The Mass Media and its Manifold Social Roles. the US Media – A Case Study

The present paper aims to trace both the development of the main media channels throughout the centuries, and their often hard to pin down and define influence upon their consumers. From newspapers to the radio, the TV and nowadays the internet, the media has always directly or indirectly shaped the way people think, feel and act. This is nowhere more visible than in the USA, where especially political life and discourse is inextricably linked to the media and its manifold propagandistic and sometimes manipulative strategies and tendencies. Media has moved in recent decades more and more overtly from delivering a message i.e., information, to creating incentives for purchasing goods (via advertising) or for following a certain political ideology. Last but not least, the present paper addresses the complex issue of the media’s influence on human behavior, especially in the case of young people, with critical voices stating that certain types of media may negatively influence behavior and lead to aggression, violence or obsessive behavior.