''Understanding the Media Is Vital To Modern Life'

In my opinion, understanding media is vital to modern life, simply because most of our lives revolve around media in one form or another. Whether it's watching the TV at home, reading a magazine on the train or using the internet at work, it takes up a significant percentage of our time. This undoubtedly means that it will influence everything; from how we feel about current social issues, our opinion of ourselves and other people, to our ambitions and politic views.

An example would be, without knowledge of how to use the internet for communication, you would not only be missing the chance to meet new people from across the world who share your interests, but would risk losing contact with distant friends and family members for whom internet is their main means of worldwide communication. Recent studies in American have shown that Americans spend a quarter of their time online on social networking sites (source), and I am sure that this percentage will continue to increase each year. Personally, I have first talked to many of my friends through the internet (even those I'd seen in person beforehand) rather than face to face as it is easier to find people with common interests and to 'break the ice'.

Also, not understanding how to use media to it's full potential could affect your future job opportunities. For most companies, media platforms are their sole / main means of marketing and they would want to employ somebody who knew how to reach the largest possible audience. This is now applicable to jobs in most fields, as every business manager knows about the important of creating an online buzz about their company through advertisements and posts by bloggers.

In addition to this, it is important to understand how portrayals of certain groups of people in TV and films can shape society's opinions of them. For example, characters on TV can help to break stereotypes, educate people about the lives of others and therefore these shows can encourage acceptance and empathy within their audience. The media can help to open people's eyes to different ways of life and cultures that they may not come across in their 'real' day to day lives.

On the other hand, many negative things come from the media, such as sensationalist news, reducing face-to-face interaction and the rapid spread of false or malicious information. However, in my opinion, for every bad thing that comes from understanding and utilizing different forms of media, there at dozens of benefits. In addition to this, a better understanding of media and how it works could help you to learn how to avoid these pitfalls.

You could argue that 'vital' is too strong of a word to use because you could still live your life, socialize and learn without the media. Saying that understanding the media would be 'beneficial' to modern life may be more accurate, however as the media, technology and media influence grows each year, you would undeniably be missing so many opportunities that others around you have. Therefore it is absolutely vital if you want to truly embrace modern life.