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the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the minds of the masses.” - Malcolm X
e consume content everyday—in fact, you are actually at we see online affects us more than we think. Reporters eople willingly consume this content, and unknowingly nd them from reality. Neither is to blame for this matter: ship while citizens are placed in a situation where it is at isn’t true.
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THE CONCEALED NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
T
MEDIA
ik. Tok. Tik. Tok. As I saw the two hands of the clock overlap and eventually pass each other, I realized how screwed I was for school and the homework I had due tomorrow. It was very late, andI barely started my homework. Sighing while putting down my phone, I took a sip of my coffee and started my homework. In the 21st century, we have seen the rise of social media usage. In the past 6 years, there was a 115.59% increase of users of social media and entertainment media, and now, as nearly 60% of the entire world’s population are able to access media, it is clear how significant it has become in our daily lives. However, as the use of social media has become more popular in our society, problems have started to arise; there are numerous negative effects, and an increasing need for solutions to solve these specific problems. What are the negative underlying effects of the media? First of all, people can suffer from psychological issues such as body dysmorphia. Social media upholds unrealistic body standards as the norm. People compare themselves with celebrities and with other photo-shopped images of people that appear perfect; this makes them want to be more noticed and loved like the people on their screens. In fact, 80% of women are unhappy with their appearance, and approximately 45% are dieting on any given day, developing an obsession, which is contributing to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression, as found by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). Similarly, many men also compare themselves to try to get more muscular and “masculine.” Another significant negative effect is the feeling of isolation. Most people spend much of their time on social media,
Writer Sahngwon Lee Layout Andrew Ham
interacting with people online. This ultimately causes people to deny real interactions with people around them; therefore, there is less face-to-face communication. A perfect example is the use of phones when eating food with others. This action has detrimental effects on romantic relationships, as 42% of couples between ages of 18-29 years claim their partner was distracted on the phone. How can we solve these problems/avoid these negative effects? The best action is to set limits on the amount of time spent on media in general. It is possible to download apps that force you to stop using a certain app after a specific amount of time. It is also good to implement your own rules to stop continuously using social media. For example, one rule is to not scroll through social media before sleeping, right after waking up, or when eating. Another action is to unfollow or avoid looking at accounts that bring up negative emotions in you. This can boost self-esteem and confidence after unfollowing, which could be an extremely empowering thing to do. Lastly, be mindful of habits on the media that you have. It is essential to always be fully aware of the time, use, emotions, patterns that you have on the media. Conclusively, always try to seek help if trying to solve the problem on your own isn’t working. Counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, doctors are all there to help with the negative effects of social media. Although it is impossible to live without media, it is also impossible to live with it all the time. Finding the right balance between when to use the media and when to step away from it is needed for the better of our lives.
Corporate Media and Effects on Society opinions and beliefs far and wide across the country freely. Many media companies saw the appeal of figures such as Limbaugh and decided to remake their company model to feature much more opinionated figures to attract politically loyal viewers. And, with the freedom from the fairness doctrine, corporate elites owning and running these media companies took it upon themselves to create cable news that would be extremely profitable.
