Payton Welch

Assignment Two
March 18th 2016

Introduction

Every piece of writing has a purpose, so here is mine. I plan to inform readers about what
media manipulation is and how is seeps into our day to day lives without us knowing. Also to
make people less nave about the topic so that a conversation can be started about change. One
way to do this is through interesting fictional world such as House of Cards to follow a storyline
of how a master manipulator destroys and conquers those who are unprepared around him.
Francis Underwood, known as the king of politics has been formulating a plan to become
the President of the United States since he was a young boy. To advance his efforts, him and his
wife Claire do everything in their power to portray they have what it takes to be the most
powerful people in the free world. In a world as interesting as this it is easy to get caught up in
how you yourself as the viewer could better yourself through the practice of degrading others
where instead it should be informing us of the dangers of negative manipulation around us.
In a world so involved with technology we are more prone to brainwashing due to the
high power of government manipulating our information whether to make it more interesting or
to make a certain side look better than the other. How are we expected to be informed when
everything is altered to be bias? How do we prevent this habit and just receive the cold hard
facts? Through research we can find where the problem begins and how it has evolved it
something bigger than we could have imaged from the start. By starting a conversation and
bringing awareness we can inform others to not be ignorant towards information we are getting.
What I plan to accomplish in the paper is to inform readers about what media manipulation is
and how is seeps into our day to day lives without us knowing. Also to make people less nave
about the topic so that a conversation can be started about change.

Literature Review

Because of the advances that technology media manipulation is now able to creep into
virtually everyones day to day life. Next time you log into Facebook take a look at the ads that
come up on the side of your feed. Most of the time they are items that you have looked up before
such as shoes of electronics that you searched. This is because creators of media have created a
world that will suck you into whatever they think you would be most interested in (Marketing
Land Infographics, web). This is not the only way media has taken over what we see everyday
on any source of media. In the article by Ryan Holiday from the Activist Post, holiday exposes
the well known founder and creator of TechCrunch as being a master manipulator of words as
well as quotes him saying Getting it right is expensive, getting it first is cheap. These are
people who have shaped the way that we see the world today (What is Media Manipulation?,
Holiday)
Television conveys the same idea thought shows such as House of Cards and Scandal
show how people can manipulation situations, words, and media. In House of Cards Francis and
Zoey are the characters that portray this idea by only putting out stories that are promoting
Franciss ideas or putting down others around him that he is running against. An example of this

Comment [1]: I suggest that the last paragraph should

be your first to explain what you will be working on
before the examples.

Comment [2]: I believe this is your thesis statement. I

would put this paragraph at the end of your
introduction. Talk about House Of Cards, introduce the
show and explain more about it. Then talk about what
to you intend to talk about throughout the paper. I feel
like you talked about your thesis at the beginning and
at the end.

Comment [3]: You started your paragraph with

"Because ...", which I think is a good start but the
meaning doesn't sound right. There is no punctuation. I
think you should either change the word "that" in this
sentence into "of" technology ... and add a coma after
technology. I believe this will make it sound better.

Comment [4]: What type "idea" are you talking about?

Maybe you should go into more detail on what the
"idea" is such as what you described in the beginning
of the paragraph.

is when Francis leaks a running mates bill that makes him look like he is going against his
parties ideas therefore making the party turn on them. (House of Cards,2014) This happens in
real life as well as Want to Know found by talking to Many people from popular stations such as
Jane Akre from fox news. She states Wepaid $3 billion dollars for these station (Media
Manipulation, 2015) People everyday see this kind of media. In my interview with one of my
friends who is not involved in politics answered some of my questions about things he has seen
in media revolving around elections. He says that he can see many different ways that big
companies and politicians manipulate situations and stories that are told about them to the public.
(Payton, 2016) the younger generation seems to be noticing it more since we are now growing up
in a world revolving around technology. A Youtube that goes by the username of TeenTakes
made a video that explains different situation where people and situations have been manipulated
from the 1920s to present time. We see what is going on around us, (TeenTakes, 2015) Because
of this people believe that America have been sensitized to what is going on around us. The
Activist Post wrote an article about how TIME has changed the covers on only American issues
that depict the influence of stress where as other countries received a cover about the ongoing
war in Syria. (Activist Post, 2014)
While watching the debates you will often see the candidates add humor to what they are
fighting for to relieve tension and make them seem more likable for their cause. This a great use
of manipulation because without it we would not get along or believe in any of the candidates
unless you believed everything they think is right. Humor makes them seem more human and
likable. (How the Media Psychologically Manipulates, 2014) Media Manipulation has also
improved the way that Americans have felt about the country itself, including the creation of
Rosie the Riveter to encourage women's involvement in factories for WWI. (Media
Manipulation., 2006). Social Media is another aspect of media that can be manipulated but not in
a brainwashing way. People use this source as a way to communicate the way that perceive
things or just share things that they love. This is a way to add to the world in a non-manipulating
way. (Let's design social media that drives real change, 2015)


