Please help me check my IELTS Writing Task 2: It is becoming more and more difficult to escape from the influence of the media. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a media rich society on our lives?

There is no doubt that media is having considerable impacts on many aspects of modern life. This essay will analyse both positive and negative effects of living in the media era.

One of the biggest drawbacks of living in a mine of information is that it can make audiences confused. News on the same issue may be reported differently by tabloids and broadsheet at the same time. This will result in a confusion among news readers because they are not be able to identify which one is true. In other words, people are likely to face the problem of information overload. A further disadvantage is that the media could make people worried or even pessimistic more about their lives due to sensational and unpleasant news it broadcast. Breaking news on the homepage of most newspaper, for example, are usually shocking, and what often reported are about crime, violence and terrorist attacks. As a result, many people might be obsessed by these news, which will adversely affect their mental health.

Despite these downsides, the advantages that the media has brought to us should not be denied. The Internet and TV has clearly transformed the way people entertained. There are a wide range of selections for recreation purposes, ranging from listening to music, watching films and sports to chatting with friends through social networking sites like Facebook and Twister. These activities are great means of entertainment to alleviate stress and pressure from working and studying. Another obvious benefit is that the media is an invaluable source of knowledge. A huge number of lessons about various fields such as languages, IT and business, can be found on the Internet, where people access to broaden their horizons by themselves rather than attending traditional classes.

In conclusion, in spite of some potential problems in terms of news quality and personal life, the benefits of the media has been widely recognised in today's society.