Demagogy in media images of reality and its influence on society

Abstract

The paper explores the influence and danger to both the individual and society as a whole stemming from media manipulation. It proposes possible solutions to the problem and ways of counteracting such manipulation. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the abuse of manipulation in today’s media space is not only becoming more widespread, but even worse – it is becoming more devious. It presents an image of perversity and a reality that often arouses negative emotions or even disgust as something natural. This leads to the fact that we are living in an era of ever-increasing conformity. Under the influence of the media, more and more often people are unable to unambiguously identify evil and good. Of course, the media, including television, cannot be entirely discounted as they can serve the truth and they do transmit information, and as a transmitter of information they constitute an important element of a functioning society. All we can do is to consciously select the content for the viewer to watch. This problem illustrates, however, that the manipulation present in televisual images of reality negatively affects the construction of social relations and can in time lead to a rise in aggression, violence, the sexualisation of society and depriving it of taboos.