What is wrong with the media effects model?

The media effect model basically talks about the effect of how media shapes our thinking and the way we perceive things in various ways through advertisements, online news and so on. In this day and age, people are so hooked on to the social media that we tend to believe the facts that are presented to us without actually counter-checking to see if the data is really true or not.

The media effects model tends to cater more to the intellectuals because they are the ones that would be able to come up with strong points on what they are trying to write. Those who are not so academically inclined will tend to not be able to discern between a sound and logical argument on the media and vice versa.

The media effects model tends to be biased when presenting it’s data. It is very hard to find an article or journal that is not biased. Most of the time writers have to state their stand at the beginning of their writing to let the readers have a clear idea of what is being written. Some of the facts presented might not necessarily be backed up with evidence (opinion), which will then cause us to question the validity and reliability of the source.

This can be further elaborated on the fact that online writers might choose to leave out certain parts of the evidence in the text which they deem as not important in order to make their work look more convincing and appealing. This causes us readers to have a skewered view of the actually events that happened in real life. 

In conclusion, I feel that the media effects model does certainly have an effect on society today. Depending on the type and nature of the source presented and how strong the writer manages to convince the readers of his point of view, people can get swayed into believing what is being written.

These are some of the interesting questions to ask about the role of media today, in shaping of mass opinion:

1. What can we do to ensure that the different media sources such as articles etc. can be neutral in their stand/ unbiased so as to provide the readers the clearest picture of what happened on the topic?
2. What is the main difference between an opinion and real evidence in the media today?
3. What is the role of media in a democratic society such as Singapore?
4. What can we do to allow us to look out and discern between real news and fake news?
5. How does the media affect our daily lives both positively and negatively?