It is of no surprise just how much media has influenced the world through the exposure of diverse platforms spread out within the virtual realm.
“With 24-hour news channels, phones, the Internet, and television, young people are simply trying to figure out how they fit into this world, and they look for media for the answer.” says Dr. Sarah Vinson, a child, and adolescent board-certified psychiatrist. Hence we can figure out that media is a major influence that impacts the way the current and new generation are being raised.
However, media consists of both positive and negative aspects, which is why there have been many controversies regarding whether media is a good or bad exposure for the population- specifically the younger individuals who have been growing up immersed in the world of advancing technology.
And industry all-rounder, film, and T.V producer Yolandi Franken has been working in showbiz for many years now and has been actively involved in many projects that utilize media in the most effective ways to bring about a universal change within the public.
Keeping in mind the vast influence of media on people’s psychology, Yolandi firmly believes that media with positive implications should have more visual representation to bring about positive changes in the way we live our lives.
Of course, media is a powerful tool that can play a big role in making a change in the world as it holds the potential to transition towards a better form of ourselves.“Through entertainment and connection it is easy to educate ourselves on important matters and to introduce cultures to other.” says Yolandi.
Moreover, watching constructive visuals inspires us to become our better selves- such as watching a documentary of someone’s weight loss journey has sparked the motivation of many people who take the long-awaited step of starting their own weight loss adventure. Additionally, productive media has also helped us find parts of ourselves, such as hidden talent that we have never thought about in our life before.
Another wonderful thing about indulging in positive media is that it opens doors for us to connect with people who share similar interests. Many online film platforms have a comment section where people gather to communicate together and create networks with like-minded people. And the better company you keep, the further it brings about an improvement in our mental health.
Furthermore, works of media that relay powerful messages are among the biggest influencers that can change the way people think about certain things in life. Unfortunately, many of these projects are pushed back from the overwhelming exposure of other types of media that typically don’t have a positive moral behind their content.
For positive media to spread, it needs the chance to be seen by the world, and that is exactly one of the things that Yolandi hopes to achieve within the entertainment industry. One of her most notable accomplishments regarding advocating positive media is producing several movies with empowering messages- such as the ‘New Kid at School-Tokyo Cartel’ which talks about the struggles and adventures of a young mixed-raced kid in Sydney who has to battle against the Tokyo Cartel to save his father’s life.
Furthermore, she has also established a charitable film festival in 2014 called “Cause Film Festival” which continues to run to this day and accepts films with powerful and positive messages and uses the festival platform to help these stories be heard by people from around the world.