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rom 1949 to 1987, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had something called the “fairness doctrine.” The FCC fairness doctrine stated that all media companies should be required to present all sides of a political argument in their public broadcasts. For around four decades, the media in the US was full of reliable news reporters such as Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace. However, in 1987, Congress decided to repeal the fairness doctrine on the grounds that it limited the freedom of speech, therefore violating the Constitution’s First Amendment. This came at the expense of media bias. Traditional mediums of news such as television started not having to express the other side’s views and became much more polarized. There were suddenly the concepts of “liberal” news and “conservative” news. The repeal of the fairness doctrine also gave rise to fierce, opinionated media figures that benefitted from polarization and the freedom of news media. Rush Limbaugh was one of them, for example. Limbaugh used the radio to express his strong views on the current issues, spreading his
Writer Peter Mingunn Kim Layout Irene Nam
On the liberal side, the archetype cable news network is CNN, a 24-hour channel on television founded in 1980. CNN finally reached nationwide fame in the US in the 1990s: a time of turmoil and war. President George H.W. Bush had started the First Gulf War against Iraq to liberate Kuwait, a nation occupied by Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein. The US built up a powerful coalition of nations and brought a massive arsenal to defeat Iraq’s military, the largest in the world at that time. For the first time in decades, the US would be sending an army abroad. CNN’s brilliance during this war was that it was the only news network that broadcasted the entire war live from inside Iraq, allowing viewers to essentially follow along with the government’s decisions in the war. CNN’s live coverage of other tumultuous events in the US, such as the Battle of Mogadishu, 9/11, the 2008 Presidential elections, and the 2016 Presidential elections only increased its fame throughout the nation. CNN, therefore, realized how profitable it would be if it were to brand itself as the sensational news network that revealed the most important, crucial information to the public. CNN became infamous for its “breaking news” segments that grab viewers’ attention. But even more egregious, CNN deliberately makes its reporting biased to keep its sensationalism and to keep its liberal viewership. For example, during the rise of the Black Lives Matter
(BLM) movement in 2020, CNN consistently reported “unwarranted police violence” against peaceful BLM protestors, showing off clips and images of burning cities and looted towns as either justified by BLM or the sole fault of law enforcement. This sort of bias allowed CNN to keep a loyal liberal audience, yet it destroyed its credibility when it came to reporting a nuanced and difficult societal issue. On the conservative side, Fox News is the most infamous offender of cable news sensationalism. Launched in 1996 by news mogul Roger Ailes, Fox News is the archetype of right-wing populism converted into a television format: Fox News is infamously biased on almost every piece of reporting that it does, with journalists citing it as the “media wing of the Republican Party.” Fox News keeps its conservative viewership by espousing mere right-wing talking points through invigorating and controversial media personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. Owned and supported by huge corporations, Fox News puts out a very strong “pro-business” message, deeming Democratic economic ideals as “radical,” which, in the end, only serves to ensure Fox News’s viewership consistently votes for pro-corporate Republicans. Fox News’s danger comes not only from its support of corporatism and flawed reporting of facts but also from societal effects that its espoused rhetoric has: Fox News is consistently cited as the channel that has polarized the US political sphere, with the general goal of the channel
BIA S
being to paint any and all Democratic policies and figures as essentially evil while supporting the Republican Party at any cost, no matter the logical fallacies and moral dangers of such fervent loyalty. Fox News’s appeal to its mainly old, white, male, and conservative audience created a large American political demographic that lives in paranoia in that they are constantly under attack from progressivism and liberalism, ultimately destroying any sense of healthy political discussion. In order to solve this issue, one must understand that in the end, these cable news channels serve not the people of the US, but the corporations that own them: the current goals of CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, and all other cable networks is to attract a large viewership to profit off of. That being said, the removal of private news networks is a dangerous, slippery slope that could potentially violate the First Amendment. Some have suggested that despite the controversy around free speech, the fairness doctrine should return to some sort of regulation on the amount of bias news channels can have. However, considering how many cable news channels bring on “opposition guests” on their shows only to paint the opposition as foolish and absent-minded, the fairness doctrine may not even be fully effective, assuming Congress or any President would even be in favor of reintroducing the doctrine. Some others have suggested that there be laws on fact-checking on cable news, so that cable news may be biased, but all facts presented are at the very least, true. However, the issue with this solution is that it never defines what a fact is: many cable news personalities blur the line between fact and opinion when discussing issues anyway, and corporate lawyers can always create elaborate arguments in defense of their cable channels’ false facts in court. While there is no clear-cut solution to reverse the damages corporate media has on the US, most Americans can agree that corporate money should not be involved in the free press: press that is in the interests of shareholders rather than the people that they claim to serve is not free at all. It is deceitful and without integrity that corporate cable news can espouse such biased and harmful viewpoints that divide the American people. If any sort of solution is to be found, it should first aim to expel corporate influence from the press.
