What is Media?
Mass media is "media = medium" that conveys information to " mass". Specifically, it refers to media such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio.
The mass media plays multiple roles such as news, commentary/enlightenment, education, entertainment, and advertising, and is also characterized by its great social influence.
Fifth media: Internet
The Web media and SNS on the Internet, which continue to expand their influence to the extent that they are comparable to the media. Media on the Internet can be broadly classified into two types: web media and social media.
Web media refers to websites that send out some information on the internet, and specifically, news sites, curation sites, corporate sites, etc, are categorized.
Social media refers to media that includes social elements such as information dissemination by individuals and connections between individuals. Specifically, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, etc, are applicable.
Web media and social media, whose main battlefield is the Internet, are already as influential as the mass media and are becoming the fifth mass media.
Web media and social media on the Internet are characterized by their high diffusion. It is also excellent in breaking news, and it has the advantage of being able to instantly search for the information you are looking for from a huge amount of information. On the other hand, there is also the disadvantage that false information and fake news will be distributed because individuals can easily send information.
ROLE OF MEDIA, FIFTH MEDIA ROLE OF INFORMATION
Misinformation and media
On 27 May 2021, Facebook freezes Venezuela president Maduro's page over COVID-19 misinformation.
In January 2021, President Maduro said that "Carvativir", a magical drug made by doctor Jose Gregorio Hernandez, who was active in Venezuela in the 19th century, is effective in treating COVID-19 and don't have any side effects. However, this claim has no scientific basis and is considered misinformation about COVID-19.
But, still, President Maduro has no doubt about the effectiveness of Calvativir and has posted a movie on Facebook to promote it. In the movie, President Maduro repeatedly called Calvativir a "miracle drop" and repeatedly claimed that it helps to treat and prevent COVID-19.
In response, Facebook prohibits "spreading misinformation about COVID-19" in the community regulations, so Facebook deleted the movie because the movie uploaded by President Maduro was violated the community regulations.
Facebook's response didn't end there. Facebook has suspended President Maduro's page. "President Maduro has repeatedly violated Facebook's community regulations and will freeze the page for 30 days, during the time President Maduro's Facebook page will be read-only," Facebook explains.
Facebook asserts that carvativir is not a cure or prevention for COVID-19, “We follow guidance from the WHO (World Health Organization) that says there is currently no medication to cure the virus,” the spokesman told Reuters.
UNDP
UNDP calls on governments to take measures against misinformation and hoaxes related to coronavirus. Because dangerous hoaxes and the spread of misinformation threaten the response to corona in each country, endangering the lives and livelihoods of even more people.
UNDP works closely with national agencies, the media and civic groups to help spread accurate information about the new coronavirus on social media and websites, and tackle to prevent the spread of hoaxes and misinformation.
UNDP Governor Achim Steiner said, "The media in general, especially the fake cures and bad guys hunting, conspiracy theories, and false press articles flooding online platforms have created chaos in the information environment. Not only is it fundamentally undermining the effectiveness of the effort, but it also leads to real-life violence, discrimination, confusion, anxiety and even what can be called long-term social harm. "
Also, Governor Steiner added, “We must work together to reject false information and prejudices and develop responses and recommendations based on science, evidence, human rights and solidarity. We learned from HIV and Ebola. There are many organizations responsible for the response, but without government leadership, real progress cannot be achieved. "
As the medical understanding of the new coronavirus grows, recommendations for the virus are changing rapidly, but this rapid change, combined with its serious impact on life and livelihoods, encourages the general public to seek more information. Social media, informal sources, and non-mainstream journalism fill that void, often causing anxiety, prejudice, discrimination, and confusion.
UNDP is recommending to governments and media to spread accurate information and prevent spreading misinformation in media, especially in social media. However, in 2021, Venezuela president Maduro was spreading misinformation to people on his Facebook. This is problematic because he is the person who has strong influence and diffusion to the Venezuela and world.
What do you think about role of media?
Mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio are closely related to people's lives, and the information has a huge impact on the world. Since it is a medium that is highly trusted by the world, both positive and negative information spreads immediately. It is important to keep in mind the magnitude of the impact of the mass media, communicate promptly and politely, and keep in mind detailed media relations on a daily basis.
ROLE OF MEDIA
Wilbur Schramm, an American scholar who is also known as the father of communication studies, classifies the functions of mass media into three categories: "watch function," "discussion function," and "teacher function."
American scholar Harold Lasswell also categorizes each as "environmental surveillance," "member interaction," and "generational transmission of social heritage." The names of the roles are different, but the contents are the same as the above-mentioned "watch function", "discussion function", and "teacher function".
WATCHING FUNCTION
First of all, the "lookout government" is the role of giving information and issuing warnings regarding the current state and changes in the social environment. The mass media disseminates political and economic trends, which gives the public a sense of crisis and their own thoughts. It functions as a lookout by giving companies and organizations the awareness that they are being seen by the world.
DISCUSSION FUNCTION
Next is the "discussion function". This is the role of organizing opinions among members regarding the social environment and forming public opinion. In addition to the conventional four major media, it has become easier for individuals to express their opinions on Web media and social media, which have become the fifth mass media in recent years, and the debate function of the media has become more active.
TEACHER FUNCTION
The final "teacher's role" is to pass on values, social norms, knowledge, etc. to the next generation. In particular, newspapers are highly shared media and magazines are highly preserved media and are mass media suitable for transmitting information to the next generation.
Nowadays, information has a heavyweight on its value. And there are millions and billion information exists in our world. It is convenient to research and gains information, new knowledge but there are also much misinformation and fake news are exists. Media have a power which is not belonging to the government or other organizations. It is not too much to say that media is a freedom and justice symbol. I mean media must be free and need to stand on the justice side. It is the role of the media to watch and control the information to help the development of society.
Work cited
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-venezuela-exclusive-idUSKBN2BJ03Z
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56551350
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HEAJ-WDEvo
- https://www.undp.org/press-releases/undp-governments-must-lead-fight-against-coronavirus-misinformation-and