Places and forms of power: the influence of media on the populations

Places and forms of power

Places can be important buildings that represent a certain form of power, like Buckingham Palace who is a symbol of the British monarchy. A place can also be a country or a state which is more powerful than the others.

Power is the ability of people or group of people or a nation who exercise control over others. This helps to create social cohesion but can also lead to conflicts and tensions. There are three types of powers: executive, judicial and legislative. But the media are becoming more and more important in everyday life and can now be called the fourth power.

To illustrate this, I will focus on media.

We will see how the media influence the populations?

Brexit: The Sun has using the image of Queen Elisabeth II to say that the Queen is in favour of the Brexit. Buckingham Palace has denied it and has threat the newspaper in prosecution.

45% of newspapers in GB before Brexit were in favour it vs 27% against, 19% mixed and 9% neutral.

Martin Luther King: Part of a massive cultural movement to get equal rights for black people with white people. He is known for the four very influential words ‘I have a dream’ these words were heard by thousands of people and has been a part of social history and media. The words he spoke reached out to a lot of the different generations and races and touched the lives of many. His supporters grew through the use of media and the words were recited and documented. His speech is probably the most memorable moment to the majority of people in the subject of equality between black and white people. He was showing simple points in what he said however his speech spread throughout the media and black people gained secondary respect because of the good light Martin Luther King Jr. was being put across, within the media. He had inspired many and there are many films and documentaries you can watch to see the progression of Martin Luther King Jr.

US election: Between 1 January 2015 and 7 November 2016, the name Hillary Clinton was pronounced 620 000 times. The name of D.T During this time was pronounced 1,166,000 times almost twice as much in the 9 bigger channel of US TV.

75% of the 1000 people who were asked, think that’s media supports Clinton’s candidature.

Myths and heroe

A myth is a popular story which tries to guide the society toward certain values, or some ideal. Usually, it is composed of unreal fact and action, often led by a Hero. A hero is a courageous person who is ready to sacrifice himself to rescue other people’s. Some heroes are real-life persons who were outlaws to rebel against a given order they refused and to challenge it like Nelson Mandela,  or Churchill.

What is a contemporary hero?

Mandela: first black president of South Africa (1994-1999). His protests were peaceful, so it’s a non violence man. Because of his protests, he quickly became the enemy of the government and his fight against Apartheid cost him 27 years of jail, he refuse many times to be released in order to remain consistent with his convictionsIt’s thanks to him if separation between blacks and whites were abolished. He was rewarded by Nobel Peace Price in 1993.

Captain America: This superhero is the symbol of American’s patriotism since the beginning of WW2, becoming the defender against tyrannies and against Nazi regime. Captain America is the symbol of invincible America: its colours recall the flag of the United States and its shield could symbolize the United States defenders of the world, making itself the standard bearer of its nation and the free world

Churchill: 1st minister of England, hero of WW2. Victory of Britain against Nazi Germany. During the Second World War, Churchill used of his military strategy against Hitler’s army earning it the status of hero.

Today Churchill is always considerate as a hero, everybody know his name and his action during the war in England but also in France because he helped Charles De-Gaulle for the radio appeal of June 18 in 1940.

The idea of progress

Progress is the idea that the world and the society can evolve positively. There is a debate between supporters and those who are against because the notion of good or bad is a question of point of view. India, which had been a British colony, is now the largest democracy in the world. After a long period of poverty and financial difficulties, India is now growing. With around 1,2 billion inhabitants, which represent 17,5% of the world's population, this country is the second most populated country.

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