The power of the media

Nowadays the “Forth Estate” is an inseparable item of our fast-moving world; the world of high technology, of international business, fast-growing economy, international tourism. The media helps people to keep pace with our fast-changing world and to know the latest news. Well, we must admit that people depend on the mass media a lot, they get coverage of news, current cultural, political, business affairs. Today we can get full information about everything what is happening in the world. Being at the other world's end we can be well informed about military operations in Iraq, we can follow the presidential elections in the USA, we can be in the know of the latest researches being held on the Moon, we can learn about the latest inventions in the world of technology, we can even get to know the gossips from the life of celebrities.

So, without doubts, the mass media is an enormous corporation, the existence of each is invaluable.

The only negative side of the mass media is that it not only reflects our reality and shows the real state of things but also influences our society a lot. It can influence people’s taste and even political views. It can impose on people certain ideas.

Another stumbling block is that people lose the sense of reality. They start to depend on the means of the mass media so much, that later can’t imagine their life without them. They become victims of the biased views, of the silly advertisements, of the smutty magazines or porn films. They spend hours staring at the photographs in the newspapers and reading its scrappy paragraphs or watching dirty scenes. And a very interesting fact that in public people pretend to be very knowing and cynical about stupid advertisements, sleazy films, yellow press but in private they are their willing victims. Don’t you think that it’s very common nowadays when people try to show to everyone that they are higher of all these and in public they mock at others who got under its influence but in reality these people are also victims of the powerful “Forth Estate”. People are very naive in their nature; they are ready to listen everyone and to follow the fashion without having a personal opinion.

We see how greatly people may be influenced by means of mass media. That everything in their life becomes connected with press, radio, cinema. And they get so involved into this world of “4^th estate” that they become like reporters from the venue and the accomplices at the same time.

This passion that filled up people’s life to the very brims is even dangerous in some extend because it can ruin their lives. They can get stuck in the imaginary world, the world of lie, tempting luxury, illusive dreams, of emptiness and theatricality. Unfortunately people can lose the sense of reality, and in order to escape from daily problems, they can choose an easier way of life, life of fantasy. And choosing this way they unfortunately are walking on the knife blade and could ruin their life.

Well, to cover everything up, I should say that without doubts the “4^th Estate” is one of the greatest creations of the 20^th century. It’s a big source of getting information, it broadens our outlook and helps to know the latest news but it shouldn’t be the only background on the basis of which we form our view.

Youth culture

Youth culture is a reaction to the economic, political, and educational changes happening in the modern world. The culture tends to fluctuate with different generations.

A new generation has come of age, shaped by a revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the group of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change.

Young people today are self-confident, self-dependent, they are risk-takers. They are kept abreast with our fast-changing world. They follow the latest inventions, new trends, they try to keep pace with modern technology. Aside from communicating in cyberspace, the internet has become a way for people to connect face-to-face. They use technology and the internet to connect with people in new and distinctive ways. Text messaging, instant messaging and email keep them in constant contact with friends.

Young people are very self-assured, they have a very positive view of their abilities and opportunities.

An overwhelming majority of young people believe in planning ahead for life. They think that when a person reaches the mid-20s, it is important for them to have a good plan for what they are going to do with the rest of their lives.

One of the biggest concerns for young people is education. Young people worry about their jobs and careers: finding a job, career advancement, job security and job satisfaction as their most important problem. This is less of a worry for older generation.

But unfortunately this reoccupation about job is connected with their life goals. A majority of young people says that “getting rich” is the main goal of most people in their age group; that nowadays one of the generation’s top goals is fortune and fame. Roughly eight-in-ten people say that for their generation getting rich is either the most important, or second most important, goal in their lives.

Nowadays young people are somewhat more focused on personal or internal issues than are older generations. The issue in their own life is the most important problem for the new generation; only a few bother about things related to the outside world.

We were talking about inner culture of young people. As far as the state of the outside part concerns, for young people nowadays fashion, music, films and literature drive the tastes of young people. Now they are more obsessed with clothing styles, hairstyles and footwear. Common interests, dialects and slang, music genres and gathering places are very important factors in defying youth culture.

In youth culture we can distinguish some subcultures which are mostly defined by their activities, such as bikers, skaters, and surfers.

Style and fashion play a role in all subculture groups to varying degrees. Working class youths often place greater emphasis on fashion, because it is one way they can show off what they own - whereas middle class and wealthy youths have other things to show off, such as homes, cars, and expensive stereos or technical equipment.

Most youth subculture groups can be associated with a specific music genre, and in some instances music has been the defining characteristic of the group, such as: ravers, metalheads, hip hoppers, goths and punk rockers.

7. The main environmental problems facing mankind today

Environmental problems have been affecting our entire world over the past decades. For a long time too little attention was paid to the environment. In effort to meet production goals people forgot or simply didn't care about the protection of the environment from industrial pollution. As globalization continues and the earth's natural processes transform local problems into International issues, it's hardly possible to find any society that is left untouched by major environmental problems. Some of the largest problems now affecting the world are Acid Rain, Air Pollution, Global Warming, Hazardous Waste, Ozone Depletion, Smog, Water Pollution, Overpopulation, and Rain Forest Destruction.

