ABSTRACT

Communication is a very important tool in any relationships. By communicating, one is

able to say to another matters one thinks is important. Equally important is the chance to be

heard through communication. One of the most important features of communication is its ability

to inform people about anything through any forms of media. There are generally four type of

media: television, radio, internet and print. These are popularly known as the TRIP media. Media

influence the way most people see how norms, values and beliefs should be seen. Media have the

power to dictate what are the norms, values and beliefs. Because media are a powerful tool in

curving views towards the world, media practitioners must be careful in airing only the truth.
 Media was improved and still being improved through numerous technological advances.

Sociologically speaking, the media attempts to bring public participations in almost every aspect

of the society, with the purpose of the media being to inform. Participants in social movements

aim to raise awareness with regard to the cause of their campaigns. These people want to tell the

society or the world that the time is ripe for changes to happen, including elimination of racism,

sexual preference-based prejudice and inequality between sexes. However, no matter the cause

they are fighting for, only a small percentage of the American population actually take part in

social movements.

Taking part in movements would require efforts and time, which many Americans cannot

afford to give up except on their jobs. Also, taking part in movements is usually done out of free

will, thus participants do not derive monetary benefits but only altruistic feelings of being able

to help. It is important to open the eyes of the citizens toward the reality that needs to be

accepted and embraced eventually.

This is why it is important to take note of the modernization of the media, accordingly to

their availability for a specific time frame. Modern technology makes easier to use the media to

inform not only the locality but also the whole world. Because of the possibility of talking to

audiences from different parts of the globe, media theorist McLuhan said that we are living in a

“global village.”

By ‘increased communication technologies resulting in a “global village”’, McLuhan

means that two people on opposite ends of the globe each would be able to communicate with
each other as if they are within the same village only. Village is a small community where

inhabitants usually know each other. Through advanced communication technologies, people

anywhere can talk to other people, near of far, without difficulty. Long-distance calls, free video-

calls via Skype, chatting online on MSN, and sending e-mails among other modes of

communication truly make communicating anywhere in the world an easy possibility. Still,

despite the good intentions with the modernization in the communication industry, there are

people who abuse it and use it to victimize other people. The problem with global village is that

people tend to be relaxed and incautious with their privacy. Because talking to other people is

easy, many people use modern technologies to gain new friends, thus giving trust to other people

they do not really know personally. Many people are victims to online scams, fooled to giving

money or private information.

This was what former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to do with his

“fireside chats”, taking advantage of the radio medium to send out his message to the mass.

When Roosevelt was elected as president in 1932, he promised that he will restore the

confidence of the American people, especially as the country was experiencing the Great

Depression. Saying “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” during his first inaugural speech, he

was sending a message that people should trust him.

Because the country was suffering then, Roosevelt developed 15 major programs during

his first one hundred days as the president to help bring the country back together. These

programs were known collectively as the New Deal, which focused on three goals: relief for the

needy, economic recovery, and financial reform. One of these programs was the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC), designed to protect depositors in the case of bank failure. Civilian

Conservation Corps (CCC) is another program under the New Deal, designed to work on

projects in national forests, parks, and public lands. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration

(AAA), also under the New Deal program, was designed to situations of farmers during the

Great Depression providing them production limits and government subsidies. Industrial

problems were addressed through National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in June 1933. The

National Recovery Administration (NRA) was also created to stabilize business with codes of

fair competitive practice and to generate more purchasing powers by providing jobs, defining

labor standards, and raising wages. (National Archives)

Because the country was suffering and the people were untrusting, Roosevelt felt the

need to convince them to support the New Deal. He realized that he would the people’s support

to make the New Deal work. This is where the “fireside speeches” came in.

Roosevelt was not beside a fireplace when he gave these chats, but the term, coined by

Harry Butcher of BCS TV network, was used to give a more comfortable feeling with the

speeches. The radio was used to air these fireside chats because almost every household own a

radio, around which people would gather to listen to radio shows. The radio made the New Deal

very successful because people were informed of the new programs and details about it. The

radio chat made it easier for the people to get the news. Moreover, through the radio, people felt

that they were talking to someone very near to them, or even close to their hearts. In his fireside

chats, Roosevelt used very simple words to be easily understood, also often using examples to

make people visualize his ideas.

lack of knowledge. Although news was available through newspapers, many were illiterates then

especially among those affected by the Great Depression. But through radio, where the speeches

were read out loud, everyone can listen to the words spoken and be informed of the message

conveyed. The fireside chats brought he people not only around the radio, but also together to

build a very strong foundation for the nation.

Technology also helped John F. Kennedy won the presidency against Richard Nixon

during the 1960 presidential election. During the campaign period for the said election, the

highlights were the debates between Kennedy and Nixon. These debates were the first

presidential debates held on television, which garnered lots of viewers and there were four which

ran on different dates between the two contenders. Surely, the television was a technology which

shaped the success of Kennedy for the presidential position. Because people can see images on

the television screen, it is not anymore just about the message but also about the external or

physical appearance as well. During the first debate, Nixon was sickly as he just recovered from

his hospital confinement, as compared to Kennedy who appeared very relaxed on screen. It was

believed that Kennedy won the first debate based on the television-aired debate; however it was

also believed that Nixon won the debate for the radio listeners who did not take into

consideration the physical appearance of the debaters. However, there were an estimated 70

million television viewers for the first debate, while there were a smaller number of people who

followed the said debate only through the radio. For the second, third and fourth debates,

political analysts said that Nixon won over Kennedy, but there were only about 20 millions who

watched the three debates.

medium is considered as more exciting than the radio, the television was used to further the

campaign of both presidential candidates. Obviously, the television helped in the campaign, with

the highlighting of the much-celebrated presidential debates.

History. The Fireside Chats. Taken on June 13, 2012 from

http://www.history.com/topics/fireside-chats

Wikipedia. United States presidential election, 1960. Taken on June 13, 2012 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960#Debates

Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. Taken on June 13, 2012 from http://newdeal.feri.org/chat/chat02.htm

Webley, Kayla. (Sept. 23, 2010). How the Nixon-Kennedy Debate Changed the World. Time.

Taken on June 13, 2012 from

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2021078,00.html

1960 Presidential Debates. Taken on June 13, 2012 from

http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/debates/history/1960/index.shtml