[Special Column] I'll buy your media experience.

① You are already choosing it.
② How much different people are we experiencing?
③ The answer is in '○○○' media experience.

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Often people get very uncomfortable when they hear that they are "influenced by others." The readers of this article would not feel better if they are told that they have been influenced by someone when making political judgments and that they have been persuaded by someone when buying things. Because people have to be the most autonomous by themselves when they make judgments or actions.

Even people recognize that they are barely influenced from outside while others are. According to Davison (1983) 'Third-person effect research,' people differently judge the impact of media depending on who the target of the message is. They basically think that the persuasive message of the mass media influences people, but they judge that they are not persuaded by the message while others are.

Likewise, people are reluctant to admit that their behaviors have been influenced by someone. Especially if the someone is the public or media with the characteristic of mass. In reality, however, an individual is a living being that influences each other in interaction with others (Fiske & Taylor, 1984). There is only a difference in recognizing or acknowledging it, and an individual's behavior, attitude, thoughts, etc. can be changed by the influence of others without realizing it.

Durkheim (1912) stated that the collective power of generalized other exists as a power for forcing an individual's actions from outside, and Mead (1934) also asserted that individuals were adapting to the responses of generalized other. The collective power of generalized other has only been extended to non-personal other as media has emerged.

The most representative example is a poll. Opinion poll is a representative way of showing opinions and experiences of the general public. The reason why people cling to the results even by raising questions about the method of measurement is that they are influenced by the collective opinions of others. Literally, in terms of 'majority' or 'aggregation', people are influenced by accepting them as the dominant. (Apart from acknowledging that they are being influenced by the results), think about yourself who checked the results of the polls and worried about others who would be affected by the results. Isn’t it familiar? It is similar that you were interested in the program by checking the viewer ratings.

So, do not be embarrassed or ashamed about yourself who are already experiencing someone from a long time ago. It is normal that people influence each other in interactions with others. What we need to worry is how to experience others' experiences.