Mass Media Role in Shaping Public Opinion Depicted in Campaign Video Advertisement by Gillette

Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of discourse in mass media in shaping the public's attitudes and behaviors. One form of contemporary mass media is video advertisement. This research focuses on the portrayal of masculinities in a campaign video about gender empowerment, presented in the form of an advertisement product by Gillette razor company. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method to analyze and elaborate the data. The researcher applies Norman Fairclough's Three-Dimensional Model, focusing on the Social-Practice theory to narrow the scope of the study. The data objects for this study are Gillette’s advertisement campaign video which was uploaded on YouTube platform, and articles from various media websites. The findings reveal that the depiction of masculinities in the campaign video is divided into two aspects: positive and negative. The initial premise of the video is the negative masculinity of men, which then transitions to a positive representation. Furthermore, the researcher examines how media discourse responds to the campaign. The study discovers that each media discourse has a different point of view in responding to the campaign video, illustrating how media can influence the public's thoughts and opinions. The researcher concludes that mass media play a significant role in shaping public opinion and influencing readers. The discourse applied in online media articles has the potential to influence public opinion, reflecting the capabilities of the media and the motives of certain parties. Therefore, the researcher suggests that media consumers must be more careful in receiving information to avoid media biases.