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Desiree Champagne­Terrell

Ms. Gardner

English 10H, Period 4

6 November 2014

Tyranny of the Media

Every American citizen has the right to freedom of speech; it’s a fundamental part of

our constitution. But I don’t believe our forefathers could ever envision what would come from

this basic human right­­ media. Through social networking, gossip magazines, and

advertising, the media has oppressed individuality while promoting indistinguishable qualities

throughout it’s viewers.

Perhaps it's easy to believe that you are not influenced by the media. But when you

look in the mirror and compare yourself to all the pictures of celebrities you see in magazines,

ones who never have a pimple or blemish; when you girls are being called ugly or fat by

people who are comparing you to Victoria’s Secret models on television; when you boy are

being called ugly because you are being compared to Calvin Klein models; when you see girls

with no make­up and acne they’re called “crater­face” and girls who put on lots of makeup to

hide their perceived “imperfections” are called “cake­face”; when you tweet about a person

that you heard rumors about, slut shaming them or calling them names, things you would

never have the guts to say in person; when you read that Beyonce and Jay­Z are getting

divorced for the hundredth time and you still believe it; when you keep checking your phone to

make sure your picture is getting likes or your tweet is getting favorites; when you bad­mouth

people online then act like you’re best friends with them in person; when you are afraid to post

a picture, tweet, or status because you know someone is going to mock you­­ then you will

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know that the media is controlling your actions, your preferences, your decisions; you are

being influenced by the media.

Can any of you relate?

The media shields us from the good in people, only showing scandalous situations,

adulterous affairs, and horrible habits. From celebrity gossip magazines to websites like

Ask.fm, the media controls the publics’ opinion and gives people outlet to send rude, bullying

messages to others anonymously. According to Huffington Post: “In just one year, at least

seven teens have committed suicide after being bullied on social networking site Ask.fm”

(Perle). This kind of bullying is an ongoing epidemic: from schoolyard teasing to vicious

rumors, from direct posts to anonymous hate. In the end, it hurts all the same.

We all know that is not what media is intended for, it’s here to get across information

and communicate with people on a global scale. Some people use it just for that, according to

ProCon.org, “The online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family;

offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials;

facilitate social and political change; and disseminate useful information rapidly” (Social

Networking ProCon.org). However, when you share, retweet, reblog, repost, or even repeat in

person something you read online that you know is offensive to someone else, you are a

vessel for this tyranny. So I propose this question: Do you use social media­­ or does social

media use you?

I know that most of you have heard this same type of speech before; it’s old news to

you. But I can bet, that most of you, if not all of you, have never tried to change this vicious

cycle. Here’s how: next time you are about to post, tweet, retweet, reblog, etc. think about

your friends, your peers, your parents, your grandparents, your teachers, your coaches, the

people you look up to; would they approve of this post, would they be offended by it, would

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they be disappointed in you? Next time you want to post a rude comment about someone's

appearance,think about the fact that they may have struggled to have confidence in

themselves for a very long time and you have just taken all the confidence they’ve slowly built

up and burned it to the ground. Next time you want to post a joke about someone’s race, think

about how long that race has struggled to be accepted in society, think about people who

gave their lives fighting so the race you're making fun of can be recognized as actual humans

beings. So maybe your post wasn’t that funny. Maybe you should stop supporting magazines

and news stations and social media accounts that capitalize on people’s insecurities and

differences and oppress individuality. My peers, don’t let the media make decisions for you;

take control of your own life and do what is right.

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Works Cited

"Social Networking ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.

Perle, Elizabeth. "The Daily Dot ­ After 7 Teen Suicides, Ask.fm Finally Wants To Rein In

Bullies." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 31 Oct.

2014.