Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
MBA
By
Rajveer Singh
Dr. R. Shringi
Executive Summary
How media affects the children is undoubtly one of the hottest issues all over the world.
The main focus of this term paper is on “Impact of Media on Children”. In this report we have
mainly discussed electronic media especially in terms of television and games. We have also
We added some charts and graphs showing the time children spend with different types of
media and also one showing the opinions of parents regarding impacts of media on their
children.
We have also recommended some ways to maximize media’s positive effects on children
To sum it all we have described how the researchers actually concluded this issue and then
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Table of Contents
SEMINAR REPORT SUBMITTED FOR REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF................................................................................................1
BY..............................................................................................................................................................................................1
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES..................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................................5
“CHILD”......................................................................................................................................................................................7
BIOLOGICAL DEFINITION.................................................................................................................................................................7
“MEDIA”.....................................................................................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2. EFFECT OF ADVERTISEMENT ...................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 3. POSITIVE EFFECTS......................................................................................................................................10
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM..............................................................................................................................................................11
MAKES A CHILD FEEL MORE CONFIDENT.........................................................................................................................................11
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................................................................................................12
ENHANCE IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY........................................................................................................................................12
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF CARTOON......................................................................................................................................................13
HELPS IMPROVE VOCABULARY AND LEARN NEW LANGUAGES ...........................................................................................................14
STATUS AND ROLE.......................................................................................................................................................................14
...............................................................................................................................................................................................14
DEVELOP PARENT-CHILDREN RELATIONSHIP.....................................................................................................................................14
EFFECT OF COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES........................................................................................................................................15
...............................................................................................................................................................................................17
SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT.........................................................................................................................................................17
CHAPTER 4. NEGATIVE EFFECTS......................................................................................................................................2
PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT.................................................................................................................................................................2
UNHELPFUL CARTOONS ................................................................................................................................................................3
ADVERTISEMENT ..........................................................................................................................................................................3
IMPACT OF HORROR MOVIES AND CARTOONS......................................................................................................................................5
IMPACT OF MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF PERSONALITIES .........................................................................................................................5
MEDIA EXPOSE EVERYTHING TO CHILDREN.........................................................................................................................................6
MOVIES INSPIRE CHILDREN TO SMOKE, USE OF LOOSE LANGUAGE AND BEHAVIOR.....................................................................................6
OBESITY......................................................................................................................................................................................6
POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.......................................................................................................................................................7
MEDIA & VIOLENCE......................................................................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 5. STEPS TO MAXIMIZE POSITIVE AND MINIMIZE NEGATIVE MEDIA EFFECTS.........................9
PARENT RATINGS ON EFFECTS OF MEDIA: 2006........................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................................................11
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Chapter 1. Introduction
Electronic media have long been criticized for their potential impact on children. With respect
cognitive skills and academic achievement. In today's fast paced world we have allowed the
media to become the leading touch of persuasion. The media is technology’s most powerful
tool. Unfortunately it does not always teach positive lessons to our children. It has provided the
opportunity for children to distort reality into fallacies using such sources as television, music,
video games and a number of new aged gadgets that we consider indispensable. For over
thousands of today's children the media has gained the power to, in fact, becomes the other
parent. We’ll try to summarize the literature review, relevant research, articles, and studies
from different newspaper and provide suggestions for maximizing the positive effects of media
and minimizing the negative effects. The consumer in this era is in target of massive media
attacks effectively planned, and enlighten with glamour as per the emotions, needs, wants and
demands of the consumers. Marketers and companies are spending billions of dollars on
consumer research and to know the important factors involved in consumer decision making.
While talking about the marketing mix now a days marketers main focus is on designing
persuasive messages/commercials to attract the target customers. Because the major chunk
of the population and among all consumption of household a considerable portion is of children
Products. So marketers are focusing and trying to attract and influence the children by
designing ads that are considerably attractive for children and persuasive enough for their
emotional attachment with the product. While common notion is that the mother is the targeted
customer for marketers of baby care industry. This notion is quit logical but now media and
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marketers are succeeded enough to generate emotional attachment of children with the
products so that they can insist on purchasing the specific product for their use.
