In recent times, the behaviour of people is greatly influenced by the media. Today, with a few clicks, information can spread across the world no matter how true or false it is. Often, the information is merely some gossip. Such types of information can ruin relationships in many ways. These relationships are the ones between celebrities and common people or the ones between celebrities and their loved ones.
We have seen in the past few years how media can influence and manipulate society. They even hold the power to control the world at times. This control can either be positive or negative, but most of the time it’s the latter.
Constant access to news
Many controversial stories are reported today and their reliability is often questionable. However, the public is expected to believe everything they’re told. Over a period of time, certain media houses build a considerable reputation for themselves.
People are somehow compelled not to question the news that they report. Newspapers and magazines have their websites, where the posted articles are instantly available across the world. They’re kept updated at all times and are received quicker than print media.
Additionally, their social media channels are also updated with links to all these articles. With the tag of ‘Breaking News’, they spread instantly. This is done to make sure that there is continuous access to the happenings in the world.
How Miley Cyrus’s fame was manipulated
The media can change the careers of celebrities in a flash by influencing the way they’re viewed. One of the best examples in this regard would be Miley Cyrus. She achieved a lot of fame at an early age. This can be attributed to the influence of her father Billy Ray Cyrus and her godmother Dolly Parton. They’re both American singers of country music.
Owing to her minor acting roles, Miley became a popular child star by the age of 11. She achieved great success with Hannah Montana. It’s an American teen sitcom based on a teenage girl. Her life is split between that of a teen pop star and of an ordinary schoolgirl. The role of this teenage girl was played by Miley.
She instantly became a role model to numerous young girls across the world. It is not something that she had asked for, it came with her work. In 2012, she got engaged to Liam Hemsworth. The media immediately began picking up on everything that she did. She soon found herself in the midst of controversies, which seemed inappropriate to her younger fans.
This created a bad image of her to the public as well as her parents. What’s worth noting is the fact that none of her positive acts was given significance in the media. She has supported more than 35 charities during her career.
The case of diver Tom Daley
One of the top athletes of England, diver Tom Daley also had to endure media pressure. He also had to battle internet abuse during most of his senior career. Daley has won three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. He has also won one silver and an Olympic bronze medal. With the success of a diving show called Splash!, his fame grew even more.
At the Olympics of 2012, Daley was among the golden boys of the Great Britain team. The sport of diving itself has tremendous pressure. He had added pressure from the media and his home country. As a result, he failed to secure gold.
The media made things difficult for him by publishing false stories. They created the impression that he was doing too much media and PR work. Some even said that he had not trained hard enough.