To persuade or to educate: TV’s Role in the global village

Abstract

This present work analyses the western democracies’ dependence on the mass media that isconcentrated in a few wealthy hands and therefore the development of media mechanisms of social persuasion and control. This analysis proposes that, with television occupying the central role, there is an imposition of a repetitive and omnipresent mass culture that foments automatic reactions and behaviour patterns, turning the message into a reality show full of emotional and dramatic meaning that depends on a single thought that is guided by economic market criteria. Faced with such a panorama the possibility arises of the development of a truly democratic and participatory society that could serve as a means of education and knowledge within the global village..