Acid rain has highly destructive results. It is one of the most important environmental problems but ft cannot be seen. The invisible gases that cause acid rain usually come from automobiles or coal-burning power plants. Acid rain moves easily, affecting locations far beyond those that let out the pollution. As a result, this global pollution issue causes great debates between countries that fight over polluting each other's environments.

Another urgent problem is air pollution. Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air. Every time we breathe, we risk inhaling dangerous chemicals that are present in the air. These dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Air pollution can be found both outdoors and indoors. Pollutants can be trapped inside buildings, causing indoor pollution that lasts for a long time. The sources of air pollution are both natural and human-based. As one might expect, humans have been producing increasing amounts of pollution, and they now account for the majority of pollutants released into the air. The effects of air pollution are diverse and numerous. Air pollution can have serious consequences for the health of human beings, and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Because it is located in the atmosphere, air pollution is able to travel easily. As a result, air pollution is a global problem and has been the subject of global cooperation and conflict. Some areas now suffer more than others from air pollution. Cities with large numbers of automobiles or those that use great quantities of coal often suffer most severely from problems of air pollution.

In addition to releasing gases and particles into the atmosphere, humans produce waste that hazardous and dangerous to both nature and human life. The levels of dangerous wastes continue to grow. Industries and individuals continue to be largely unaware of this major environmental problem. As a result, many people and industries are failing to prevent the creation of hazardous waste or to limit the negative effects it produces. Individuals often throw out goods without realizing that they are headed for a landfill and could be dangerous for the environment. No matter where people put these hazardous waste materials, there is always a chance that they could find their way into the ground, and eventually into our bodies. Corporations usually want to avoid the costs associated with having to limit the creation of hazardous waste.

The ozone layer protects the Earth from the ultraviolet rays sent down by the sun. If the ozone layer is depleted by human action, the effects on the planet could be catastrophic Ozone is present in the stratosphere. The stratosphere reaches 30 miles above the Earth, and at the very top it contains ozone. The sun's rays are absorbed by the ozone in the stratosphere and thus do not reach the Earth. Antarctica was an early victim of ozone destruction. A massive hole in the ozone layer right above Antarctica now threatens not only that continent, but many others that could be the victims of Antarctica's melting icecaps.

In many areas around the word, smog has reached extraordinary levels. Some governments have quickly reacted with severe measures In response to the problem. The word smog is a combination of the words smoke and fog. Smog causes a smoky dark atmosphere to arise over cities. It decreases visibility, and creates a haze throughout the area. Numerous studies have monitored smog throughout the world. Some of the world's dirtiest cities have millions of Inhabitants, all of whom are threatened by the smog.

Attention for water pollution exploded when people understood how horrible the effects of oil spill could be (different species are contaminated by oil slick). However it is only the surface of the problem of water pollution* Every year, 14 billion pounds of sewage, sludge, and garbage are dumped into the world's oceans. The problem of ocean pollution affects every nation around the world. This is especially true because water is able to transport pollution from one location to another. For many years, chemicals were dumped into bodies of water without concern. While many countries have now banned such behavior, it continues to go on today. As the world has industrialized and its population has grown, the problem of water pollution has intensified.

Global warming is called the greenhouse effect because the gases that are gathering above the earth make the planet comparable to a greenhouse. By trapping heat near the surface of the earth, the greenhouse effect is warming the planet and threatening the environment. Current fears stem largely from the fact that global warming is occurring at such a rapid pace. Scientists are predicting that over the next century, the global temperature will rise by several degrees. One major difficulty in studying global warming is the fact that weather data only exists for the last century and a half. As a result, understanding the present and predicting the future are very difficult.

The atmosphere and oceans are not the only parts of the environment being damaged. Rain forests are being quickly destroyed as well, and their survival is questionable. Despite the opposition to the cutting down of rain forests, the problem continues. Every year, Brazil chops down an area of forest the size of the state of Nebraska. The world's growing population has been a primary cause of rain forest destruction. More people need land to live on and wood products to consume. Limiting population growth may be the first in a series of steps that would limit the destruction of the rain forests.

We can idendity three categories of environmental problems: natural disasters, technological catastrophes, and long-term environmental degradation. It is important to point out how these categories are increasingly overlapping. Many natural disasters, if not caused outright by human Intervention, are worsened by human factors. Global warming seems to be causing an increase in hurricanes and their severity. Deforestation promotes floods and landslides because the natural buffers of the forests no longer absorb the rainfall they used to. Even the spread of human habitation increases the likelihood of the loss of property and life In natural disasters. So, the boundary between natural disasters and technological catastrophes Is more blurred than before.

The nuclear accident at Chernobyl has seriously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus. About 18 per cent of the country's soil are unfit for farming and many districts In the south-east of the country are dangerous to live In. Today people are aware that our life depends on the state of the environment. Pollution kills everything that is alive. It ruins nature creating serious dangers to flora, fauna and man himself. So nature protection should become everybody's concern.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1102