While many of us may feel bombarded by negativity in the news, positive media gives us a reason to hold on to hope. We might not always consider it, but we've all been inspired by media in some way - from inspiring stories that tug at our heart strings to areas of music and television with messages that inspire us to seek greater things. We can choose to focus on the negative, or we can choose to see the good in the bad.
We might not always want to believe it, but the majority of Americans are consumed by many different media forms. In fact, the average person spends four years of their life looking at their cell phone. Plus, 65% of American adults use social networking sites. The growing expansion of media has caused a trend that impacts many areas of our lives. And while it's true that cell phones are used for reasons other than streaming media content, a media focus is present in the most people's everyday use in operating any kind of smart phone. So if this pattern continues, who knows how many more years of our lives will be spent staring down at our phones?
Media has a small but still significant impact on the attitudes and ethics of society. Cultivation research studies the effects of media and cultivation theorists suggest that too much television can induce a standard of aggressive or antisocial tendencies. While cultivation research can be controversial, the research is based on the theory that amount of TV individuals watch corresponds with the degree that they see the world in a negative way, commonly known as “mean world syndrome.” However, research on positive media indicates that inspiring messages have the ability to shift our perception of the world towards a “kind world syndrome.”
The growing presence of media is changing the way we think and communicate. Even simply keeping up with the everyday news, whether it's regarding the latest sickness outbreak, potential terrorist attacks, police shootings, poverty, war, low funding in our education systems, etc. Negativity is rampant in our news stations, and it's the one thing nearly every news station has in common. Negative events will always be present, but the difference is understanding that by consuming an overwhelming amount of negative media, a negative outcome will follow. Think about the change we would see in the world if every negative, hate-driven headline was replaced with a positive message. It’s something worth considering, because the media we consume potentially has an impact in developing social behaviors. Over the last few years, media studies have discovered that certain TV shows and other media causes antisocial behavior, while positive media increases social behavior by inspiring a constructive impact.
Obviously, I'm not suggesting that every positive message you see will instantly turn you into a better person and will always inspire you to get involved in some kind of social change. But by spreading positive media we encourage positive thinking in our lives. We ignite a greater impact by doing our part to share more compassion with the world. Given a larger focus on positive media, we stand a greater chance of attaining more positive benefits from what we share with others. Changes in media won't happen overnight, but in order for positive media to have long-lasting effects we need to be exposed to it on a consistent basis. I believe that these effects are possible with positive media, and with exposure over time media has the ability to develop into a force of favorable change.
