The Power of Media
Media is an important and powerful tool. Every day, people are affected
by the media images they see – sometimes they rush out and
purchase something, other times they are influenced to laugh and cry,
and sometimes the media even influences behavior.
In fact, media so influences behavior it is often directly used by the
government and public service campaigns to reach out and change
people’s behavior.

Think about it: Think about some current and ongoing public service
campaigns you might have seen on television, in magazines or online.
(Examples: anti-smoking, physical exercise, etc.) Name one campaign
that sticks out in your memory. What was it? Why was it impactful?
Did it change the way you thought or behaved?

Historical Differences
The fact is certain public service campaigns have made a huge difference in history. Look back to World War
II. A national ad campaign featuring “Rosie the Riveter,” a woman in work attire posing with her bicep flexed,
was launched in 1942. Posters and a wartime song helped lure over 2 million women into the workforce. The
effort didn’t just stop there however, national magazines led cover stories of women in war jobs; motion
pictures, newspapers, radio, trade press, and employee publications also showcased women at work. The ad
campaign was designed to enact social change. It took something that was out of the norm for the time period
– women working outside the home – and made it seem socially acceptable, and more importantly, patriotic.
The result changed American economics and family dynamics as women entered the work place in force.

Go Online
Visit https://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/The-Classics/(view)/list to view historic and impactful public service media campaigns,
including the “Rosie the Riveter” campaign. Which campaigns do you recognize? The point is, media
is a powerful tool for getting important messages across. It’s not just about laugh tracks or
social networking.

Think about it
As a youth, do you ever feel powerless? After all you can’t vote, don’t have a say in many things you do, and life
is mostly about school, friends, home, and hobbies. Would you like to make a difference? What issues spark
you?

It’s important to know that just because you can’t vote doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. Everyday youth
utilize the media to help shape the world around them. They find interests and issues to get involved in. In a day
and age when negativity surrounds youth and messages of teen angst, teen violence, and teen failure abound in
the news, youth are also finding ways to utilize the media to their advantage. And, with the Internet, never have
teens had an easier way to develop an audience and make a difference.
Youth are turning to media – video, audio, print, photography, online works, digital art, flash animation, and
more – to speak out and make a difference in their world.