Media educates, stirs discussion, and raises awareness.
One example is the book Under the Overpass. This book was a requirement for the freshmen, and it was thoroughly discussed in our College Experience class. There was also a chapel service where the author, Mike Yankoski, came to speak. Some background on the book: Mike and his buddy Sam lived on the streets for six months to understand what being homeless meant to its entirety. I read the book, and afterward my perception of homelessness was really changed. I had more compassion, for sure, and I wanted to do something to help.
A friend of mine is going to school up in Wisconsin. One night her and some friends were running around town, and afterwards she put up pictures of the night. They went rock climbing and out to eat, but before going back to the campus they walked around downtown. One of the pictures was of one of the guy's lying next to a homeless man who was rolled up in a sleeping bag on a stoop. The caption read something like, "random homeless man." And there were comments after it saying the homeless guy just pulled his sleeping bag up over his head and that it was so funny.
Before reading Mike Yankoski's book my first reaction would have been, "That so dangerous!" But my outlook completely changed, I really felt bad for the guy. He was just trying to lie down somewhere that he would be out of the way, and then a group of college kids come and make fun of him.
Media can be a good thing.
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