Today, if you made a list of the mass media you use, you would have to add newer technologies such as cable, satellite TV, PDAs

Thirty years ago, if you heard the words "mass media," you probably immediately thought of television, newspapers, magazines, and the radio. But today, if you made a list of the mass media you use, you would have to add newer technologies such as cable, satellite TV, PDAs or personal digital assistants, and the Internet. In today’s world, we are surrounded by technology that allows us to communicate with others. And of course, technology has brought us some wonderful things, and I personally wouldn’t want to live without it. But all these new advances bring us dangers that we should be aware of. Let’s begin by discussing first three of these dangers: violence, passivity, and addiction.
    There’s a lot of violence in TV shows, and many people worry about its effect on us. For example, almost every home in the United States has a color television, and according to a recent study, TV is in the average household for seven hours and thirty-seven minutes every day. And many people are afraid that children and adolescents are especially susceptible to this violence. It was reported a few years ago that a young boy jumped out of a window after seeing a superhero do the same thing on TV while chasing an enemy.
    In addition to making us violent, TV can also make us passive. You’ve probably heard the term "couch potato." It refers to a person who daydreams for hours in front of the TV. When we are in this passive state, we may not be able to distinguish between fantasy and reality and we may make bad decisions about important things in our lives.
    Third, using the media can become very addictive. For example, how many Internet users can say that they quickly go online, find what they need, and get off again? That’s just not the case for most of us, who wander through cyberspace, clicking here and there and wasting a lot of time in the process. If you check your e-mail more than three or four times a day, you might want to ask yourself if you really need all that communication. And cell phones—which these days can be used to go online and for Wechat and so on—are highly addictive, as well. How many of us can say that we can do without the cell phones for one day?
    And then, there is the fourth danger i.e. the increase in advertising. You see, the media is not only interested in providing information or entertainment, but also selling space or time to advertisers. You used to be able to enjoy a TV show, or relax and read a magazine, and there wasn’t too much advertising. Now, however, it seems that advertising is the main goal. The content of a TV program or a magazine is just an excuse, or a kind of wrapping, for the advertising.
    On TV, of course, we’re used to being bombarded by endless commercials every eight minutes. Many of us use our remote control to zap out the advertising with the "mute" button, or simply channel surf to find someplace we can escape from the ads. But the advertisers have found many ways to get their message across to you, anyway. They use what is called "product placement," which means that they can put example, the hero of the show might be drinking a particular soft drink, like Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper. Or he might be wearing a pair of shoes with the name Nike or Adidas. You can’t escape from this form of advertising unless you just turn off your set.
    The problem is not just that we are being bombarded with advertising, but that the media is invading our privacy. Advertisers are more and more interested in getting private information about individuals. Every time you use your credit card, you’re giving away information about yourself. Advertisers have the ability to gather statistical data about people like you: potential consumers. Think about this for a moment: Have you ever gotten junk mail from a company you never heard of? Where did they get your address? Have you ever gotten a phone call during dinner from some company trying to sell you something? Where did they get your telephone number? Well, information about you can be compiled and sold to other companies. And advertisers can study what you buy, where you buy it, and how much of it you buy, and figure out the best way to make you buy more! On the Internet, many websites are working extra hard to collect information about you. You can be tracked if you make a few visits to any website, and the data can be used to learn more about your habits, interests, and other behavior.