Media Power

"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." Malcolm X might have said it best during the civil rights movement. 50 years ago he predicted power that continues to grow exponentially. In 2019 the power of media and now social media speaks and controls a population motivated by instant gratification.

Instant gratification is the idea the human nature desires instant experience and pleasure or emotion. In short when you want something you want it now. With the 5 to 7-inch black boxes carried in every persons pocket or purse instant gratification is at an all-time high, because it is attainable. At every moment of the day news and communication are available.



In a country built on freedom including speech and press. When that is taken away or the credibility of that freedom is compromised what do we have left? In a survey taken in September of 2019 mass media trust comes in at 41%. In a statement of the hypocrisy in the united states that number actually drops to 30% when you are talking about social media, but 68% of Americans say they still get their news from social media.

Media has been around since the beginning of civilization and it is not going anywhere, and as time progresses its power will continue to grow. The question remains, "with great power comes great responsibility" which will media become. Trust is a hard thing to gain while an easy thing to lose. Once lost it becomes near impossible to regain in the same capacity. In the United States the press and major news outlets have reached a pressing time (no pun intended). As power has been pushed through social media to the forefront of everyone's fingertips. How media will work to regain its status and dependability will determine which impact it will have. Media will remain the most powerful entity on earth, will its power be for good or for evil?