Paper Summary:

This paper makes the argument that the media (represented by television, movies and print) creates a distorted perception of the distribution and means of acquisition of wealth in society. By feeding the often escapism-based fantasies of the paying public, the media provides through its services more of a fantasy-based depiction of wealth than one more grounded in reality. The paper shows that the public embraces this depiction, as it selectively prefers to be subjected to these unrealistic fantasies as a means of escaping from the mundane realities of everyday life.

From the Paper:

"How does the media shape and define our perception of poverty and wealth? As a profit-driven business enterprise the media is driven by public demand. To provide a final product that is most suitable for the majority of individual consumers is the goal. Such pressure tends to shift the focus of the media away from a duty to educate and inform and towards an obligation to entertain. Consumers will spend more dollars on services that amuse, distract, and entertain them than on services that will inform, stimulate, or challenge them. Hence, in its depiction of wealth and its accrual and distribution, the media is biased towards feeding the escapism-based fantasies of the public. It is skewed towards representing people in television, movies, and print media as wealthier than their real-world counterparts would be, and is also negligent in demonstrating what is typically required to acquire such wealth in the real world."

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