RCL #9: TED Talk Draft

Introduction

In recent times, corporate media has expanded from its original form of formal print format to informal online articles that anyone can access, relate to, and share with friends and family on various social media platforms. While the growth of reaching across audiences to be accessible to those it wasn’t before is crucial to success, a paradigm shift has evolved in light of current events. The masses have changed their viewpoint on corporate media by developing a distrust for companies such as CNN and Fox News. Many have been influenced by events such as President Trump’s 2016 campaign, which called for the disestablishment of “fake news”. This shift in distrust of the mainstream media has actually stemmed from itself over the years. By accepting and acknowledging the falsifications that are claimed to be the foundation of the corporate media by figures such as Trump, distrust is cultivated and spread throughout the general public.

Body of Discussion

• Start discussion by explaining the importance of expanding social media and information platforms in the 21st century, especially in the context of politics and elections, i.e. why media has been so trusted in the past, why a journalist was a respected profession, how politics were simply reported by the facts
• Transition to the shift in the mainstream media’s take on general news, i.e. when different news platforms began to embrace political agendas (Fox = Republicans, CNN = Democrats) and why this occurred
• How did the past election focus more on the news outlets and their “dishonesty” rather than politics themselves? News stations were eventually reporting on themselves!
• Discuss the ultimate paradigm shift resulting from this year’s past election in which the general public began to distrust the media altogether
• Why did this shift occur in the first place? Did it stem from the phrase “fake news”? Or did is happen because many were discussed with politics altogether and just didn’t want to deal with the national drama?
• Explain why this paradigm shift has polarized the country and how the goal of mainstream media, to inform, has been undermined and must be reclaimed again

Conclusion

Although many events affected the ever-changing trust levels in corporate media, due to Trump’s political campaign in 2016 and an overall change in realization of separation occurring between the masses caused by the media, the corporate media has much recovery time in store for them in order to help speed up the process of returning to inform consumers. Perhaps this paradigm shift in trust would not have occurred had it not been for President Trump’s manipulative comments, or perhaps this was inevitable. No matter what political party we align ourselves and our beliefs with, one thing is certain: corporate media has done a damn fine job of separating the general public from and dividing each other and based on preferences. Due to this insensitive act of aloofness by the media, it is no wonder that many folks continue to despise the media in all formats, solely because of its terrifyingly large ways of controlling crowds.