This concept has created a war of massive attacks on children of this age and forced to
conscious people of society about the negative impacts of these massive advertising attacks
Especially, the media, advertising and entertainment industries, collectively known as mass
media, are powerful because they penetrate every segment of modern-day society and
effectively influence how consumers view themselves, their neighbors, communities and the
world. Although the mass media denotes outlets beyond newspapers, radio and television, and
the scope of media influence now extends to digital spectrum, cable and satellite technology
and the internet, it remains a fact that the TV is the single major and foremost communicator of
our times. As the world has global village so now through our electronic media, access to all
international channels is also easy. All these factors have contributed in the increasing
aggressive attitude in youth as they see violence on electronic media in one form or another.
The media, now a day, is promoting violent culture, which leave a deep impact on youth. It has
caused the aggression and violence of youth instead of promotion of peace and harmony.
1995). Media violence can lead to aggressive behavior in youth. Over 1,000 studies confirm
this link. It also says that Media violence is especially damaging to young children (under age
8) because they cannot easily tell the difference between real life and fantasy. Violent images
on television and in
Movies may seem real to young children. Viewing these images can upset them. Media
violence affects children by increasing their fear of becoming victims. Making them less
sensitive to violence and to victims of violence. Increasing their appetite for more violence in
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entertainment and in real life. Media violence often fails to show the consequences of violence.
This is especially true of cartoons, toy commercials and music videos. As a result, children
learn that there is few if any repercussion for committing violent acts.
“Child”
A child is most often defined as a young human being between birth and puberty; a boy or girl.
The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger
than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority
figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; or it can signify being strongly
affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the
Sixties."
Biological definition
Biologically, a child is “anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and
adulthood”.
In this term paper we consider a person child from “toddler to age 12”
“Media”
In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio,
and the newspaper are different types of media. The term can also be used as a collective
noun for the press or news reporting agencies. In the computer world, "media" is also used as
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Outside
Even the very youngest children in world are growing up immersed in media, spending hours a
day watching TV and videos, using computers and playing video games, according to a new
study released today by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Children six and under spend
an average of two hours a day using screen media (1:58), about the same amount of time they
spend playing outside (2:01), and well over the amount they spend reading or being read to
(39 minutes).
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The 1995 National Nutrition Survey found an alarming proportion of children consuming non-
nutritious foods and not enough children consuming healthy foods. The non-nutritious foods
consumed by children, e.g. hamburgers, pizza, confectionery, soft drinks, are also those
promoted heavily during children's TV viewing times. (Australian Bureau of Statistics and
At the same time, the number of Australian children who are overweight or obese is rapidly
Children are very powerful influencers of family purchases of everything from the breakfast
Many products advertised on television are displayed in the supermarket at child's eye level.
Sophisticated and aggressive techniques are used in marketing to children. Techniques used
by television food advertisers include prizes, giveaways, animation, special effects, story
vignettes, jingles, and popular personalities. The predominant messages directed to children
are related to having fun, being cool and the food being tasty. (Hill and Radimer, 1997; Morton,
Young children (under the age of eight years) are very susceptible to advertisements (See
related topic Overview of the effects of advertising directed at children). If an advertisement for
a product attracts their interest, they will ask for it even if it is a product for which they have no
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need or use. (There's the story of the five year old boy who was asked what he would choose
if he had just one wish. His answer was "A Tampax, because if I had that I could swim, ride a
horse or do anything")
Children get the message to eat fatty, salty, sugary and fast foods
The messages for food ads on TV are encouraging children to the view that what's good to eat
is "good for them". In fact, television food ads during children's viewing times disproportionately
promote foods of low nutritional value-foods high in fat, sugar or salt. The proportion of ads
promoting non-nutritious foods range from 50-84%, and average 72%. The largest categories
of foods advertised tend to be chocolate and confectionery, fast food restaurants and
1. Positive effect
2. Negative effect
manage busy schedules, keep the peace, and facilitate family routines such as eating,
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relaxing, and falling asleep, according to a new national study by the Kaiser Family
Foundation. Many parents also express satisfaction with the educational benefits of TV and
Educational program
By watching educational TV children at every age learn so many things. Infants and toddlers
start learning different words, objects and their meanings. Math puzzles and many other
activities enhance children’s decision power and mental ability. Baby TV is very popular now a
The research found that there is evidence to suggest that educational television programs,
such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, can aid in the acquisition of general knowledge
Dimitri Christakis cites studies in which those who watched "Sesame Street" and other
educational programs as preschoolers had higher grades, were reading more books, placed
more value on achievement and were more creative. Quiz programs like “KBC” or “Are you
smarter than a fifth grader?” are also very popular among school going children.
When a kid watches TV in his very early age, he learns many things before going school. He
takes up things easily and tries to learn how to speak and conduct himself.
