A Study on How Media Impacts Society and Whether Upcoming Media Professionals Should Use Media to Influence Others

Abstract

Every Kenyan listens to or watches different forms of media every day. Evidence indicates that an ordinary Kenyan citizen is accessible to media that may come in the form of print, radio or television. Besides, not only is every Kenyan accessible to media, but also a typical Kenyan spends several hours in a day to media. The increasing number of hours Kenyans spend exposed to some kind of media raises the question ‘What is the impact of Media in the society and how media use influences others.? The study aimed to identify university students’ attitude towards effects of media to societies and use of media to influence others. Thus, the paper begins with a literature review supporting the impacts of media in the society and how media use by professionals influences others. The sample size includes 150 students from University of Nairobi. The time frame for this survey was between September to November 2020 and a questionnaire was used to collect adequate data from the targeted participants. From the analysis, the results shows that media impacts society in both positive and negative ways, and many students are willing to use positive messages in media to influence others positively. The discussion and conclusion summarize that media professionals should appreciate media as a tool for transforming societies.