Understanding the grammar, syntax and metaphor system of media language increases our appreciation and enjoyment of media experiences, as well as helps us to be less susceptible to manipulation. One of the best ways to understand how media is put together is to do just that make your own personal video, create a website for your Scout troop, develop an ad campaign to alert kids to the dangers of smoking. Different people experience the same media message differently. Because of each individual's age, upbringing and education, no two people see the same movie or hear the same song on the radio. The more questions we can ask about what we are experiencing around us, the more alert we can be about accepting or rejecting messages.
Media are primarily businesses driven by a profit motive.
Likewise, we all know that commercials are part and parcel of most TV watching. Sponsors pay for the time based on the number of people the station predicts will be watching. Maybe it's not the way we'd like it to be but, in truth, most media are provided to us, as researcher George Gerbner says, by private, global corporations with something to sell rather than by the family, church, school or even one's native country, with something to tell. Media have embedded values and points of view. Only then can we judge whether to accept or reject these messages as we negotiate our way each day through our mediated environment.