While watching their favorite cartoon show, kids adopt many things and sometimes they talk
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Doing so they feel more comfortable and confident that they can talk to people and even can
Brain Development
media during critical development between birth and 2 years of age. This will be reflected in
The programs demonstrating healthy activities develop the brains of kids. These programs
urge them to think and explore the world around them. The new ideas
That they introduce in the programs attracts them and kids start using their intellects.
These kinds of activities are crucial and important for the kids of early age who cannot go
outside or they may need their parent's help to go somewhere, with which they take the
pleasure of life.
Studies have shown that television and games improve the General Knowledge and IQ of
Children.
By watching different programs and cartoons children become more creative. They try to do
things in different ways. So there imagination and creativity is enhanced. There is also
evidence in the literature that children’s imaginative play can be positively affected by
television content. In fact, several experiments have found that television can teach specific
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TV offers a kid more opportunities to express himself. He gets new ideas with which he can
show his talent. Like NAT-geo is a kids' channel where they perform experiments related to
science (e.g. “Big Bang”, “Backyard Science” etc.), play games, make art & craft stuff (“Art
Attack”, “Finger Tips” etc.), and sports. These healthy activities may lead a child to express
Other TV shows like “How it’s made”, “I didn’t know that” and “How Stuff Works” shows and
lets children know about how things are made and how they work, thus satisfying their curious
minds and expanding their knowledge about the things around them.
Dimitri Christakis. "Smarter kids through television: debunking myths old and news”, Seattle
Infant, toddlers and preschoolers learn so many things from cartoons like Baby Looney Tunes,
Callous, and different cd’s of cartoon movies. By watching these cartoons they start knowing
different symbols. Words and many other gestures, they also know their meanings. They also
learn good things like sharing, caring about friends, keeping the surrounding clean, and doing
For example in Baby Looney Tunes where there are some children in a daycare and “Granny”
looks after them, she encourages them to do good and also reward them when they do so.
Similarly, when someone does a bad thing like lying Granny tells that ‘baby’ in a kind way that
what he has done is wrong and sometimes even punishes him by no giving him desert after
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dinner to make him understand. This helps a child understand that he/she must do the right
Good media increases the vocabulary of the kids. Children also learn to interact in various
languages with help of television media. For instance children who don’t have English as their
first language, learn English more readily, from media (TV, games and educational software)
Media helps children to understand different status and roles played by different people.
Especially movies play an important role. Like in movie “Tary Zameen Per” children know that
Darsheel is playing the role of a mentally sick child. They also know that he is a brother, son
and a student at the same time. And now he has achieved the status of a child hero.
When parents buy different storybooks, watch different cartoons and children programs with
their children or let their children to cinemas for watching movies. In each of the above case
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parents spend time with their children. As a result parents child relationship is improved. Many
The rise of Internet has facilitated new forms of communication and social interactions.
Video game is a communicating device between user interface and video display unit to
In a typical day about one in four (27%) 4-6 year-olds uses a computer, and those who do
spend an average of just over an hour at the keyboard (1:04). More than a third (39%) of 4-6
year-olds use a computer several times a week or more; 37% in this age group can turn the
Computer use and video games have been more optimistic, with the relevant research
seeming to support a link between both and cognition. They both are necessary for attention
Games develop the logical mindset of children. They are able to think logically
Video games can develop the mathematical skills in children. Since for every
game the kid tries to reach the next level, he will eagerly count the points that he
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earned. In this way, even a mathematics-resisted kid can able to improve the
mathematical skills.
Another very important positive effect of video games seen in children in the
there are children who benefit from the proficiency and coordination of playing
the joystick of the device in his/her hand to make moves. This requires the player
to be alert and well coordinated. Moreover, he/she can see his actions taking
effect.
Video games give the means to canalize one’s emotions in a positive way.
Anger, hatred and such other negative feelings in a person’s mind get a platform
to come forth by way of a game. Players get to enact their frustrations in the
virtual world.
Team spirit is another positive effect of video games. Many games require a
Nottingham Trent University professor Mark Griffiths says that video games can
studied the surgical skills of surgeons playing video games and surgeons who
did not. It was astonishing to know from the results that surgeons playing video
games were faster in action and made lesser mistakes during work than those
who did not play video games. There are careers building around video gaming.
