Visual Media Visual Entertainment Dominates Modern Cultures.

Visual Media Visual entertainment dominates modern cultures. From hundreds of television channels to hundreds of thousands of video channels on the Internet, getting an in-depth look into the lives of others is a common occurrence, made possible because of the social influences of visual media. Reality television shows have shifted values from that of being conservative to being able to do just about anything on television. Value is no longer placed on privacy and decency, but on advertising everything that occurs in a person's life.

Visual media entertainment has converted society from one full of morals and values, to one with limited respect. Although visual media has brought great advances to society as well, a limited number of individuals actually take advantage of this phenomenon. When looking back to the 1950's it becomes impossible to imagine that in just 60 more years, life as it existed back then would no longer be reality (Fiske, 2011). Privacy, conservative values, family bonding, and physical play are things that would get completely redefined as technology continued to develop.

One of the biggest cultural changes in America however, was the television set. It displayed visual media that people were not used to seeing. It allowed a glimpse into the lives of others -- something that was previously unheard of. Different cultures were rarely explored, but after visual media was introduced, the homogeneity that existed in the United States was shattered. It drastically changed American culture because it started exposing people to the reality of life. No longer were they shielded behind ignorance.

From explicit images of the Vietnam War to flashes of riots being broadcasted all over television sets, Americans woke up from their idealistic way of life and realized that their community was not so perfect (Fiske, 2011). This led to the beginning of the visual media revolution. The social influences nowadays however, have for the most part been negative. The caliber of the television shows that are being broadcasted as a part of modern culture is heavily influenced by reality television (Turner, 2006).

These shows have given millions of viewers a false sense of what it means to be well-off. It has given individuals an incorrect idea of how much work needs to be put into something if one were to make it in the world. Television shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (2007) or "The Osbournes" (2002) started a television revolution where being rich and having fun became more important than the process of getting there.

All that gets depicted on television are the results of having millions of dollars, not necessarily the values that brought them the money to begin with. It has given millions of young viewers a false impression of how society functions (Fiske, 2011). Watching these families on television make viewers think that the show depicts regular everyday life for the majority of American families. However, the truth is far from that. The only thing that this belief has caused is a shift toward the worst for American values.

The Internet has revolutionized the way that the world communicates. Individuals are now able to come in contact with people from the other side of the world. This has opened up new possibilities for millions of people who sometimes may have felt disconnected from the rest of society (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). However, the Internet has brought on social and visual media that has contributed to the devaluing and demoralizing of American culture.

Websites like YouTube have allowed individuals to post just about any sort of video that they feel comfortable sharing -- even those videos that are not so appropriate get broadcasted for the world to see (Karidakis & Hanson, 2009). However, although this aspect can be used in a positive way, this form of visual media has opened up invitations for inappropriate visuals to be uploaded onto the Internet. People post videos of other individuals getting hurt, of people hurting each other, and of individuals committing atrocious and immoral acts.

This confidence in sharing just about everything with just about everyone has had a mostly negative impact on American culture (Huffaker, 2010). Cyber-bullying has been a direct result of visual media. Inappropriate images and videos that were made in privacy have been published with and without the permission of the individuals involved and being shown in the videos. This has created a sense of distrust, depression, and anger among today's youth culture (Haridakis & Hanson, 2009). Knowing that nothing is private anymore, keeps individuals on edge.

Literally anything that is done in public could easily be recorded by just about any device and then put on the Internet for everyone to see. This does not even occur without people's acknowledgment; most of the time; it is this disregard for privacy and morality that drive individuals to post their own private lives for everyone.