To the Editor:

TV/radio/Internet venues are not your “friends”. They’re using you. They need you to serve them by tuning in and becoming the audience for their corporate advertisers. While you’re being entertained, they know you’re not analyzing the psychological tactics, emotional manipulation or subliminal language utilized by every channel or network. But I think you should; considering that all media operates on the necessity of getting you hooked in order to make a profit.

TV/radio/Internet venues have made use of politics to grab your attention in the same way they use violence, sex or reality shows. Media moguls do not care if you’re left-wing, right-wing or wing-a-ding as long as you stay glued to their channel. Trump turned out to be a cash cow for the media. He not only enjoyed being the center of attention. He was a brilliant experienced strategist who had spent his life using the media to advance his popularity and his wealth.

One of Trump’s clever strategies was to tell his followers to ignore “fake and corrupt” mainstream media. It’s an old media trick to claim to be the only source offering the true scoop. Nothing gets peoples’ attention faster than “I’ve got privileged information that I’ll only be sharing with you”. But Fox and conspiracy theorists are just using persuasion techniques like all profit-driven venues. Whether it’s flattery or hype, media sources survive by grabbing audience market share.

Anyone who doesn’t question the ulterior financial motivation behind every TV/radio/Internet enterprise (posing as “friends” and pocketing dollars) becomes their victim. Way too many people are scammed by the Internet, addicted to Twitter or caught in the TV trap. I think we all should disconnect (if we can) and break free of self-serving profit-driven media.

Martha Hodges
Massena