When adults tell us that media and our phones are scary, they might actually be right. Although they’re probably not referring to the “Mean World Syndrome”, I’m sure they’d agree with it too. Mean World Syndrome is the idea that the more harmful and negative things we see while we look at our phones or TV, we will actually start to believe the world is a getting worse (when really, it actually isn’t). It goes as far as even saying that you’re more likely to personally encounter these harmful situations just because you’re engulfed in it. I think it definitely makes sense, although crime rates have gone down, the sheer volume of how much it’s put in our face through media makes it seem like all good is gone. This is a fear tactic used by news outlets, they know scary and tragic events are good for buzz and gets people talking about it. While it’s good to know the dangers of the world, being flooded with it can’t be good for society as a whole. I find the concept that it’s more likely to happen to you if you think about it fascinating, and pretty true to an extent. I come from a very crime ridden town in Far Rockaway, and know first hand that simply acting cool and minding your business gives you a much better chance of not being robbed. It’s the people that look nervous and out of place that become a target for people who see them as weak and vulnerable.

In terms of the ethical codes the media follow, I was pretty surprised to see how it worked. The biggest thing that stood out to me was how most of the time, media outlets do not face legal trouble for misleading or wrong information. Yeah, technically the first amendment makes it not illegal to lie, but I think the standards should go above regular defamation, extortion, etc.

What I found most interesting were the Power of Authority experiments we watched. I had seen the prison experiment and the shock experiment in psychology classes before, but applying it to media opened a whole new world of thoughts. It’s amazing what any ordinary person can convince one to do when given the illusion of authority. The McDonald’s employee strip search was very surprising though, and although I want to say she acted very incautiously, I can’t say I know exactly what I’d do being in that situation. I guess it’s a lesson to all of us to think for yourself and not let false prophets fool you.