September 2nd: Are American Values Shaped by the Mass Media?

While each chapter is divided into no and yes articles to support the claim whether or not mass media shapes american values, the authors do not explicitly say so. Their responses are more so suggestive. Schiller, who answers yes to the question, says that mass media institutions are key elements of a capitalistic world. Media, he says, conveys a certain ideology necessary to sustain the economical world that we are familiar with. Carey, who answers no to the article, states that communication is not simply a process of sending messages. He then goes on to make the statement, which I find contradictory, that communication is a symbolic process which is inherently linked to culture and our lives.

Personally, I find that media shaping values of Americans does occur, and probably a lot more frequently than some would like to admit. For the most part I think that it comes down to parenting and instruction. If a person has someone telling them what is right and wrong and teaching them other essential values than the media would not have a substantial effect. There are those, however, who rely too much on the media and expect their lives to reflect that of certain celebrities and media figures. I find that it is people like that who tend to have their values shaped more easily by the mass media.