Prospering from Censorship Celine Yang Censorship is a well-known issue in today’s society as it limits the freedom of speech and expression of many individuals. In order to capture the suppression of speech and public communication that people are facing, I showed a mouth ripping out to portray how people are trying to fight against the barrier of censorship. Using different mediums such as color pencils and paint, I painted the mouth in the background with dark colors in order to illustrate the negative impacts censorship has on people in today’s society while I colored the mouth on the inside with a more vibrant color to represent people trying to overcome this issue.
SOCIAL MEDIA POLARIZED
Writer Paul Moon Layout Leo Sugino
Photos by: mikoto.raw, Magnus Anderson
For all of modern history, political and social divides have been unignorable aspects of society, which have sometimes even led to violence and war. The American Civil War and the Korean War are just two of many examples of violence that were the results of clashing ideals. Technological developments have made such a social divide more prevalent, with global communication becoming available through smartphones. The use of technology, especially social media, is a leading cause of the modern social divide that creates the polarization of opinions regarding contested issues around the world. This polarization is intentionally furthered by technology companies, which leads to
misinformation and a harsher clash of opinions. Many social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter have garnered a reputation for being a hub of misinformation and political divide, something that can be possibly attributed to its design. Sean Parker, cofounder and former president of Facebook, has stated in an interview that Facebook is a “social-validation feedback loop,” which means that ideas are reinforced from interacting with those with similar thoughts, leading to a loop where opinions are strengthened over time. Parker also states that it was launched despite the dangers that it could pose. Platforms such as Facebook function by grouping people with
similar interests and opinions, as this increases interactions and engagement. However, this algorithm creates “echo chambers”, where only the opinions and ideas similar to one’s own are emphasized, making people less open-minded about contrasting opinions. When people of such inflexible ideals meet others of alternative opinions but with equally inflexible minds, it often leads to clashes where neither side changes their opinions. However, online arguments are the least worrying of issues that such social media polarization poses on the world, as it has even led to extreme examples of violence. The January 6th riots was a chaotic event where Americans who were unhappy with the results of the 2021 election protested and attempted to storm the capitol. Plans of the insurrection were largely spread on Facebook, where
Trump supporters got the hashtag “stop the steal” trending. Organizations such as the Proud Boys and QAnon also organized for violence on Facebook, where internal documents revealed that the staff was not doing enough to block the spread of calls for violence. Those who spread misinformation and hateful ideas were suspended or banned from using the platform, such as Trump himself, but the damage was done as the riots left 4 people dead. Other dangerous aspects of polarization include the legitimacy of vaccines, and the lethality of COVID-19, both topics, when misunderstood, lead to public health issues. Even though it might seem impossible to escape polarization due to the omnipresent influence of social media in society, there are steps that can be taken to better handle conflict and feedback loops that social media cultivates. For example, one crucial step
Photos by: that can be taken to reduce misinformed opinions is the habit of fact-checking information. The capitol riots were caused by people misinformed about the validity of the election, and other societal divides such as the safety of vaccines are also fueled by misinformation. Doing one’s own research and taking time to listen to expert opinions is a great way to escape the feedback loop of social media. Similarly, taking time to be open-minded and consider the viewpoints of others rather than blindly arguing is also a good way to be released from the loop. Polarization through social media has and will continue to leave a mark on society, causing disagreements and even violence along the way. The polarization of media is at its highest point in history, having scored 80 out of 100 for the entire year of 2021. However, if everybody takes the time to properly fact-check information and listen to the opinions of others, this volatile issue could be resolved.
Karsten Winegaert Alexander Shatov
The Hidden Side of Social Media Vivienne Chung Addiction to social media is a behavioral addiction that is defined by being overly concerned about the media, driven by uncontrollable urges in devoting obsessive amounts of time and effort onto social media. I used watercolor and pen to express the addictive and obsessive nature that a good deal of people tend to carry nowadays, as well as the negative effects that can be caused by the dependency of social media that has been, and is becoming a rising issue all over the world.
