Literature Review

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Stephani Espinosa
Professor Ryer
Poli Sci 001
8 April 2022
The Media’s Impact on Current World Politics: Literature Review
The media has had a new upbringing that has been noted to impact the way in which
people feel about current day politics. Mass Media in particular can be defined as “a medium of
communication (such as newspapers, radio, or television) that is designed to reach the mass of
the people —usually used in plural”. In the new age of technology and the grasp that social
media has on people, there is a trend of mass media becoming very influential when it comes to
how people portray/partake in politics. Current day political affairs may be found on platforms
such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and a few more major platforms. Although it is convenient
and does reach the masses of people. It is also important to acknowledge the negative impacts it
has on how people view politics. It matters what people do or think about politics because as we
know it is likely that misinformation will lead to uneducated people, and a country’s politics
cannot or should not run on the absence of peoples’ political knowledge. Professionals agree that
the integrity of politics has long since diminished and that “deception and dishonesty in politics
is nothing new too: even if with different levels of success” (Salgado 2018). However, the
emergence in popularity of the mass media has caused complications in the vast realm of
political opinions. Mass Media has impacted and influenced the way in which people chose
to, or not to partake in politics.
Popularity of Fake News Causes Media to Affect Politics:

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The term fake news became popular during the presidency of 45th President, Donald
Trump. During his presidency he tended to post on social media such as Twitter that many of the
foreign affairs that were occuring and blamed on him were quote on quote, fake news. Some
allegations about Donald Trump were false but many of them were also true. Professor of
Political Communication in the Institute of Social Services, Susana Salgado, wrote in her
research review that “features of politics and society have been exacerbated by technology”
(Salgado 2018). She also expressed that fake new gathers more views and it impacts who reads
them and their opinions. It was found that “visits to fake news sites originated from social
network sites at a much higher rate than visits to real news sites, confirming the primary role
social media plays in spreading fake news. Other forms of legitimation of fake news include
political elites passing them to their followers using social media platforms (Facebook and
Twitter) or even mainstream media coverage (Salgado 2018). There are no speculations to be
had, in her findings it is clear and concise that mass media is influencing politics and how people
receive them. It ultimately impacts their opinions and even their participation in politics.
Psychological Impact of Mass Media Influences People:
Julia Metag, and Gwendolin Gurr conducted a longitudinal study that resulted in proving
that the effect of mass media has had a psychological impact on the political audience. Just as
suspected, there truly is a factor in the play that can be identified as issue fatigue within people.
Metag and Gurr concur that “when it comes to political issues, avoidance would be detrimental
to an informed citizenry and problematic against the backdrop of citizens increasingly tuning out
news media in general,” as observed in recent years (Metag & Gurr 2021). They defined
avoidance as being one of the side effects of fatigue, it prevents many of the citizens from
experiencing a lack of motivation to continue to be involved in politics. This is impacted by what

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they are viewing from day to day basis. It is one of the most interesting and enticing findings as
their study charts show the trend of issue fatigue and the lack of media use that follows.
However, they do go on to conclude that it spikes in interpersonal communications and
conversations that involve political topics in the media. In essence, mass media is
psychologically influencing people to tune it out due to its false remarks and that is influencing
how much or how often people are getting involved in politics.
Influences of the media on the people who are retaining their information has been found
to have greater impacts than imagined. Personally, it appears very impressive to see what it is
that researchers have found involving psychological impacts, and the reality of how detrimental
fake news is. My thesis and research question continues to evolve and refine as there are many
new things to be learned by politics and all the things that make up its influences.
References
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Mass media. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8,
2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20media
GURR, G., & METAG, J. (2021). Examining Avoidance of Ongoing Political Issues in the
News: A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Audience Issue Fatigue. International
Journal of Communication (19328036), 15, 1789–1809.
Salgado, S. (2018), ‘Online media impact on politics. Views on post-truth politics and
post-postmodernism’, International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 14:3, pp.
317–31, doi: 10.1386/macp.14.3.317_1

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Espinosa 1

Poli Sci 001

The Media’s Impact on Current World Politics: Literature Review

to, or not to partake in politics.

Popularity of Fake News Causes Media to Affect Politics:

Psychological Impact of Mass Media Influences People:

experiencing a lack of motivation to continue to be involved in politics. This is impacted by what

However, they do go on to conclude that it spikes in interpersonal communications and

how much or how often people are getting involved in politics.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Mass media. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8,

2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20media

News: A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Audience Issue Fatigue. International

Journal of Communication (19328036), 15, 1789–1809.

post-postmodernism’, International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 14:3, pp.

317–31, doi: 10.1386/macp.14.3.317_1

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