Media is the most trusted institution in Lithuania. Why is it so? Maybe because media influence the identity of society?

People are quite silly animals who do not know what and who they are. From the birth mother and father have to prove them that they are humans, boys or girls, Lithuanians, Americans, Japanese, etc. Parents influence the identity formation until certain age, when young person goes out to society with his own rules and exceptions. Then society makes one bad, good, metal music fan, and bookworm, Don-Juan, etc. But where does the society receive its values and principles? Does it create them itself? Hardly believable that society can create values itself, unless it is really isolated. As Lithuanian society is far away from isolation, various ideas are coming from East and West cultures with the help of media, of course. What is the exact role of media constructing the identity of Lithuanian? First of all, media introduces some values and views, which are taken by society and believed to be true or at least discussed. Some of these values and fashions become stereotypes spread widely in the society. For example if the couple of designers are gays, media gives a lot of attention to these people and soon the stereotype that all designers are gays is vivid in society and considered to be absolutely true. The same situation can be found in the other areas, but only media is responsible for new stereotype creation. As mentioned, media also gives some values. If newspapers, radio, TV and online media say that Lithuania should enter European Union because culturally Lithuanians are European, people begin to believe that they should be Europeans. In this case, still there are the opposite opinions, so people try to choose their own ideas about entering EU issue. The processes of persuading society in one or another issue and value by media can be called the manipulation of society. Media manipulates it. For example, if there is one bad guy who did some illegal stuff, to destroy him forever is to show him as the worst criminal and society believes that he is bad and awful. This can lead to the pressure of local community. The media in this case becomes an awful weapon. This is if we are talking about local Lithuanian situation, but the media of the world can be worse than all the nuclear plants of the world. Some people say that media is the “fourth power”. Actually media now is the first power, but rather unofficial. Only media has the right to criticize the Government, President and Court. Why is it so? Because media is trusted to be the “Watch-dog” of official state authorities because it shows how bad they work, how corrupt they are and sometimes how they make good decisions. On the other hand, newspapers, TV, Radio and Internet fit society’s needs for information. If people want to know more about the corruption of high officials, their personal life details etc., newspapers are ready to provide them with this kind of information. Of course, people will pay for it, and this is really good for press as a kind of Service Company. Another important reason why media is so popular in Lithuania (about 75% of all population trusts it) is the great role of newspapers, radio and TV in 1988, when media anonymously was shouting that Lithuania was a free country and it should be such again. Actually media united the society of Lithuania, persuaded, that living in Soviet Union wasn’t the best way of nation existence. People until now cannot forget these 14 people who were killed defending the TV tower in Vilnius in January the 13th, 1990. Then soviet troops tried and succeeded to occupy the main source of freedom thought – Lithuanian National TV broadcasting tower. Also they succeeded to occupy the Press House also, but the press continued working in underground in extreme conditions. These events are not so old and still alive in society minds. Now when political situation of Lithuania is rather unstable people expect the media to say who they are, what they want from life, what the main values are. In old democracy states such as the Netherlands, Great Britain the state defines and influences the identity of society. Still in Lithuania media is more powerful and will remain for some time. Our democracy is just more than 10 years old. More about media in Lithuania