THE FALL OF T
he 21st century would not be the same without the existence of Netflix. Founded in 1997, Netflix has skyrocketed in popularity through its subscription-based streaming service that allows its members to watch a wide selection of TV shows and movies. Today, it is undoubtedly one of the most popular and famous streaming services in the world. Furthermore, Netflix has grown big enough to start making its own shows and movies, calling them “Netflix Originals.” Generating $24.9 billion revenue in 2020, and an operating profit of $4.5 billion in 2020, there is nothing that could go wrong. In recent days, it has been evident that Netflix is facing a fall. With all these good statistics, what is going wrong with Netflix? It has been observed that Netflix has been adjusting their prices, Writer Lindsey Lim Layout Eunice Rhee
slowly increasing them over time. The real reasons behind this decision has not been discovered yet, and Netflix has constantly stated that they are just “updating [the] prices so that [they] can continue to offer a wide variety of quality entertainment options.” However, raising their prices has not been beneficial to their marketing and economics in the long run. Michael Nathanson, a media analyst at MoffettNathanson, told CNN Business, “They keep raising their prices, and now in order to maintain a level of subscribers they have, they continually add more and more new content, and content is inherently a hard business to predict with peaks and valleys.” As expected, as the prices increased, a considerable number of people have decided to drop their Netflix subscriptions, moving to another
Not on Netflix
streaming service like Disney Plus, Hulu, or HBO Max. In a recent study, it was found that “Netflix’s (NFLX) stock has tumbled 41% from the all-time high it hit just two months ago.” It is gaining subscribers at a painfully slow pace. If this continues, it is possible that Netflix will be at a dangerous economic state soon.
Another reason for why Netflix is currently showing a downfall is because of the increase in competition. We need to understand that Netflix is not the only streaming company around nowadays. Services such as Disney+, HBO, TVING, Amazon Prime Video, Coupang Play, Hulu, and much more, have started to get more attention especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. The increase in competition is playing a massive role on Netflix losing its subscribers. Platforms like Disney+, especially, is facing a rapid incline in popularity, after Disney bought Marvel and other big
entertainment studios. Most of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies and TV shows are currently included on this platform. Specifically for Marvel TV shows, since these TV shows are not streamed on any other legal streaming service except for Disney+, many people have been using it as their main source of media watching. Furthermore, many TV shows that were famous for being on Netflix are now slowly leaving the platform to join Disney+. Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, and The Office have recently left Netflix, joining Disney+. The world’s current generation is now losing all its childhood memories. Netflix was and still is an immense part of our lives, but people do not realize that it might suddenly disappear one day. Another childhood memory gone. Although people can watch everything they want on these newer platforms, it will never feel the same without Netflix, considering all the inside jokes and dayto-day talks about Netflix. Whether the world drops another one of the present generation’s most important source of entertainment or not, will depend on society’s decision.
knowing.
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Whom you find yourself with Can drag you farther down. To not know what to look for To go round and round. Scrolling past the innocent, praising evil to evil Is this what we have come to? Begging for upheaval? Absorbing things true or not Ignoring our little blind spots We spread words like wildfire But can’t stand to be called a liar. For what it’s worth we all know That we know nothing of knowing For knowing a lie and knowing the truth Only our doubt is growing.
Humanité issuu.com/humanitemagazine
Fox News or CNN… How About Both?
