Television
screens are often filled with the images of exotic locations and promises of
unbelievably low travel costs. These advertisements do their best to make
travel appealing, however, international travel rates have still dropped over
the past few years. Although many factors could be involved, the media has had
a large influence on this decrease in international travel in the United
States.
The Numbers
Statistics
certainly support the idea that the media influenced this drop in international
travel. Consider the following numbers.
- 2002: the number of US Residents
traveling overseas dropped 7%
- 2003-2007: the number of international
travelers continually increased by 4-12% each year
- 2008-2011: international travel rates
began to decrease once again by 1-5% per year (International Trade Association)
There
were no historical events that could have had such a great impact on airline
travel, however, the news’ exaggeration of terrorism and an influx of terrorism
films could certainly explain this drop.
News Bias
The
bias of the news has a great impact on how the public views travel. News
stations tend to try to outdo each other by finding the most outrageous and
exciting stories to get people’s attention. In doing so, they often exaggerate
the truth to appeal to the emotions of their audience.
This
is fine for many subjects, but when it comes to terrorism, a matter that is
already frightening and emotionally stimulating, it can make the public feel
even more fearful and threatened. For this reason they are less likely to
travel, especially outside the country, where they feel terrorism is more of a
danger.
Fear-inducing
films
It
is also no surprise that people view other countries warily when the movie
theaters are filled with films such as:
· Vantage Point
· Traitor
· Body of Lies
· Taken
These
films all focus on terrorism and make the public even more afraid of
international travel. For example, the premise of Taken is
a teenage girl who goes to Paris with her friend. There they are kidnapped by
human traffickers. This sends the message that foreign countries are extremely dangerous,
and that Americans can be victimized more easily there.
Here is a trailer which illustrates how these movies cause fear.
Here is a trailer which illustrates how these movies cause fear.
Figure 1. Taken Trailer. 2009. Video. Youtube.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg>
Through dramatic news stories and
fear-inducing films, the media makes people feel more threatened and is
therefore influential in the decrease in international travel. It is impacting
our views of other countries negatively and forcing United States citizens to miss out on enriching
and eye-opening experiences that visiting other countries could offer them. The media greatly affects many things, and in this case, our desire to
and concerns about travel.
Works Cited
International Trade
Association. "2011 United States Residents Travel Abroad." July 2012. International Trade
Association. Document. 30 Oct. 2012.
Taken Trailer. 2009. Video. Youtube.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg>
Your topic is interesting, and I think you had a really effective format by using headings, bullets, and color really well. I was confused when you said "there were no historical events that could have had such a great impact on airline travel," because your statistical data of a 7% decrease in 2002 could be a direct reflection of the very real and unexaggerated terrorism of 9/11 the year before. You bring up terrorism later on, but I think that your logic would be benefitted if you specifically took into consideration the aftermath of 9/11. Other than that, I thought you chose good points, and supported them well.
ReplyDeleteI should have been more clear with the statement that you mentioned. I was referencing only the last bullet which showed the decrease in travel over the last four years. I also originally addressed the effects of 9/11, but I think it somehow got deleted when I changed the format to bullets. Thanks for the feedback!
DeleteI liked the argument. At first I was kind of lost wondering why do I care, but the Taken and movie references did made me relate and understand where I have seen this in the media. One thing thought that I think would have been good to bring up is the economy. Cause I know that for my family travel was deterred more for lack of finances that fear. I think this is something that effected other families too and could greatly strengthen your argument if you were to address it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think the economy is the main counterargument for my claim, and I will definitely include that in my final paper. Thank you for bringing that up!
DeleteAt first, I honestly thought I was going to have no interest in your post. The titles for each of your sections are straightforward, though really didn't catch my attention in any new and exciting way. I felt like they did you a great injustice, as your content and argument was very interesting! I liked how you incorporated color into the presentation of the post. I'd like to think of referencing some outside video/picture as a sort of grabber, and by the end with your "Taken" reference, I was definitely interested. If you could have incorporated it just a tad earlier, it would have been even more effective. Lastly, I was a little confused at the first introduction to the concept of terrorism; I didn't know where it came from. If you mentioned in your introduction how you were going to specifically address the concept that media creates fear of traveling in viewers, that would get rid of any and all confusion later on. Great job, you sound like you know what you are talking about!
ReplyDeleteI didn't put much effort into my titles, but I should have tried to make them more interesting. I also agree that terrorism should have been mentioned earlier. I was just unsure how to introduce it without making the reader confused about what my topic really was. Thanks for your feedback!
DeleteI really enjoyed your topic! There are some things that I would add to make a better point besides film bias. I would also look into taking the stance of the media showing the devastation of 9/11 and how that affected international (or even national) travel. Otherwise, I believe that your points were made well, and your use of video enhanced the fear that the media was trying to create with film bias.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern with adding more about 9/11 is that it will make it seem like my topic is more about terrorism than international travel overall. I will have to work to find a way to compromise the two in my final paper. Thank you!
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