The Media: Does The Mainstream Want People To Feel Powerless?

Nowadays, it is easier than ever before for someone to find out about what is taking place in the world. They no longer need to turn on a TV or a radio, for instance; the only thing that they need to do is to use their Smartphone.

Through having a device like this, they will be able to connect to just about every news organisation in the world. One option will be for them to click on an app; another option will be for them to go directly to a news website.

No Limit

In the same way that one would be able to eat as much as they want if they were to go to a buffet, one will be able to consume as much news as they want. From morning until night, they can read article after article, or watch video after video.

And, by taking all this information in, it can be normal for someone to believe that they are aware of what is going on. It will be as though one is drinking from the fountain of truth.

Filtered News

But, although one may believe that they are drinking pure water, so to speak, this is unlikely to be the case. It is highly likely that what they are consuming has gone through a number of different filters.

So, like water that has had a number of things added to it; what they hear about won’t be pure. Not only this, there will be a reason why they hear about certain things but not others.  

A Big Illusion

It would be easy to say that this is because some things are more important than others, and this is true, yet there is more to it. Therefore, while someone can believe that they are ‘informed’ about the world; there is the chance that they only know what certain people want them to know.

Fortunately for these people, if someone believes that they are being informed, they are less likely to question what they are told. The narrative that the mainstream media presents will be seen as the truth, as opposed to a story that has been created.

The Perfect Scenario

If someone believes that they are informed as a result of what the mainstream media tells them, they could be seen as the perfect citizen. Someone like this can also criticise anyone whose views are different to what this source comes out with, seeing them someone who buys into ‘fake news’.

Unlike this person, they will only pay attention to credible news sources – mainstream news sources. Undoubtedly, it is better if someone doesn’t realise that they are being conditioned to perceive the world in a certain way; that way, they won’t put up any resistance.

An Analogy

This is then tantamount to how someone is more likely to eat everything on a plate if they have been told that it is good food. If they were aware that it wasn’t, they would no longer put it in their mouth.

The view that someone like this has of the mainstream media will stop them from taking a more critical view. If they were to do this, they would no longer be willing to swallow just abut everything this source comes out with.

Too Much

However, irrespective of whether someone accepts everything that this source comes out with or not, they may find that they end up feeling weighed down by all this information. Thanks to the fact that the mainstream media typically focuses on what is not working in the world, it can cause someone to feel pretty helpless.

In addition to what is not working in the world, there will also be what is not working in their own life. The fact is they are only going to be able to do so much, and, by focusing on what they can’t change, it can make it hard for them to be aware of what they can change.
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Overextended

If they feel responsible for things that are out of their control and overlook what they are responsible for, it is not going to make the world better. The only thing it will do is cause them to feel burdened by life and to experience unnecessary stress.

What this comes down to is that they, along with every other human being on the planet, are not designed to worry about so many things. Being aware of so much just overwhelms them, which is why consuming so much news is not good for their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Worn Down

One could find that not only does their mental and emotional health suffer, but that their physical health is also affected. It will then be a challenge for them to solve the problems in their own life, let alone the problems of the world.

Without a strong sense of personal power, it will be a lot harder for them to have a positive effect on the world. One way of looking at this would be to say that the mainstream media has taken their power away; another way of looking at it would be to say that one unknowingly gave it to them.

Conclusion

It might be hard for someone to comprehend why the mainstream media would want them to feel powerless; after all, how would it serve them? Yet, if the mainstream media is simply an arm of something else, it might make more sense.

This arm, along with the other arms, is then there to make sure that the citizenry don’t rock the boat. Clearly, it is far easier to control people who feel completely helpless than it is to control people who are empowered.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk​