Functional myths and how media shapes reality

If we think about it, we all need and look for something to believe in. It’s a part of human nature, I suppose. We don’t only have one functional myth, but many. For many of us, there are cultural gender expectations and if we do not follow society’s norms, there is something that is wrong with us. Even though we are different people and personalities, what is expected of us is not that different. And media feeds on the things that oppose the norms of society. If everyone did whatever they were expected to, media would not have such a huge impact. There would be no drama and no entertainment.
Functional myths also include those that deal with appearances. If we notice, all the ads and commercials always have good-looking men and women. These men and women have to appear perfect, as if all people should look like that. All these ads are successful because they drive their point across very well. Many women now go on endless diets and they are constantly after the next beauty product or fashion trend. Sometimes, we don’t realize that we’re good enough. Media promotes that idea, always showing that we need to look like certain people and dress in a certain way, otherwise we are not good enough.
In the video of “What Orwell Didn’t Know”, there were a few comment said that stuck out to me. Mazoor says, “Man’s desires must overshadow their needs”. This was such a genius quote and I think this is the basis of all corporations that use media to sell their products in order to keep consumerism on the right track. We all have basic needs but they’re not enough to keep consumerism running. So all the things that we want and desire are shoved in our faces in order to tempt us in the form of advertisements, billboards, and commercials. These desires also have to seem more important than our needs. The people behind all the media, are great masterminds. They know how to use the weakness of the masses to their own advantages and profits. A quote stated in the “What Orwell Didn’t Know” video says, “If we understand the group and how it groups, we can manipulate them without them knowing”. This is exactly how major businesses and companies work. They know what really reaches out to people and their flaws, and by understanding this, they are able to influence and control what we think we need. A commercial of 30 seconds is full of well-thought thinking. Even if we think the commercial is stupid, it always grabs our attention.
Everything we believe in has a link to media and this is how it shapes our reality. We are brought up with certain values and virtues and media promotes them, not always in a bad way, but in a way that has the ability to manipulate our feelings.