Written by: Reita Demi
The technological expansion of recent years has inevitably led to every aspect of our lives being dominated by technological-informational devices. This dominance by the media has exposed people from early to late ages to media content that unconsciously creates models or roles that people will follow later.
Although this development has enabled the media to form positive roles in society and in civic activism, they can end up reinforcing stereotypes and social norms and providing wrong role models for children and other marginalized groups.
As a result, concerns have recently been raised by researchers that we, humans, have become a product of these devices and not the other way around, as every reality in the world is reflected, shaped, changed, and created by the media.
Positive role models that influence our actions motivate us to strive to discover our true potential and overcome our weaknesses. Positive role models are a necessity for self-improvement because we need to have a standard to strive for or compare ourselves to.
Today, before each person opens their eyes in the morning, they first open social networks to see what has happened in the country, region, and world, then throughout the day they are exposed to films, various articles, advertisements, and television programs, creating a fictional reality through the exposure of media content and consequently seeing the world based on those principles.
Researcher George Gerbner in 1967 developed the Cultivation Theory, which is based on the assumption that mass media have a tremendous effect on audiences who unconsciously absorb the symbols, images, and messages that dominate the media. He calls it “cultivation of the dominant image model.” According to this theory, constant exposure to TV has the ability to cultivate shared beliefs about the world. For example, if a child is constantly exposed to media content, whether it is an animated film or an aggressive video game, there are premises that will influence the construction of a more aggressive character in the future. In other words, the theory assumes that the media, technological devices, and especially TV, create a fantasy world that is dangerous. It also creates social stereotypes of dominant people against the weaker ones in society.
Based on this, the media has two-fold potential, to improve or harm the development of a society.
But how much is the Kosovo media market contributing to this goal?
Although there is a fairly pluralistic media market in Kosovo, the content is still homogeneous in terms of creating roles, beliefs, and behaviors in society.
The way they are presented and the space that is dedicated to vulnerable groups in society such as women, children, the RAE community, and the LGBT community, continues to further strengthen the belief and “forceful” approach towards these communities. Usually, the media assigns the place where a person should have, for example, in political debates men dominate, while women take positions on entertainment shows; cartoons give them a model that girls should wait for a person of the opposite sex for salvation. Moreover, by excluding minority communities in Kosovo from the media context, they create the idea that the opposite does not exist and when society confronts them, it sees it as something abnormal and new since they have not been informed before.
What roles does the media create?
| Women: | MEN: | Children: | communities: |
| Submissive | dominant | Sensitive | Poor education |
| Emotions | Rational | Influenced | Low social status |
| liabilities | Active | Weak | Submissive |
| Dependents | Independent | Dependent |
What should the media do to avoid these roles it offers?
- I must replace content that creates or reinforces roles, stereotypes, and prejudices.
- I need to improve the content for vulnerable groups like children.
- To broadcast content that educates viewers or readers.
- To equip viewers or readers with a critical eye through the content it presents.
In this space for protecting oneself from unconsciously assuming a role and creating a fictitious reality, the public must also be equipped with knowledge of how the media operates. This is how a critical attitude should be encouraged among the Kosovar audience. This critical perspective can help the audience distinguish facts from opinion, identify advertising, understand prejudice and be aware of what they are being exposed to.
For any media product, the audience should ask questions about the content and structure:
- Who is behind it?
- What is their motivation?
- What do they want from me?
- How am I feeling about this content?
- Do they want me to feel that way? Why?
- Are they reliable sources?
- Do they have technical-spelling errors, in the image or in the writing?
- What is the main focus, the product or me?
- What do I gain from this content? Etc.
You should also ask yourself these questions about your favorite media personalities:
- Why do I like these people?
- Are they presented in a realistic manner?
- Are they like that in real life?
- What values does this person portray?
- How does this person make me feel about myself?
- Am I finding myself there?