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Video games that include simulation of real world scenarios are becoming
Source of entertainment
Television, Internet and other media are a source of entertainment for every child even for
infants and toddlers. Like infants and toddlers enjoy sounds and movement and at the same
time they also learn from it. Perceptually salient features of television such as movement and
sound effects drive attention of children to informative features such as dialogue and narrative
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Children's exposure to electronic media such as television, video games, the Internet, and
music has increased enormously in recent decades. More than 100 studies have
behavior in children.
Other research points to possible relationships between children's media consumption and
gender and racial stereotypes, among other issues. Numerous studies have found that many
parents do not limit their children's media intake, and that they underestimate how much
There are certain groups of children who are affected by it at a large scale. They are as follow
4) Families in distress.
Some of the negative effects that media has on children are as follow
Psychological effect
The basal ganglia portion of the brain becomes very active when a person plays video games
and watches TV. And the body releases a chemical called dopamine. Ritalin (and cocaine)
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also works on the basal ganglia of the brain and increase dopamine. More dopamine is
Unhelpful Cartoons
Preschoolers are not responding mindlessly to these physical features. Just as they are
beginning to develop scripts and other schemas that help them organize and make sense of
their experience with real life, it seems that preschoolers are also developing schemas related
to the formal features of television, and can use them to explore the medium. Children who
viewed the violent cartoons showed decreases in measures of self-regulation. Children who
watch aggressive cartoons with lots of violence can be more likely to engage in aggressive
A preschooler surprised her family by suddenly expressing fear and hostility toward “black
people” after seeing this in cartoon with her family. She described the scene that has
frightened her where a black slave was repeatedly whipped. She concluded that the character
must be a very bad person to be so severely punished, and therefore must be very scary. She
judges him entirely by the immediate and most obvious physical features in that scene, which
made his dark skin and pain-contoured face, appear both evil and scary.
Advertisement
Television shows no longer just provide entertainment for children. Now they are a showcase
for "must have" items that parents are expected to buy. They teach children to become
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Medicine reveals the more time a child spends watching TV, the more
often they ask their parents to buy the products they see on the
commercials.”
Advertisers have created a separate market for children. They spend about $12 billion per year
Commercial messages found in all advertising - print, movies, videos, music videos, computer
games and the Internet. These messages depict how cool it is to use tobacco products,
promote consumption of candy and other unhealthy foods, and sanitize violence. All this could
Advertising has had a powerful impact on today’s children. From songs, to logos, to
characters, advertisers keep in mind their audiences. Competition is the force which causes
advertisers to target children. While the impact on adults may be a problem, the outcome is
Advertising has numerous methods to hook the individual into “buying their products and
services.” The advertising company surrounds a particular candidate such as a child and
immediately sinks their teeth into the child’s mind to manipulate the child into desiring their
products.
Through TV, cartoons and magazine ads, children are hit by one concealed message after
another. They are shown how this product will either improve their status by making them they
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Children who watch horror movies, shows, may have some emotional or psychological
problems. Toddlers and young children who watch violent movies, including Halloween horror
films, television shows may be more likely to develop anxiety, sleep disorders, and aggressive
Representations of males and females in video games can send harmful messages to both
boys and girls. Girls may try to achieve a feminine ideal that is presented in the games, and
their self-esteem is affected when that ideal cannot be attained. Furthermore, women are
taught that gender appeal is valued above all else given the uncontrolled objectification of
female game characters. Boys, on the other hand, develop unattainable expectations for
women and learn that it is acceptable to treat women un-respectfully. At the same time, boys
Magazines, television, video games and music videos all have a damaging effect, a task force
from the American Psychological Association reported. This type of portrayal of girls in media
can lead to a lack of confidence with their bodies as well as depression and eating disorders.
Such images also have a negative effect on healthy development in girls, the researchers said.
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Television can show children what adults may not want them to know. A key example of this is
in the television show “Father Knows Best “here children are let in on perhaps the biggest
Similarly children who use internet could know many unethical things
Parents more worried about internet than television, survey finds (san
franciscochronicle,6/07/06,by Garafoli )
There are many researches and studies which demonstrate that when children watch different
movies they are inspired be heroes and they start using loose words, behaviors and smoking.
Children adapt bad habits more readily, from media, as compared to any other source.
Obesity
Marketing plays a central role in the rise in childhood obesity. On average, one food
commercial is shown every five minutes during Saturday morning cartoons. Young kids are
exposed to endorsements or "tie-in" from junk food companies with every click of the remote.
This manipulation is obvious but extremely lucrative — and the trend is growing.
