A Computer in use with headphones(Photo by Becky Portillo)
Humans are species unanimously characterized by dramatization. In coherence with this principle is the love that humans have for embellishing and often sensationalizing any information they receive. The ability to interpret any written, verbal, or observed form of communication is a double-edged sword of sorts. Though it allows for flexibility, excitement and individuality, it can also lead to manipulation and mistake.
Gossip, as seen in television and even experienced in one’s everyday lives, is a testament to the power of transmitted information and how this information can be used to deliberately cause negative consequences. Information passes through many mediums before it reaches many people. After traveling amongst so many people it is altered and its final message is often times dramatically different from the original. It is not an uncommon human experience to hear rumors about a friend, enemy, or even oneself that are not even true. The rate at which said rumors are spread is often times very rapid. Proof of this lies in the fact that he expression “spread like a wildfire” is often associated with rumors and the like.
Presently the world is one that relies on information supplied by distant sources. Because of this, the original content of any news story, article or text is often edited- through censorship of the “inappropriate” or the dramatization of the boring- and in the end does not resemble the product it once was.
With the dark side of humanly-transmittable information being described, it is plausible to think that misinterpretation or the deliberate changing of content can be problems affecting the mass public. This coupled with the prevalence of the media in one’s everyday lives leaves many frightening thoughts in anyone who receives information from a distance source.
“Gossip and rumors are something uniquely human that are a cause for many problems,” said sophomore Edgar Licon. “They can be used as a tool that results in many bad things.”
The media itself is often noted as being corrupt and biased. With very few heading the so-called “varied news sources”, the industry that is burdened with educating the public is monopolized and therefore has much control over the people they service. It is only in the best interest of the media to make their stories exciting and entertaining to captivate a large audience. In this manner they can choose to broadcast, stream or print whatever they choose, leading up to the installment of a particular set of values that blind a receptive brain-dead audience’s ability to see reality.
Certain totalitarian countries lead by oppressive regimes exemplify just what an effect the media has on its inhabitants. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, has a state-controlled media with no private institutions. In this strict system, those who view North Korean television, or any other form of media, become brainwashed with an impeccable image of North Korea’s leaders.
The name of the game is propaganda and the puns are those dumb enough to believe everything they see hear or read. The worst case scenario: a public too ignorant to look at what matters around them and make decisions accordingly.
