Chapter 8 reminds me of the cartoon that I found above. In the cartoon, a man seems to have a very important realization but becomes distracted by a commercial about getting rich quick. This shows the concept of sensationalization (subheading: sensationalization), where media make the most outrageous content to increase ratings and keep viewers hooked. Mass media is always looking for attention with shiny messages with little substance.

I can relate to this sort of interaction with mass media. Once I get home from school, I might have something important for me to watch or read but I get mass media ads for random things like reality TV or miracle weight loss drugs. I get the ads even if I use an ad blocker, constantly flashing headlines and bright colors in my face. It’s a battle to keep these things out of my sight and to focus on the things that really matter.

As a college student, I’ve learned to be media literate. I now understand that some content is designed to only sensationalize. Now, I ask myself why I’m being shown certain content and reminding myself to always seek out reliable sources on important information instead of taking the flashy ads or other media at face value. It’s only when we as a society start to be less susceptible to sensationalization that we will have more moments of insight, like Joe in the cartoon who unfortunately lost his to mass media.

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