Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• Start your answer with briefly explaining moral principles.
• Discuss how mass media and social media helps in formation of moral ideals for individuals.
• Conclude accordingly.

Introduction

Moral principles are guidelines that people live by to make sure they are doing the right thing. These include things like honesty, fairness, and equality. Moral principles can be different for everyone because they depend on how a person was raised and what is important to them in life. Further, they are shaped by social norms, cultural practices, and religious influences.

Body

• Role of Mass Media and social media on the Formation of Moral Ideals:
  • In contemporary times, social media and mass media have a significant role to play in building moral values. Technological advances have made the media the most influential force, especially amongst the youth today.
  • The media influences the development and transformation of values and beliefs of people in a variety of ways like social development, tolerance, and positive attitude towards other’s culture. Children are easily influenced by the functional “parallel school” of the media.
  • Impose Narrative: Media reinforces existing beliefs and stereotypes rather than changing attitudes. It affects our beliefs about reality when an individual does not have first-hand experiences to rely upon.
  • Influence Lifestyle: Media brings about conversion in the perspective and opinions of the people. It influences lifestyle and culture.
  • Helps in Creating Social awareness: For instance, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan movement has been popularized to develop a sense of responsibility towards cleanliness.
  • Inculcate Negative Behavior: Children assimilate social behaviors by perceiving others. Therefore, exposure to Television characters who succeed by conducting behavior in violent, aggressive, or stereotypical ways may motivate children to use alike approaches in their own lives.

Conclusion

One way the media has an impact on us is through influencing how we conceptualize the world and how we interpret reality. In order to create a society that upholds values, the media must be responsible and accountable.