Communication plays a role in influencing one towards a certain issue. According to Alberts, Nakayama & Martin (2016), people tend to seek media messages and interpret them in ways that confirms their beliefs, and on the other hand, they avoid messages that challenge their beliefs. Additionally, cultural values in media consumption determine the way communication influences individuals. In some cases, loyalty to certain channels, language used and preferences for specific shows tend to influence them (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016). For instance, people prefer to get information from television because besides offering them entertainment, it affirms their identities and a platform for social interaction with other individuals. Actually, the role of communication in influencing one towards a certain issue cannot be wished away. Notably, people tend to be influenced based on their identities. However, identities keep changing across situations and time. Similarly, media choices change as well (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016).
Media, marketing campaigns or influential speakers have too much power. Currently, most brands, organizations, and people seeking to reach audiences across the globe are seeking the services of the media and influential speakers. In its context, the media has the sole mandate of informing the public, by furnishing them with facts, and helping individuals to get aware of issues going on within the communities (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016). The main media sources are extremely biased on content they intend to report, and they have power of influencing the way individuals perceive things.
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While at it, Alberts, Nakayama & Martin (2016) observe that, although the messages from media bombard the society daily, individuals do not easily accept all that they receive. Notably, individuals refuse to be influenced by certain messages. People do reject being influenced by numerous factors. Firstly, when the message fails to quantify individual taste, and portrays negative religious, moral, or political views. In the same vein, when an issue is against individual interests, education level age, gender, sexuality, ethnic and racial identities. According to Alberts, Nakayama & Martin (2016), resisting influence of certain media messages involves more than just watching a certain video. In fact, it entails resisting the power media has in shaping societal identities.
The three authors provide an example of a study conducted in 2004 by Meenakshi Gigi Durham. She conducted an interview on teenage girls of the South Asian background residing in the US. She asked them the manner in which they dealt with traditional Indian perceptions as seen in the media (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016). The girls revealed that they were only interested in watching one mainstream US show called Friends , and they detested Dawson’s Creek, which they rejected as unrealistic. The girls rejected anything associated with the US mainstream media (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016). They were interested in consuming popular music and films from India, which they downloaded, and got some from stores. In short, the media influence people only when it meets their individual taste, individual needs, and individual identity. In that sense, different individuals are likely to consume similar message from the media and it end up influencing them differently (Alberts, Nakayama & Martin, 2016).
Conclusively, communication contributes in influencing individuals, as people tend to like messages that abide with their identities and beliefs. The language used also influences people, and it serves as a way of interacting with other individuals. The media, and influential speakers have too much power and they package the information deliberately, to have impact on people.
Reference
Alberts, J. K., Nakayama, T. K., & Martin, J. N. (2016). Human communication in society. 4 th Ed. New York, NY: Pearson.
