Final answer:
The media influences through advertising by leveraging consumer vulnerabilities, potentially using subliminal messaging, and evolving with technology to engage interactively with audiences. The need for ad revenue also affects media content, promoting entertainment to attract viewers and advertisers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The media is influential through advertising for several reasons. Advertisements are often based on vulnerability and acceptance, tapping into the consumer's desires and insecurities in order to create a sense of need for a product or service. Additionally, while some advertisements may contain subliminal messages, the effectiveness of such tactics is widely debated. However, it is clear that advertisements are designed to catch attention; often by using graphic images, recognizable brand logos, and narratives that impact the audience emotionally. With technological advancements, traditional advertising has evolved, forcing companies to find new and innovative methods to convey their messages. This can include using various platforms, like social media, to engage interactively with consumers, contrary to the non-interactive nature of traditional ads.
Media companies are also influenced by the need for advertising revenue, which can impact the content they produce, often prioritizing entertainment and interest to attract a wide audience and, consequently, more advertisers. The advertising model highlights that media must entertain, inform, or interest the public to maintain a steady stream of consumers for the revenue.