Weekend-Engagement #299: Are you influenced by what you see on the media?

If someone were to ask me if the media influences me, my answer is: no.
Not because I’ve done some magic, am immune, or smarter than others, but because over time, growing up, I’ve learned something quite simple: the media have interests, editorial lines, economic pressures, and even political ones. It’s not a hidden conspiracy theory, it’s simply how the system works, it’s how it’s been designed.
When I watch a news broadcast, read an article, or see a piece of news on social media, my first reaction is no longer to believe it or not (because, even there, you need to start distinguishing whether it's AI-generated content or not). Instead, I ask myself: why are they showing me this? Why in this way? And why now? Let’s be honest, some news comes out exactly when it’s convenient, other times, with wordplay, uncomfortable details are hidden... Like when there’s a robbery and the victim defends themselves and shoots, certain newspapers quickly call it cold-blooded murder, an “out-of-proportion” reaction, often deliberately leaving out that the person had suffered several other robberies.
The same applies to advertising. It’s not just about selling a product, it’s not done to make you aware of something different that you might need, but to create a need: a new phone that you “must” have, a dress that “represents” you, a fat-and-sugar-free food (but full of additives), etc. Advertising in the media is one of the most deceptive things that exists.

Then there are the classic social media, which work in an even more subtle way. The algorithms show you content that is more and more similar to what you've already watched, read, or commented on. Slowly, they build around you a kind of bubble, and you stay inside it, isolated, unaware of the "rest", they create dependency since only there do you find validation for whatever idea you have.

Dealing with the media means remembering that information, entertainment, and what is suggested to buy, always pass through someone who has an interest, and that interest is not your well-being or making you an informed citizen with critical thinking.

And always remember: control the media, control the minds.

Random photos taken this weekend
Post in response to @galenkp Weekend-Engagement topics: WEEK299