The Mediasphere

The “Mediasphere” is essentially the collection of any and all media within the world, whether it be broadcasted and published, or a simple post on the internet. The media is something that one can never truly escape, as it is what makes the world go round. Without the news, the public would not know what’s occurring locally, nationally, or world wide. Eliminating the media would essentially cause a frenzy, as it would leave the public to fend for itself. To be more referential, the coronavirus is a topic that would have never gone away if it was not for the reports from the media. If there was no media, then the world would not have been aware of what the virus was, how to combat it, or the detrimental effects of the illness. Millions, if not billions, would have died from the disease. The existence of the media, however, has allowed the virus to slowly decline--as people know (from the media) to stay home and wear a mask in public. The mediasphere is a wide realm, with many elements factoring into it. To break it down, the media universe consists of MSM, alternative media, an echo chamber, whistleblowers, reliable sources, and citizen journalism. All elements make up the mediasphere and breathe life into it. 

MSM, or mainstream media, is ultimately the media we are the most aware of. MSM is made up of newspapers, magazines, radio shows, books, news shows, and more. Mainstream media heavily influences the public, as it informs them on all of the topics and stories happening throughout the world. Alternative media is made up of the other parts of media that we do not normally recognize: pamphlets, graffiti, community pages/social media accounts, file sharing, etc. While not as popular, these outlets still contribute to the mediasphere as they inform the public on a topic. While both media realms are useful in the sense that the allow the public to understand what is occurring within society, there are some downfalls to each. MSM can have bias within its reporting, especially if one form of media prefers a side within a news story/topic. This is clearly demonstrated with the networks of CNN and Fox News. One network is more conservative in their reporting (Fox), while the other is more liberal (CNN). This means that CNN would rather show a democratic politician in a brighter light than a conservative one, and vice versa. Alternative media can also have some sort of bias in reporting, as someone publishing on alternative outlets can still subtly display their own opinions on a matter. 

An echo chamber is when someone reporting on a situation voices their own beliefs. This can spark misinformation, for if someone only reports their own beliefs---it is not the whole truth. The term “echo chamber” can be imagined visually, as it is emitted from the word “echo.” An echo is when someone says something in a tunnel, perhaps, and the word then travels over and over until it eventually stops due to the hollowness and chamber structure of a tunnel. This is like an echo chamber, as if someone states their own opinion, it then travels onto the next person, who discusses it to another person, and so forth. The beliefs continue to travel, which although it allows for freedom of expression of one’s beliefs and values, it can lead to a substantial amount of misinformation. 

A whistleblower is a person who informs society on an organization, company, or person who has engaged in illegal activity. The clearest example that I think of when I hear the word “whistleblower” is Edward Snowden. Snowden was an American whistleblower who leaked extremely secretive information from the NSA to the public in the year 2013. The information was talked about in the media for months, and made Snowden a large public figure. He disclosed that the NSA, through other programs, was illicitly spying on the American public. While working for the CIA and hearing about such wrongdoings, he finally had enough and released the top secret intel to the media. While his actions of being a whistleblower was beneficial to the American public (now aware of their lack of privacy from the government), it was a clear breach of national security. A whistleblower, therefore, walks a fine line of whether their actions are good for the media and public, or detrimental to the organization/person at hand. 

Reliable sources are incredibly important when reporting within the mediasphere, as nobody wants to hear a false story. The media has a duty to the public to report facts, which is why news outlets need reliable sources. A reliable source must have thorough reasoning and factual evidence to back up their claims in order to be labeled as “reliable.” For instance, a media outlet would much rather choose someone who actually experienced the story being reported, rather than choosing a friend of a friend who also encountered the same topic. It is much more reliable to get information straight from the source, rather than from a middle man. This is why teachers all across America press that their students do not use Wikipedia as a source, as any user of the site can edit and alter information on the website.

Citizen Journalism somewhat goes hand in hand with reliable sources, for it is defined as a collection of reports and information from the public. The public is what makes a story newsworthy; if not for word of mouth, most headlines would not exist. While citizen journalism is important to inform a larger public, it can also be tricky. People love to voice opinions, especially their own beliefs. This can lead to negative comments and bias on topics, instead of factual reporting and critical feedback on a situation. 

All elements of a mediasphere benefit the social groups of society (old, young, men, women, LGBTQ communities, minorities, etc). They are all able to be informed on the ongoing news stories and urgent matters of today’s world, even if it can hold some bias within it. It is up to the individual to determine which news source they take their information from (some like TV, some prefer newspapers) and how they then go about their day. Ultimately, the public’s lives are run by the mediasphere, whether they like it or not. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/edward-snowden

https://www.yourdictionary.com/mediasphere

https://www.britannica.com/topic/citizen-journalism

https://guides.libs.uga.edu/reliability

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/digital-media-literacy/what-is-an-echo-chamber/1/

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/echo-chamber