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edia has become a controversial subject in America, no longer being the unbiased, objective outlets they constantly pledge to be. Society has essentially been divided into two sections (or three), with each side believing that their favorite TV channel is the only “real” one. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents have secluded themselves to those with the same beliefs, and Fox News and CNN have become the faces of their respective sides. However, from a holistic perspective, you start to notice the problems of both sides. Viewers need to remember that these media corporations have the profit angle, and are always looking to make
Writer Ryan Haddad Layout Ellen Ryu
money. Although some may claim to be neutral, they all need funds to stay afloat. These funds may come through clickbait or content. If not through catchy titles, media outlets can also get revenue from large donations. In order to keep receiving the donations, the media outlet might have to alter their news subject or come at it from a different angle in order to appeal to their rich audience members. On the Republican side, Fox News is the classic example of this type of biased, profit-making media. Fox News is known to make bold headlines like “Clay Travis: America was lied to about kids wearing masks,” and “Lindsey Graham: Biden ‘paving the way’ for another 9/11
with Afghanistan withdrawal.” Eyecatching titles like these will attract revenue as viewers click on the intriguing articles. These headline titles are definitely not objective; they are the result of looking at news with a filter and picking through certain issues while disregarding the bigger picture. Dishonest media from Fox News is also seen on TV, with opinion talkers Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson presenting contemporary issues in a fake light, encouraging division within society with propaganda. Although some argue that the right side publishes more fake news, the left is not perfect either. A common example of biased media on the left side is CNN. Similar to Fox News, CNN also uses catchy headlines like “Republicans have gone from ‘cowardice to depravity’,” and “Republican candidate tells voters to ‘show up armed’ to polls.” These titles often don’t reflect the reality of the situation and overlook many other key aspects of the issue. Although also noticeable on Fox News, CNN’s broadcast tends to portray the right and their voters as stupid and uneducated. They also use rhetoric to divide the left and the right, and ultimately foster a narrow-minded audience.. People are influenced by what they see and hear, and when your news comes from a
source you think is reliable, it can be hard to recognise its flaws. Overall, it is important for people to keep an open mind when engaging with media sources, and remember to not solely rely on one source. The media might just be trying to make a profit and stay afloat during these tough times, and may sacrifice their content for it. Fox News and CNN are just two examples to show the massive issue of fake news in the US. So next time you want to educate yourself on a topic, try to consult multiple sources ranging in political stance before coming up with your own opinion. #tags #FOX News #CNN #Biases #Negatives
Pro-democracy Press & Dissent in
Hong Kong Shut Down by China
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n February of 2018, a young couple from Hong Kong went on vacation to Taiwan for nine days. Only one of them returned home. Chan Tong-kai, the boyfriend of Poon Hiu-wing, ultimately confessed to murdering his then-pregnant girlfriend to Hong Kong authorities. However, given that the crime did not take place on Hong Kong soil, Tong-kai had to be extradited onto the soil on which the crime took place, a process that required an extradition agreement between the countries. However, the lack of an extradition agreement between Hong Kong and China meant that one had to be proposed to arrest criminals like Tongkai. This extradition agreement would also allow for crimes to be extradited to China, giving China leverage in their relationship. This is just one example of how China has
Writer Jason Lee Layout June Jeong
attempted to regain complete control over Hong Kong over the past few decades, which has been pushed back by protests and backlash from the Hong Kong public. Unfortunately, China has made significant ground in gaining control over Hong Kong. Many pro-democracy and Chinese dissent press organizations in Hong Kong, namely Apple Daily, have been forcibly shut down by China. The billionaire owner of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, was sentenced to 13 months for “inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly” and is also fighting against a potential life sentence. Recently, Chinese authorities shut down one of the last pro-democracy press firms in Hong Kong, Stand News, and arrested seven people for “conspiracy to publish seditious publication.” China is abhorrently shutting
down on freedom of speech in Hong Kong. Other than just in traditional media, however, social media also played a tremendous role in allowing Hong Kong people to share information regarding the political scene, including problems that China presented, where to organize protests, etc. With the shutting down of free speech in Hong Kong, social media has become an even more important platform to share sensitive, vital information that cannot be shared elsewhere. However, the Chinese government still had much control over the primary forms of social media in Hong Kong. They used certain technologies such as artificial intelligence that identified individuals by their ear structure. As a result, secretive information campaigns on extraneous social media sites, along with the covering of one’s face, ears, etc., occurred.
PHOTO: ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP
A 1984-esque state seems to have come to reality at the courtesy of China. Other rights, such as the right to assembly, the right to a pure democracy, etc., are likely to be heavily hindered or outright taken away from the Hong Kong people by the Chinese government. Furthermore, China’s increasing geopolitical control of the world via initiatives such as the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative—which entails the funding of developing nations along the Middle East and Africa in particular— happenings in Hong Kong are likely to set a precedent for many other people. If China succeeds in taking complete control over Hong Kong’s society, then it could lead to ripple waves and the spreading of China’s political presence. The question remains: is a dystopian age upon us, or will China’s efforts be contained to Hong Kong?
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Also thank you to: Nate Wilson Lindsey Lim Sahngwon Lee Eric Cho Ryan Haddad Leo Sugino