Precious Uwisike: A Flicker of Media Light

For so long, I have wondered if there is some kind of light in the media—no matter how feeble it is. A flicker will go a long way. You see, most of the depictions in the media today are Sensational, Sexual and Superficial—all kinds of contents on the face level. Hardly will you find a media program that bothers around human issues or self-help. You can count those with your fingers. I studied Mass Communication for all of 4 years. Not only did I go to school to read and learn about the industry, I have analyzed and done case studies on the effect of the media. Every day, I work at improving my skills and I may not be an authority on media issues but I have this to say; the media is all powerful. Each time, I am fascinated by its power and influence. If you let it, it can destroy you and again, if you let it, it can make you.

Have you heard of Lupita Nyong’o? Oh silly, who hasn’t? How did she become a household name? We have the media to thank for that. Personally, I think she is a fantastic actress, I do not see the extraordinary talent she pulled in the movie, 12 Years A Slave. However, I think Chiwetel Ejiofor was superb. He pulled the character off so effortlessly but guess who got the spotlight? Lupita. Supporting Act got more recognition than the Main act. How so? The Media chose it to be so and we accepted it. With active spinning of stories and tremendous P.R. activities, Lupita became the talk of the town. Her story was rock solid and her dreams became valid.

Many ladies want a butt like Kim, have you heard of the lady who removed some ribs to get the hour glass figure? Some people are stuck on E! I was catching up with friends the other day, and Shola who used to be a size 12 was super impressed with herself for making it to an 8. When I asked how come she lost so much weight, she said if she doesn’t wear crop tops, who will? Now she would not have to bother about how flabby her body would look in it. Please, who invented crop tops??? What happened to being beautiful as you are? Oh, let me not get all self-righteous. *inserts sealed lips smiley* But how did these people and these things become the standard? All hail the media.

Let’s not even get started on the advent of the Internet. People practically live here. Many refresh their favorite blog sites every now and then to catch up on the latest news. Gone are the days when people go to church to give testimonies of their latest G-wagon or new mansion. Just post the picture on social media and watch bloggers headline it (no need to tell stories). Now, you see sleeping pictures of Genevieve making the headline. A female celeb gets a puppy from her hubby, it’s worthy of news. Beyonce debuts new hair/look, another assignment for the ladies—go figure. Our celebs holiday in Paris, the whole world has to know. Ian Somerhalder sneezes all the way from Hollywood; his fans (me) catch a cold.

In many ways than one, I can say the media define our lives. While I worry about the negative effect media contents have on us, I strain to find the good ones—the ones that are bringing about the much needed social change; the ones that are touching lives; the ones that are bringing peace and stability; the ones that are promoting values and culture; the ones that are raising the flag high. There are thousands of media shows on TV, radio and the internet, but the good ones; we can count them with our fingers. On Wednesdays, I look forward to catching Ik’s Prayers on the Morning Drive show as early as 6.a.m. Every working day I am looking forward to Chaz B’s Sharing Life Issues (God bless his memory).

In this part of our world, it would seem that these few shows, among others, are the flicker of lights that help us believe the media will not result in our doom after all. For me, the consolation is better than nothing.

Today, I urge you to not swallow every pill the media tries to force down your throat. Select the ones that are good for you, ignore the unhealthy ones, live a happy life and let it spread.

On the flip side, just like 100% concentrated Tasty time, is downing too much media content dangerous to our health? What would you like to see/hear differently? Do tell.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime| Michael Zhang