By: Isaiah Robinson (9th grader)

The issue in this current prompt is how an individual’s culture, values, experiences, and perspectives influence media? Some argue that a person’s culture does not affect how a person lives and views their life. However, I aim to show that a person’s culture influences how a person views the media, what media they watch, and how much media they consume.

A person’s culture can undoubtedly affect their lifestyle and affect their beliefs when their religion and traditions from youth program them to live a particular lifestyle different from other individuals. Someone strictly religious may view their life as spiritual, while someone who isn’t religious may view their life as ordinary. A person’s culture and traditions can also influence their beliefs and opinions.

For example, a Muslim person may hold certain beliefs about the LGBTQ community and other things such as rituals, religious bibles, and food.


Let’s look at the perspective of a Christian. A Christian is bound to have a different lifestyle from someone who may not be religious and out of touch with their culture. They may do certain things like pray before they eat or listen to certain music without profanity. A Christian may also have different opinions on specific issues globally, such as the LGBTQ community. 65% of Christians are frequently spiritual(pewforum.org).

Overall, the Christian life is more of a spiritual outlook.


Media is a potent tool in today’s day and age. Everyone interprets different things depending on what they believe in; a person who stresses the 2nd amendment may see gun control as outrageous while someone racist may see the Black Lives Matter movement as pointless. Culture very much defines our outlook on life and the opinions we form. Individual experiences will affect how we see things.

From 2013 to 2017, white patients in the US received better quality health care than about 34% of Hispanic patients, 40% of Black patients, and 40% of Native American patients(dosomething.org). Statistics are affected by how certain people grow up. Some doctors may have grown up to learn that African Americans don’t deserve the same treatment as White people do.
A white male who was taught that African Americans are deficient will believe certain stereotypes about African Americans. He may start reading articles about how the Black Lives Matter movement is useless. He may even begin spewing hate on social media by using racist remarks; this is a perfect example of how media influences how someone views media.

Almost everyone views the media daily. Looking at what has happened around the world has become a part of many people’s routines. Culture plays a significant role in what someone strongly believes in; when someone believes in something related to their culture in the media, they are most likely to consume more of that specific type of media. For example, An African American against police brutality will most likely consume more media related to that topic.

After analyzing the information displayed, we can conclude that culture and beliefs can significantly influence individuals and how they view the media. Culture also affects lifestyle, what media they intake, and how much media they are consuming. Culture not only affects a person’s personality, but it paves the way for future generations. Regardless of what we believe, we should support each other and teach each other about our cultures and the road we took to get here.