The MTV Diversion

Media today has a colossal effect on the world.  People are subjected to telecasts wherever they are at.  From televisions in school classrooms, to the checkout line at Wal-Mart, media delves into every aspect of life.   One example easily accessible is MTV.  Although keen to their marketing potential, a healthy stimulus for American culture is far from what MTV strives for.   Their programming is limited on actual learning, and instead loaded with mindless drivel.  Substance may be hard to identify in the majority of these shows.  While they reach mass amounts of people, what they teach is deceptive to those with growing minds.  And although one may not intend to be teaching at all, if something is learned, it has to have been taught.  So in relation to music, news, and basic American lifestyle, MTV leaves the world confused, uneducated, and unable to inspire.  Consequently, the effects of MTV are catastrophic.     

MTV started as a medium for bands and artists.  It has evolved though, into a factory like setting in which creativity is kept to a minimum.  Often songs are not produced by the artists who perform them, but are instead assembled for the performer rather than created by them. The monotony leads to a music scene which lacks a message.  The absence of thought provoking music not only frustrates true music lovers, but it lowers the ideal of musical respect for younger fans who may not know any better.  Usually, a sense of integrity is regularly affixed to music artists.  In MTV's case though, that characteristic has seen its way out the door, and has been replaced by a music order in which special effects override actual talent, and in most cases, takes the place of any talent at all.

 In addition to music, MTV offers numerous programming based off the concept of reality television.  These shows range in premise from groups of strangers living amongst each other in secluded surroundings, to social pariahs who try and blend with their more popular counterpart.    While reality is not a direct correlation to the show, calling it reality TV adds to the confusion of the viewer.  Viewers, especially those of budding age, may eventually possess a self image that is distorted.  This coincides with the idea of a reality TV based life, in which, those watching at home, blur the line between true reality and what is seen as reality on television.

MTV has also expanded it's horizons in efforts to report actual news, other than just news related to celebrities.  The news though, leaves the audience with a false sense of being informed.  Focusing on talking points rather than actual issues, the array of information is often generic, and reporting is far from being in depth.  What is most tragic is MTV preys upon young adults who otherwise would be in tune with the world around them.  These viewers continue to feel as though they are informed on what is important, but in all actuality remain locked in a box of regulated knowledge.  This adds to the diversion which MTV has become.

While adolescents, and even adults across the world, continue to be plugged into MTV, they lose valuable time to focus on legitimate things in life, such as school, work, and family.   And though music and entertainment are an essential aspect of humanized life, sadly, the negative effects of MTV penetrate deep into society.  When the world becomes uneducated, confused, and unable to inspire, it becomes more difficult to evolve as people.  Therefore, the world can thank MTV for the extinction of the natural evolution of life.

m.i.c.a.h.