Every day, we are bombarded with a plethora of messages that are presented through the media (TV, internet, etc). Sometimes, it becomes hard to differentiate what is true from what is not. Society relies upon media in a way that has never existed before. How do we determine whether the content that is presented to us is reality or just an illusion? We are in a situation similar to the individual that Plato presents in the 'Allegory of the Cave.' In this analogy, the media represents a present-day version of the cave, society represents the prisoner, and the content that the media serves represents the shadows on the wall. Are we being presented with the truth or are the messages we receive just an illusion?In the 'Allegory of the Cave,' the people who have spent their entire lives as prisoners of the cave are chained to the floor and unable to leave. However, one prisoner escapes and leaves the cave to be greeted by a very unfamiliar world. As he begins to explore this world, he realizes that what the cave taught him about reality was actually an illusion.
Sure, you could argue that the media is presenting the truth and nothing but the truth and there is no reason to question its content, but then you'd be wrong. I don't think enough people are aware of how much influence the media has over our lives. We can probably all agree that 21st century media strives to make their content appealing to viewers, whether it be via TV, internet, or radio. After all, the more appealing the viewers think the content is, the higher the ratings are, and the more money the media brings in. It makes sense, right? Upon closer inspection, you may see that the line between appearance vs. reality is becoming increasingly blurred and society's perception of what is the truth is becoming an issue.
The media bombards its viewers with a crazy amount of information simultaneously, and I think we can agree that these days, it's hard to NOT watch TV or surf the internet. We are constantly being exposed to digital media that perpetually shapes our reality. The question that remains to be answered is: are we falling victim to the shadows in the cave?
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When I first read the analogy of the cave, I too immediately thought about how it applies to today's mainstream media. When people spend a good amount of time watching 24/7 news channels such as CNN and Fox News, they are relying on these stations to give them a concept of what reality is. The only way to truly experience reality is to view things firsthand. However, I do think that most local news broadcasts due a better job at portraying reality. This is because individuals are less detached from the stories when they occur closer to home. So, while I agree that a lot of today's media is an example of the allegory of the cave, I do have to say that this is not the case for all examples of media today.
ReplyDeleteI think you make an interesting connection between social media and "Allegory of the Cave". It is true that not all the information on the internet is true and as viewers we have no idea whether it is true or not. The comparison that you make between these false facts and the shadows that are present in the cave is unique. The prisoners (or us in this case) don't know what represents the real world and what doesn't. There can be a lot added to the information on the web that we simply do not know about. This is similar to the prisoners because the don't know reality nor do they know if someone is adding something to reality that is false.
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