Media Subjectivity to Influence Consumer Perspectives

Media Subjectivity
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Subjectivity in the media represents the tendency for media outlets to present information in a biased or subjective manner. This bias may range from subtle to overt and can be motivated by numerous factors, like the political views of the outlet, the opinions of the writer or editor, and the target audience. The behavior may take many forms, including the selection of stories covered, the choice of stories to feature prominently, and the slant of the stories themselves. For example, a media outlet might cover only stories supporting its political views while ignoring reports contradicting its beliefs. Similarly, it might feature stories more prominently if they match its political views. This paper analyzes the subjectivity concept as applied in the media to influence consumer perspectives. It will evaluate the idea based on how it has been used historically and currently.
My Positionality
As a media consumer, I am deeply aware of subjectivity in the media. At its most basic level, subjectivity in the media means that the content people consume is filtered through the lens of different perspectives, which can be intentional and unintentional. For example, when news outlets report on a particular story, they may have a specific angle or narrative attached to it. This could be as simple as framing a story in a negative or positive light or including particular facts while leaving out others. This is part of the reason why various outlets may report on the same story in different ways.
Subjectivity is evident in the way stories are presented. Depending on the medium, media producers may use specific techniques to evoke certain emotions from their audience. For example, a film director may use music and visuals to create a particular atmosphere not present in the story. This action can manipulate how viewers perceive and influence how they interpret the story. Hence, subjectivity in the media is not necessarily a bad thing.
It can sometimes be used to create more engaging and thought-provoking content (Georgiou & Yu, 2019). For example, Huang & Liu (2022) discovered that subjective advertising contributes to high conversion rate, especially when the information is personalized. “Therefore, these two speech acts (locutionary and illocutionary) can be seen as subjective advertising, which is a kind of advertisers’ communicative strategy and arouses the subjective part of a consumer’s perlocutionary acts.” However, it is vital to be aware of the potential for manipulation and to ensure consumers are not being taken advantage of. It is also essential to consider different perspectives and to question the information individuals are being presented with. By doing so, people can ensure that they form their own opinions and not just blindly accept what they are told.
Governments play a crucial role in the subjectivity of the media. Authorities are vested in controlling the media, as it is an effective way to shape public opinion and maintain political control (Schiffrin, 2021). Governments do this in various ways, from direct ownership of media outlets to subtler measures such as censorship or manipulating the ...