When people think of the media, it is not something that people regard as unimportant or insignificant, yet the wide-reaching potential of media seems to be passively ignored. Even though it is a hugely important fact, it has the ability to envelop us while remaining completely invisible and unattainable from us.

Though numerous new forms of media emerged in the 21st century, television, radio and newspapers are the three that had huge significance in the 20th century and continue to be recognizable today, even though the former is probably the only one adaptable enough to suit the new age. Media is taken for granted, therefore we don’t really allow ourselves enough time to process the information we are given, nor can we be such critical consumers of the media in such a short time. The media can manifest rumors which negatively impact an individual in an instant, which can take up to years for the individual to regain all the credibility lost in that simple moment. Furthermore, despite it being falsified and being merely a rumor, people walk away from the issue never really taking time to think the other way around and criticize the media outlet. During 9/11, a huge part of the world is under the influence of the US media, greatly increasing the risk for transmitting manipulated information. And although it is not to say that the “facts” from the accident they presented were necessary “wrong”, the political implications afterwards (you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists) are undeniably aided by media. The branding and division of a “them” and “us” was made clear, and with the Bush administration’s especially tough stance on foreign policy, they intended to polarize their targets in black and white instead of the pluralized grey.

The implications of the media made things easier and harder at the same time. It eased confusion for the “passive” citizens in isolated countries, which, after seeing things presented as “America vs the terrorists”, had a really easy choice to make – to either side with a superpower or something that can destabilize their countries as well. On the other hand, it’s hard to locate “terrorism” on a map. Post-Cold War politics unleashed many new hidden traps, small conflicts and unexpected surprises everywhere, which after two decades could be argued as more vulnerable and dangerous than the more simple bipolar politics of the Cold War. When terrorism is not an actual enemy and al-Qaeda is not a state, where are you gonna point your fingers to? Well we already saw how they did it, albeit through media.