Media has been associated with various roles in promoting or inhibiting changes affecting societies. Researchers in the field of communications have for a long time been trying to investigate the influence that media has on society. Various theories have been advanced to explain how media affects social change. Literature highlights that early media theories were based on assumptions that there were direct and unmitigated influences on individuals at one level, and the society on another level. Later research sought to shade more light on the underlying assumptions, especially regarding the existence of all-powerful effects (Goodman, 11). This paper looks at three personalities namely: Solomon Northup, Cesar Chavez, and Louis B. Mayer, and how they contributed to social change in America. Specifically, the paper shades light on the issues each of them was involved with, their methods, and the role of media in their undertakings.
Solomon Northup was an American abolitionist and the son of a freed slave from New York. He is credited for writing the memoir Twelve Years a Slave and performing as a professional violinist. At some point during his career as a traveling musician, he went to Washington, a city at the time famous for practicing legal slavery. It is here that Northup was drugged, kidnapped, and at some point sold as a slave. For 12 years, he was held as a slave in Louisiana, until he managed to pass a message to New York about his situation, and through the help of Washington Hunt, Governor of New York, he was freed on January 3, 1853 (Northup, 8). As a freeman, he fought for the prosecution of those who were involved in his situation as a slave, although the cases were later dropped due to jurisdictional challenges. He championed for his cause, building momentum against slavery, through writing and lecturing on behalf of the abolitionist movement. The media, at the time of his anti-slavery actions, was biased as evidenced through glaring gaps in the historical records. The media appeared to have been divided with one side supporting legal slavery and the other side against it (Northup, 29).
Cesar Chavez “was a Mexican-American farm worker, who later became a civil rights activist and labor leader” (Chavez, 3). He received commendable support from the American labor movement, and through his public relations dominated unionism he was able to enjoy nationwide support. His activism was characterized by the use of aggressive but nonviolent tactics and the involvement of the United Farm Workers union in rallying its membership to join the movement. The media was instrumental in promoting his cause, and even after his death, he continued to be a historical icon for the Latino community. Through sustained media campaigns, he continues to play a central role in promoting organized labor and leftist politics. The media also played a role in keeping his slogan “Yes, it can be done,” and Barack Obama’s campaign team adopted it as its slogan for the 2008 presidential campaign. His supporters still believe that his work contributed to key improvements for union laborers, and demonstrated the advantages associated with mounting sustained grassroots campaigns and related organization (Chavez, 11).
Louis Burt Mayer was an American film producer, and in 1924, was the co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM). MGM became famous for skillfully leading in the development of star actors and aiding in their placement in good productions, all of which were directly associated with Louis Mayer. It was during his tenure as the head of MGM that the company rose to be one of the sought-after film studios and a leading player in the entertainment industry. The media was a key player in helping tell the story of Meyer as a poor boy from Canada who had dropped out of school at the age of 12 to support his family. His fortunes changed when he moved to Los Angeles and partnered with a like-minded colleague, Irving Thalberg, to form a formidable film production establishment. The story of Meyer is one of determination and relentless pursuit of a dream, without allowing obstacles such as lack of proper education and poverty define his destiny. After Thalberg’s early death, he continued steering MGM single-handedly to prosperity and helped develop a widespread view that entertainment should provide an entertaining escape from real life (Hancock, 190).
In summation, media plays a key role in helping document the process of social change as well as advance its cause. Researchers underscore that it is through the media that journalists can function as society’s mirror and participate in relaying a narrative that reflects society’s perception of change. It is unfortunate that early forms of media were characterized by partisan establishments that may have deliberately or inadvertently contributed to manifesting biases in relaying social change. However, current developments in media reported have seen the formation of a formidable force that not only plays as a conduit to information but also authoritatively asserts evaluated opinion on matters affecting the society. By promoting an impartial media, there are chances that future developments will be represented fairly and objectively to all stakeholders and consumers of information.
Works Cited
Chavez, Cesar, Richard Jay Jensen, and John C. Hammerback. The Words of César Chávez. Texas A&M University Press, 2002.
Goodman, Steven. Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. Vol. 36. Teachers College Press, 2003.
Hancock, Galen. "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.: Inducing Infringement and Secondary Copyright Liability." Berkeley Technology Law Journal (2006): 189-212.
Northup, Solomon, Sue L. Eakin, and David Wilson. Twelve years a slave. Ed. Joseph Logsdon. Penguin books, 2013.
