It's US and The Media

 Hello!!! My name is LiToyia Allen, currently a grad student at the University of Florida (Go Gators, right. Nah..I'm an FSU fan) and an amateur blog writer. So, let's take a dabble into my thoughts. Shall we, the topic is Silver Bullet Theory and the media's control on us. Annndddd...GO!

Ok, let’s be real for one second and admit to ourselves and whatever higher presence that makes you feel comfortable, that we are trained by the media we consume. I mean it’s true. Think about why blue is associated with boys and pink is associated with girls. Or that women are still being praised for becoming referees in sports, mainly male-dominated ones like football and basketball. Trust me, that’s still a big deal and needs to be recognized always. However, at the same time continuing to praise every single woman who decides to become a ref in mainstream sports puts them in a pedestal light which isn’t fair. So, before I go into tangent mode regarding women in referees, let's get back to the topic, media-consuming our lives and training us.

Now, when I say the media is “training us” I mean that the constant stimulation in entertainment, news, radio, etc triggers something in our brains when repeated in a way consistently. We all remember Popeye's chicken sandwich controversy (eye-roll). We're all subject to fall victim to the media monster from time to time. It’s honestly no one’s fault, I’ll just put on my educator hat for a second. Let’s take this back to the 1920s when the Magic Bullet Theory, the common name for the Hypodermic Needle Theory or was invented. The theory proposed that the media’s message was a silver bullet going into the minds of audiences. In layman's terms, getting them to think or do whatever! One word, W I L D. 

Now, I must admit I’m a perfect example of being subject to the media's grasp. I am the first person to tell anyone that just because you’re trying to sell me something does not mean that I will buy it. I have a “strong-willed” personality...yeah, ha, no. My amazon account will say differently. The glitz and glamour of social media brands and online shopping tend to get me every time. 

I’ve never been one to spend my dollars on the latest trend because a celebrity-endorsed it. Just not my thing. However, Instagram and Amazon are different stories. Algorithms specified to your exact liking, seeing products you can purchase instantly instead of waiting for them to land at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, or Ross (we all do it, I know I’m not the only one). It’s a win/win for the brand, a win/loss for me, and one more point on the board for the media claiming another victim to their hypnotization. R.I.P my bank account.

Although, there have been times that being media obsessed has worked out in my favor. For instance, during the pandemic when we all had nothing but time I got into plants (Hello other plant parents!) because of social media. I also spent a lot of money. Starting a hobby is fun, but it’s also the perfect way for brands to prey on the weak ones. When you first get into a hobby you feel as if you “need” everything (we all know that’s not true). It’s just another media trap, don’t fall for it. 

Let’s go back to Popeye’s sandwich debacle because not only was the sandwich delicious. Popeye’s single handedly lit a fire in any fast food place that sold chicken. Something as simple as a chicken sandwich opened up a playing field for friendly competition for brands and full stomachs for us. But it did something more than that because yes everyone now has a crispy chicken sandwich that's a replica of Popeye’s with their spin, but it created a phenomenon. People were going crazy over chicken. Chicken. Like the pandemic showed us a lot about humanity, so did the media hyping up a basic chicken sandwich that people decided was worth violence over. Never choose violence, kids. Do what Michelle Obama said.  

 Finally, I want to look at politics. Now, yes, I know groan, but still. It fits. Our world was tied upside down this past year and we know the media had a part to play but so did our government at the time. But I don't want to focus on that, the way the media constantly pushed the last administration and what they were doing was a problem. The reason for the Donald Trump fatigue that everyone had (besides just from him) was the fact that we had no normal media presence. We were being bombarded daily, hourly, every second about what this man did or didn't do. What legal pursuit he was facing, how he was ruining America this week. 

We heard so much about Donald Trump on mainstream news outlets that I can’t imagine how much news we missed that was needed. It makes you think about how one administration can change the course of media for four years and what is deemed important and what is not ( praise he’s gone). No matter how one would like to look at it the media has us by the necks. It just determines how we would like to proceed to get out of it. We can take in what they feed us, but we don’t have to digest everything.

The most popular chicken sandwich mankind has ever heard of!

The Former Unruly Fearless Leader the media fed to us continuously. Ugh!