techniques of the time to demand change in the present. New and different forms of media during the civil rights movement arose to spread a new agenda to the public. Liberal/democratic expression newspapers and radio appeared, founded to spread the political views of some groups and serve as a platform for others to express their stories. If you look at the 21st century, creating online newspapers and blogs is relatively simple. Many online political blogs and newspapers have created an agenda based on spreading thoughts among teenagers, such as Affinity Magazine. This represents a great example of teenagers' political involvement and their desire to learn and teach. Apps like Countable are created with the sole purpose of getting more involved in the political climate. Countable allows people to view congressional rankings, vote in public forums, and gather with others for protests, marches, and even door-to-door campaigning. Since most technology users are teenagers, they possess the knowledge on how to use these applications. Adults in today's society are stereotyped as not knowing how to use technology. As previously mentioned, the Civil Rights Movement showed political promise, and today's online climate also shows political promise. The 21st century marks a new milestone in history. In addition to demonstrating political promise, the past has also shown political improvements. The abolition of segregation, anti-conformist views, the emergence of flappers, the growth of the feminist movement, the creation of the Black Panther Party, and the birth of labor unions were all influenced by teenagers and their political needs and desires. These great examples help further evaluate the effect teenagers have in the 21st century. Today's teenagers are seen battling issues such as obesity, lack of representation in the mental health field, underrepresentation of people of color, immigration and women's rights..