The Gun

Has the media really changed us? Or have we changed because of the media? We cannot deny the idea that the media has made a huge impact on our lives. It gave us the capability to be updated, to connect with people, to express anything we feel, and to do more things that it can offer. But with all of these advantages that media provides, are its influences actually positive? I’ve heard stories from many people, such as my parents and teachers, that it was great in the past, when media was still quite moderate, as they had proper interactions with people. Children were more interactive as they played outside and met many people. However, as the media, particularly the social media, started to take power, children became more addicted to their gadgets and tend to not interact with people in real life. The media has a huge impact in communication among people. People used to communicate openly face-to-face. When sending messages, they wrote letters to express their emotions. Now, you just open Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, etc. and at the tap of a finger, you can talk to people without the need to go outside and meet them face-toface.

As a teenage student, the media gave me many capabilities, with of course, some equivalent setbacks. Aside from academic aid, the media had an impact on my personal development. To be honest, one of the reasons why I boosted my selfesteem was because of these social media platforms. Our society demands us to “keep up with the trend”, and that’s exactly what I did; I fit in. However that doesn’t apply to everyone. Instead of actually keeping up with the trend, why not let people be unique in their own little ways.

Tackling the societal impact of the given topic, unreliable information or what we call “fake news” is growing quite rampant nowadays. People keep spreading fake news in various mediums such as on Facebook, television, and other social media platforms without even checking their legibility. This misinformation leads to irreversible damages. Like for example, the ABS-CBN Corporation is known to provide biased stories and spread disinformation. Given that this is actually on the national arena, many citizens are affected. People actually support the termination of the said corporation because of the fake news that they release.

Religion wise, the media has caused mixed impacts. As a Muslim, I find it sad that discrimination still occurs towards us in the media. Toxic people keep on posting hatred and negative comments on the media. Bias still applies because close-minded people keep on portraying us as “terrorists” and such. Even on television, bias is occurring. This issue is not limited to just religion but also to culture, races, sex, and practically every marginalized group of individuals. We minorities don’t have much power. On the contrary, I find it delightful that other people stand up for minorities. This is the type of idea I want to reinforce. Discrimination still occurs in media; however, if we take a step into using this platform to effectively address these issues, we could minimize the damages. The media could be a tool for discrimination, however, it is also a great weapon to speak up and let our voices be heard. As you can see, as much as there are advantages of the media, there are also damages that it could provide. Given all these innovations and equivalent setbacks, is the media actually at fault here? To make my question clearer, take for example the well-known gun analogy. If you happen to have a gun, and you kill someone with it, is it the fault of the gun, or is it yours? The gun was intended to be used for our convenience in hunting, however if an innocent person is harmed, who is to be blamed? The one who used it or the medium that made the incident possible? That’s basically my main point. The media, as it was made for, should be used for advancement and innovation, and not for doing damages. With great power comes great responsibility, likewise, a powerful tool comes with proper precautions. If utilized properly, everyone could benefit, but if it falls into the wrong hands, this tool could cause a catastrophe. Why don’t we take a step to utilize these tools properly? The media is a great tool in elevating the discourse. Instead of labelling the media as the cause why people are “shut in”, why don’t we use it as the reason why people are making a change? We have this stereotype that social media is just a waste of our time because we only share and react to memes and other useless posts. We usually think that people watch the television just for entertainment and not for productivity. As we all know, the media is much more than that. Media is practically the only platform that connects people from all over the world. You have the world as your audience. Why not take this chance to elevate the discourse? We humans are capable of developing and formulating our own stands and advocacies. As a person with my own stand, I fight for environmental protection and mental health awareness. I use my Facebook and Twitter account not just for entertainment, but also for sharing my advocacy. That way, I am utilizing this powerful tool in my hand to help others have their own stand as well. I have many friends having their own advocacies and they are doing the same thing I do, using the media to encourage people. Through these social media platforms, games, televisions, books, and many more, we are engaging with many people not just locally but globally. Through media, people may become more engaged with each other, and share their own stands and ideas. This is the innovation that we’re after. This is the public engagement that we want, and this is the influence that we need. Instead of letting the media get into us, why don’t we get into the media? That is, rather than being influenced by the media, let’s use the media as a way to influence the others become more woke to the relevant issues in our society. The media did not change us; we changed because of the media. This time, let’s change not for the media, but for the people using it: ourselves, our society, and the world at large. You have the gun, and now it’s up to you if you’re going to shoot for the benefit of many or for their harm.

Winner, 3rd Place in the SIBYA Writing Contest

By Amer Hassan Usman