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Since 1960 the number of kids who are overweight has tripled; childhood obesity is now
described as "epidemic" by the medical community. Additionally, it’s estimated that 80% of
adolescents who are overweight will remain so into adulthood. The American Academy of
84% of middle schools and 58% of elementary schools allow the sale of soda or other sugar-
laden drinks on their grounds. There have been numerous attempts by big-name food brands
to identify themselves with a healthy, active lifestyle. Many toys are co-branded with the junk
food industry; fast food establishments lead the trend by including movie-related toys in their
kids’ meals.
Too much media — for kids of all ages — can have a negative impact on their school
readiness and academic performance. Specifically, poor grades and low reading ability and
vocabulary are connected with too much media consumption. Plus, media usage and "multi-
tasking. This may contribute to kids paying less dedicated attention to their homework.
As an example of one study, a longitudinal study in New Zealand involving 1000 people
demonstrated that "television viewing in childhood and adolescence is associated with poor
educational achievement by 12 years of age". Many experts say that for academic success,
study: for academic success, turn off the television (Cox News Service, 9/25/06)
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Watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or video game player
will behave aggressively in both the short and long term. Children who observe violence or are
victims of it show more behavior problems than other children. Media Violence Linked To
Concentration, Self-control, Our brains hold many of the mysteries of who we are and why we
do what we do. Unlocking the mystery of how exposure to violent media affects our brains.
Television violence has also been found to have emotional effects on children. Children may
become desensitized to real-life violence, they may come to see the world as a mean and
scary place, or they may come to expect others to resort to physical violence to resolve
conflicts. Although some early research suggested that televised violence might allow viewers
to vent destructive impulses through fantasy instead of acting them out against real-life targets.
Children who consume high levels of media violence are more likely to be aggressive in the
real world.
Some experts, like University of Michigan professor L. Rowell Hussmann, argue that fifty years
of evidence show “that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more
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and minimizing negative media effects like teachers, parents, producers and
government. So following are the ways in which a person can maximize positive effects.
Parents avoid letting their children under age 2 watch television and that parents exert
caution — such as setting limits on TV viewing, helping children develop media literacy
skills to questions, analyze and evaluate TV messages, and taking an active role in their
children’s TV viewing for children over age 2 and view the programs with their children
Parents can reduce the effect of television violence considerably if they refuse to
Parents should chose such types of programs so that kids should sit with them and
Parents must affirm values and qualities of their children, independent of material goods
Producers can take steps to maximize the positive effects of media and minimize the
Parents must remember that kids soak up all the messages that advertising sends out.
Until kids have reached the ages of 10 to 14, they don't have a critical perspective. They
don't understand that some of what they see is real and some of it isn't, unless the
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Development of universal reliable and valid content-based rating systems that allow
parents to make judgments about the programs weather to allow their children to watch
a show.
needs.
Television should create a comfortable familiarity with and acceptance of language and
behavior.
Teachers can also help children identify ad messages (The Oregonian, 1/26/06, by
Owen).
Parents can create their own family TV-viewing traditions, such as watching Olympic
Children below age 3 should not be allowed to play video games, as they are not
appropriate for these children. The hands and arms of these children will not develop
properly during this age period and there are chances of damage to the tendons in the
hands and arms. (There are some pre-school games for children of age around 3. Allow
your children to play such games, as they will not be violent. Also, make sure that the
A parent should control the amount of time playing and content. They should allow their
children to play video games only after completing their homework properly. And should
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Conclusion
There is strong evidence that children older than two learn from educational
during the preschool years is positively linked with various measures of academic
Taken together, the research indicates that electronic media are powerful
surround sound, and greater possibilities for interaction, the power of media will
likely only increase for the foreseeable future. The influences can be both for
In conclusion, my opinion on the topic at hand is that the media has both a
negative and positive effect on our youth. We (the group members) feel the effect
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is more negative than positive because of what we have seen, heard, and
researched. There are so many negative examples in the news of children acting
out due to media involvement. It is very hard for children to distinguish between
reality and fantasy. This causes children of today to act out based on what they
see. We strongly believe that seeing, hearing and interacting, for example, with
video games full of violence obstructs a child's vision of a healthy start in life.
There are only some positive actions that children portray from what they see or
hear from media. From our research on this project statistics say that the
negative effects are much greater. These of course can be controlled by the
parents through controlling the way their children take influence by media by
telling them about the reality and helping them distinguish between the good &
the bad.
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