Essay on "How Mass Media Influences Spain's Youth Compared to That of USA Youths"

Essay 7 pages (2267 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

mass media influences spain's youth compared to that of USA youths

One of the most obvious threats the contemporary society has to face is the negative influence provoked by the media. This is seen through the fact that (mostly) young people fall victims to the information they access via the media. While in some countries this issue has not yet become critical, matters are hazardous in others. People in developed countries like the U.S. And Spain are advantaged for the fact that they have easy access to information. However, this is detrimental in certain circumstances, as they have to especially pay attention to filtering good information.

The European media landscape largely differs from that in the U.S., as the latter is inclined to emphasis advertisements because of their marketing interests. Even with that, a series of European media producers have recently started to copy Americans by introducing several factors found in American media programs for young people. Employing marketing techniques in programs directed toward young people is a seemingly profitable business, as this group is recognized for its vulnerability. Still, certain TV programs have courageously lasted through time without making use of marketing techniques in order to earn surplus money from their businesses.

Spain is apparently less oriented toward developing an elaborate media market in contrast to the U.S., who is devoted to producing as many programs as possible. This partly represents an advantage for young people in Spain, as they have a smaller number of chances to be negatively influenced by the media. Still, considering Spain's rapid developing economy, it is likely that it is only a matter of time before young Spanish will become as vulnerable as young Americans when regarding their potential to be negatively influenced by the media.

The media world is constantly experiencing progress, both in technology and in introducing new methods of drawing and influencing young people. However, because Americans were among the first to become severely influenced by the media, people in Spain have an advantage by observing what went wrong in the U.S. And how they can exploit the media to the fullest without being negatively affected.

As the Spanish media progressed, young people have become fond of it and most learnt how to filter the valuable information from it. The masses in the U.S. are currently paranoid on the subject of media, as numerous individuals feel that there is no use in relating to it because it only presents information which is likely to have a negative influence on them. In contrast, young Spanish people discovered the media is not always harmful and that certain aspects of it are actually educational.

A direct effect of considering the media damaging is the fact that one displays reduced interest in politics, not to mention the interest he or she exhibits in regard to beginning a career in politics. One of the most important reasons for which one should pay attention to information in the media is that it is a source of news. Without constantly looking into the news, one's abilities to be a successful politician are seriously reduced.

A large number of young U.S. citizens have difficulties understanding news because they were accustomed to disproving of the media from an early age. People feel that the media world fails from providing constructive information because they think it typically presents subjective information, meant to address a series of issues which are only directed at a specific audience. However, the media world goes through great efforts trying to present the public with unbiased opinions, so as to refrain from drawing harsh critics. When they first interact with a news-related media topic, young people in the U.S. are often disappointed in its character, since most feel that it does not talk about normal individuals and their daily activities. Thus, it is extremely difficult for an American teenager to become a news enthusiast, considering that it mostly brings forward general information instead of providing reader-friendly data.

Young Americans by and large believe that the media is merely a source of entertainment, as they are unwilling to recognize it as a source of information. There is apparently a reduced need for receiving information from the media among America's young individuals, whereas American adults are dependant on it. In addition to the fact that most young Americans are disinterested in media as a news source, those who actually pay attention to it do so with disinclination.

Without a new generation to be introduced to U.S. politic life, it is likely that democracy will suffer, with newcomers having limited knowledge in how to properly use the roles they will have in politics. Young Spanish individuals are better prepared to deal with politics because of a series of motives. Firstly, hierarchy is an essential factor in the lives of all Spanish people, as Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. Also, the U.S. media is focused on local news-sources and commercial issues while that in Spain is concentrated on nation-wide news-sources and public TV.

The school system in Spain is structured so as to teach young people that information is essential and that one has to struggle to obtain through any means possible. Communication is one of the easiest methods of sending information to a large part of the public and Americans were the ones to exploit the media to its fullest in the second half of the twentieth century. However, the general public gradually lost interest in it and became doubtful regarding the education it could convey. One of the reasons for this was probably the fact that the media world started to be interested in the financial matter rather than being interested in helping audiences.

People in the U.S. differ from those in Europe in several ways, ranging from their principles to their customs. From all countries in Europe, Spain is perhaps the one that differs the most from the U.S., bearing in mind that in the 1960s (an era when Americans were obsessed with learning information from the media) Spanish individuals had little to no access to the media world. Also, young Americans were among the most cultured individuals in the world while Spanish youths were among those with the lowest rate of education.

This can moderately be credited to the passion displayed by Americans in connection with the media.

The U.S. has a long history in democracy, in contrast to Spain, who just recently escaped Francisco Franco's regime. Young Americans are accustomed to democracy and believe that it is only natural for it to exist in their country, whereas the Spanish praise democracy and are determined to keep it. In the recent decades U.S. authorities have lost influence in American, and at the same time the leadership in Spain experienced a notable growth in power.

The American youth see the media as a mean of entertainment and only a limited number of the group seem willing to accept it, since they consider that it is simply an attempt from the government to increase its sphere of influence. In spite of the fact that consequent to the fall of Franco's regime the Spanish media was virtually inexistent, matters rapidly changed and the Spanish came to be praised for the media community they created from scratch. Because of the critical approach often employed by the Spanish media young Spanish individuals have expressed their appreciation for it in numerous occasions.

It is probably because of its determination to break free from past memories that causes young Spanish to be interested in the media and in politics. Even though Franco's regime ended decades ago, the passion in Spanish teenagers is still strong, as they appear to be influenced by the media in "voting, informing themselves, joining associations, and discussing politics" (Barnhurst). The media devices which were new and controversial in 1980s's Spain are presently admired by teenagers and the public adapts to whatever changes the media requires.

It is the Spanish youth who gave birth to the divergences in Spain regarding the independence of particular territories, as young people were determined to fight for their principles along with Franco's death. Newspapers such as El Mundo and El Pais were acclaimed for the courageous nature they used in criticizing particular politicians. Young people realized that this was a glorious time and an opportunity for them to go to the next level- one which involved them having to get actively engaged in shaping the future of Spain. Things are not much different in the present, as the Spanish youth is still devoted to fight for its interests.

Certain newspapers in Spain are much more than simple media devices, as they are known to have a serious influence on people. Since the newspaper market is largely based on free publications, publishers need to focus on creating booming stories in order for people to actually become interested in buying their newspapers. Publishers have come up with numerous controversial articles, each meant to prove that their writers wrote independent-minded stories that would not pause from… READ MORE

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