Constituents of a Theory of the Media

Hans Magnus Enzensberger argues that the media has always been a means of shaping social and economic development within societies. I would agree with this point because, in American society, we often see political opinion formed by media such as news channels and Facebook. The media tends to exaggerate issues or erase some issues completely to affect the way in which society is influenced. The media has even created stories on trivial news to distract consumers from serious matters. For example, recently Kylie Jenner was trending on Twitter after claiming that she had tried cereal with milk for the first time in her life. When we have major sociopolitical issues going on, such as the growing number of immigrant children in custody in the U.S., media stories, like updates on Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's unstable relationship, only serve to divert attention and prevent people from questioning the faults of our country.

Enzensberger describes new technological developments, such as cassettes, color television, videotape, and many more, all of which are forming a universal connection. I find it interesting that these new technologies he describes are different methods of consuming media. Technology is constantly advancing to make the lives of consumers easier. With the creation and ubiquity of smartphones, we can access media with a simple search or even a voice command, and consume it instantly. Ironically, the media standardizes the need for these technologies, just so consumers can purchase them and consume even more media.

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