Wednesday, 6 July 2011

How Media Select and Deflect Reality

In Language as Symbolic Action Kenneth Burke writes, "“Men seek for vocabularies that are reflections of reality. To this end, they must develop vocabularies that are selections of reality. And any selection of reality must, in certain circumstances, function as a deflection of reality.” 

Common examples of this principle are the many words the Inuits have for snow, or the way language death also means the death of ideas and concepts which originated within that language system. I experienced it myself when a Chinese girl opened my eyes by saying, "Oh you white people, you all look the same." Because of my limited experiences before that time with Asian people, my version of reality would sooner have stated the opposite. I would justify that by saying that white people have more variation in hair color, eye color, etc. but she would probably tell me that white people do not have the same variation in eye-shape or skin tones. The important thing is that we realize that neither systems are a perfect selection of reality. It is not that I was right and she was wrong. Rather, the claim that "all ---- look alike" is true depending on the criteria we look for. Thus, our different systems are made up of selections of reality. These selections decide what is relevant or not, and in extreme cases may make us "color-blind" so we do not see distinctions unless they are important to our system of thought.

In the same way, it is important that we realize that what is presented as "the news" is not giving us all significant world events happening. Rather, it is a reflection of the selections they have made of a vast amount of events and stories. These selections simultaneously deflect events which may be of much greater importance.

For example, the single most covered event in the US the last couple of weeks was the trial of Casey Anthony, a mother accused of murdering her little girl.

At the same time the United Nations has warned that over 10 million people in Kenya and Somalia are in a state of emergency because of one of the greatest droughts since the 1950s (

Personally, I don't think there can be any question morally or logically which of these issues deserves the greater media attention. Yet the selections of media coverage are not determined by logic or morals. Media coverage is driven by ratings, and mostly they follow wherever the ratings go. Meanwhile over 10 million people in need are deflected and forgotten because of the drive of media sensationalism and reality TV. This is just one example of how the media outlets select and deflect reality.

However, new media has given us some new tools to direct media coverage. If you are frustrated with the way mass media is selecting out things you care about and think are relevant, try to start a conversation! If we can get enough buzz and discussion on Twitter, Facebook, and other online media about this drought it will catch the attention of the mainstream media. They will want to attract some of those hits too in order to get you as their audience. #Kenya, #drought11, #cleanwater, and #waterforKenya can become trending topic threads on Twitter. Like me you can follow @QuietWay on Twitter or join the Facebook page.

The Internet is not a static element. It is constantly being changed by the unending conversations going on, and the mainstream outlets follow where the conversation is going. By using the Internet actively we can help to shape it, just like you can lead a conversation at a party by getting involved. You can make a difference in the lives of millions. That is the reality I want.