If you're reading this...I have your consent.

Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion is a tough and long read but he has the old-age lingo, the new-age idea and he provides an interesting and detailed point of view. To me, the most attention-grabbing of these is his idea of “manufacture’s consent.” Manufacture’s consent involves the media receiving “consent” from the daily consumer through the interaction each consumer has with their medium. In Lehman’s terms: if I sit down to watch the Discovery Channel tonight I am “telling” the gatekeepers I enjoy their product and, by interacting with this media, I am also helping the company to succeed which will, in turn, cause them to continue to produce their product.

Media and their imposition of “necessary illusions” keep the power in the hands of those who are educated, informed, and specialized; otherwise known as the “elites.” Lippmann believes it is impossible for American society to know what is in the best interest of the public. This is the reason for manufacture’s consent. It is simply a hidden way of hypnotizing the public and receiving the approval they need to keep doing so from the patron.

It is true that we in a way are our own gatekeepers. Through selective exposure theory we may not interact with media that is not congruent with our thoughts and it is still our choice with what medium we choose to participate. However, the gatekeepers still control what is on those mediums, the control of which starts at the very top with the elite.

The greater part of our class has dealt with selective exposure theory and gatekeeping theory because all media tends to be connected with the two. As previously stated, we do have the choice of what medium to use, what shows to watch, what radio station to listen to, etc. but we do not have the choice of what is put on those mediums. Gatekeeping theory states: “the people who hold decision-making positions in our society actually select the information and ideas that will be allowed to pass through the ‘gates’ and be incorporated in our culture.” Walter Lippmann tells us that by interacting with their products we are giving them the consent to continue to produce them, therefore giving more power to those already in power by allowing them to persist in putting pictures in our heads.