Entering the Conversation

For my study of media manipulation, I am going to conduct a study portraying how often
people have noticed information being manipulated in their day to day life. I will have a focus
group of at least ten people that consist of the employed, unemployed, minors, young adults, and
elders, as well as people from different regions of the world. The study will begin individuals
interviews where we will show them clips from different news stations and situations that
happened all over the world and as the group how the information in the video has been
distorted. After feedback has been collected, all participants should gather in the same room to
watch the same videos and talk about them together. By doing this some may change their
perspective of certain topics. This could be another form of manipulation of ideas.
After they have all talked about the videos or images in a group some wrap up questions
should be asked such as:
1. What other form of media manipulation have you encountered in either your life
experience of just from media in your countries?
2. What do you think makes others think that they have to distort information so that
they can get their point across?

Comment [5]: I am not sure to understand this

sentence correctly. Maybe you should reword it to
make it more clear and understandable to your
audience. Be careful in your wordings. People reading
your paper should be able to understand what you are
talking about.

Comment [6]: I'm not sure what your trying to explain in

end of this paragraph. Maybe you should make it more
clear on Americans being sensitized and using
transition words at the being of the sentence such as,
furthermore or moreover.

Comment [7]: This is a good start to end your Literature

Review section. I think it would be good if you can add
more to this. Maybe talk about how social media
influences the show itself.

Comment [8]: This is an excellent study idea. I think

you did really good on this section. You provided the
exact information your were going to conduct in your
study. You also explained what you were going to do
after you get your results. I enjoyed reading this
section. Well done!
Comment [9]: This study is done very well! I like how
you throughly explained what you were going to do and
your questions covered what your main point is about.

3. Do you think that because not all countries have they same access to technology that
media manipulation is perceived in different ways?
4. If information is not coming from mainstream media do you think that the
information is led distorted?
5. Do you think that our brains are programmed to automatically manipulation
information in our favor?
6. What events do you think cause more manipulation to be present?
7. Do you think Manipulation is more relevant to mass media of individual people
themselves.
8. How do you think this experiment has changed you view on media manipulation, or
has it at all?

After the experiment is over we would have all of the participants return for a follow up
conversation to see how their knowledge of media manipulation has changed and how often they
can spot distorted information. Because of the information we receive in this portion we can
work on how to solve the issue of media distortion and what facts people see it most from all
over the world. Some follow up questions would include:
1. Upon returning to your home country, how soon did you notice any distorted
information?
2. Have you shared the information you have learned with others that are close to you?
3. Did you find yourself becoming more aware of the information being given to you are
did you begin to ignore it more?
4. How do you think you receive the most distorted information?
5. Do you have any solutions to this problem?
6. How did you feel about people and their intention after this experiment?
7. Would you recommend that more information about this topic be more present in
your country?



Conclusion/ So What?
Throughout my research I have communicated with people around me of all ages and
gotten their input on how media manipulation has affected them in their day to day lives. We
have thought through way to come up with a solution a sensor how our media is being modified
before we receive it. Together we have noticed how movies and TV Shows have glorified what
media manipulation does and exemplifies how distorting information gives the impression of
power over others. After this research we come together to start a conversation about this topic to
inform other and defeat the ignorance that people that are unaware of the problem.


Work Cited

Unknown. "6 Examples of Media Manipulation." Activist Post. Activist Post, 2014. Web. 14
Mar. 2016.

Comment [10]: After this you should explain how the

end of the study went so it will make a smoother
transition into you conclusion paragraph.

Comment [11]: I think you should expand a little more in

your conclusion. I think it's a great way to some up your
paper, but I think it needs a little more put into it, such
as an emphasis on House Of Cards. This might be a
good wrap up for this whole paper.

Comment [12]: You only have 9 sources that you have

used we are suppose to have at least 10. It would be
best to find one more cite to complete the paper.

Shah, Anup. "Media Manipulation." - Global Issues. Global Issues, 17 Apr. 2006. Web. 14 Mar.
2016.

Holiday, Ryan. "What Is Media Manipulation?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 July 2012. Web.
14 Mar. 2016.

De Victoria, Samuel Lpez. "Media Manipulation of the Masses: How the Media
Psychologically Manipulates." World of Psychology. Http://psychcentral.com. Web. 14 Mar.
2016.

House of Cards. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016, from
http://www.netflix.com/watch/70248290?trackId=200256151

Mainstream Media: The Mind Manipulation Medium. (2013, March 16). Retrieved February 09,
2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccFRPbisCPo

Let's design social media that drives real change. (2015, December). Retrieved February 09,
2016, from
https://www.ted.com/talks/wael_ghonim_let_s_design_social_media_that_drives_real_change

"Media Manipulation." Media Manipulation. Wanttoknow.info. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Infographic: How Retargeting Through Facebook Exchange Works." Marketing Land.
Marketing Land Infographics, 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.