Brittany, 17, Michigan

Media has a way of affecting people’s lifestyles. We all see these things around us that seem to tell us how to live our lives. When we see something on TV it has a way of getting to our brains. It’s on TV, so it must be true, right? Wrong.

Recently I experienced this first-hand. It started with the newspaper, and then it went to the TV. My Dad was completely put on blast for something he didn’t do. I come home one day to find out my dad’s gone. I heard all these things about how people we loved and were so close to us, had suddenly turned on us and were telling terrible lies about the man I admire so much — all out of bitterness and greed. There were terrible accusations of him abusing elders, stealing money, lying, and scamming innocent people. I knew it wasn’t true. The only thing he had done was made more money than his permit covered. I also knew he was in the process of getting the license that would cover that.

I had witnessed personally, the people lie about him. It wasn’t a matter of who I believed, it was that I had seen with my own two eyes what had really happened. I had been there when everything happened. I knew the truth, and then witnessed the people who were supposed to be close to us lie — and get my dad sent to prison. The point of that being, no matter what the truth was, once the media had caught wind of it they immediately put it on TV. They didn’t care that they were misinformed, and that they were ruining an innocent man’s life. They just wanted to cover their story.

I watched the strongest man I know, fall apart before my eyes time and time again. I could do nothing to stop it. Everyone believed what they saw. It was destroying my family. My mother was without her husband at home, my dad was in prison without his family, and I was forced to stand and watch everything disintegrate around me. I was angry all the time. I wanted to go after every single person who had hurt me. I was lashing out, and saying terrible things to people. I just wanted it all to stop, because I felt like the world itself was ending. This all being because of what was in the Media. Believe it or not, the media does affect relationships. In my case, it brought us closer. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss my dad. When I talk to him on the phone, I’m grateful. When I actually get to see him, I make every second count.

Other ways I’ve seen media affect relationships, is how you see everyone striving for perfection. When I see commercials for weight loss, or something to get rid of acne, or dating sites. There are so many different things that put pressure on teens. No matter how much you love yourself, there’s always this pressure to be perfect — like we have to fit a certain mold in order to fit into society. There’s really no way to avoid it. When people are put into positions like that, it stresses every relationship they have with everyone. There’s always this problem where you feel this pressure to be what the media tells you that you need to be. No matter how we may agree or disagree, it’s what we see as right and wrong.

The media has a way of forcing society to believe whatever they say — and that can damage people’s perspective of the world. It can tear apart relationships by feeding people lies. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Telephone by Jon Burney Attribution License

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Teen Writers

Tags: Bullying, Family, Media, Relationships, teens