Behavioural changes and the media

The media cause dramatic behavioural changes in our society by simply being so catchy:

Is it just me who can recite jingles like the back of my hand, or the entirety of songs off an album but forget where my keys are?

What is the cement memory?

This abstract anomaly in our brain is cement memory where familiar knowledge resides and is used regularly. 

Our brain’s cement memory can only remember information to a certain limit.  

The question is: how do we learn new material if our brains are filled with the Beyonce’s lemonade album or the ads that came on during the Super Bowl? 

 This can be problematic in the sense that we must forget old information to learn the new material we are trying to absorb.

Learning becomes more cumbersome as we age. The proteins NR2A and NR2B have a reverse role in their production and doing so reduce our ability to make connections in our brains.

Where does this come in, anyway?

We have the construct of habitually recited knowledge and our lacking in the ability to forget it. It is from there where the challenge in media’s role in our lives comes from. 

“Something About Us” by Daft Punk or that funny advertisement that Justin Timberlake was in made connections in society’s brain, that stanza that spoke to us or a punchline that made us laugh.

I am at this point unable to forget the words to “ Baby “ by Justin Bieber. I’ve tried with all my will. 

But that catchy song made connections in my brain that combat my schooling for space I have left in my memory.

Our minds wander, says Jessica in her study, and maybe that is why these connections form so easily.

Music has a powerful effect on our emotions. Thus, we listen to the media that speak what we want to hear.

How does this affect our behaviour?

As a living being, humans tend to emulate the things we see in the media and our daily lives. And it has its beneficial perks and consequences alike.

Replicating how a rapper speaks or their views on society can become a learned behaviour. 

The Media make us want to help or changes our ideas if it makes the connections in our brains

A change in our personal ideologies can draft alternate personas like social media manufacturers behind computer screens.

These learned behaviours can be positive or negative. Media are manipulative and feed our societies what they want to see and replicate.

Media have the power to control our population. They allocate celebrities’ personal lives for us to emulate or the stories we share on Facebook on saving animals.

What should we do with the media?

The media do what we want them to do. They fill our heads with stories and ideas that we end up trying to be like.

“With great power comes great responsibility”

This quote, credited to Ben Parker from Spiderman, is a great way to sum what the media have in their hands.

They have the world in their palms. And we need them to not turn into the Green Goblin and wreak havoc on our non-Marvel world.

What do you think? Have you ever felt like a victim of the media? How do you fight these psychological tricks? Let me know in the comments below.

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