Can you hear me?

You are in a crowded audience. It’s hot. You don’t really know anyone and you aren’t really sure what’s going on. It’s like you’re in a mystery novel. You don’t know the conclusion. There are some muffled voices in the back and in the front. You look up and the sky is covered in sheer smog from the earlier storm. The air smells hot and wet, definitely not very pleasant. In the distance you can hear a microphones screech giving you shivers like a hand clawing down a chalkboard. Testing, testing; one, two, three. Finally there is hope, the fog starts to clear and the dark horizon is looking more and more like a stage. On it you notice your favorite band standing there, guitar in hand. Can everybody hear me?
The lights turn on and you are in awe. The music starts to jam and you start to dance. You finally realize where you are and you feel more familiar with the people around you. The speakers are the message, the speakers are the medium. Without the medium there would be no message, there would be no senses. No sight. No sound. No touch. No smell. No taste.
You are the audience of the Mass Media. You are the one affected by everything coming through that microphone. Everything you hear, everything you see, everything you feel, everything you smell, everything you taste is a product of media that has been presented to you. After years and years, you have become accustomed to this bombardment but you haven’t realized what it has been doing to you.
You have recently purchased a pair of skinny jeans, haven’t you? I know I have. You have checked your facebook at least three times today, haven’t you? I know I have checked mine more than five. You have listened to music at least once today, haven’t you? I know I have, I am even listening to some right now. I am actually listening to a song that my friend suggested I listen to. I found the song on MySpace and it’s the most played song on my iTunes already. I have even sent it to one of my other friends, and she listens to it all the time. Am I the Mass Media?
How many advertisements have you seen today? Television shows? Newspaper articles? Articles of clothing? You did get dressed, didn’t you?