Exploring the Allegory of the Cave: How Todays Media Shapes Our Perceptions

Abstract

Allegory of the Cave Allegory in the Cave In book 7 of the Republic, Plato describes the prisoners being in a state of contentment, knowing that all they were seeing was nothing but the truth. The prisoners in the cave only know and believed one side of the world. Other people in the background controlled the images that generated the shadows, and they knew well that these prisoners were nothing but idiots. Therefore, with this understanding, it would be fitting to ascertain that in today's contemporary world, people's lives are just like those of the prisoners in the Republic. The "Allegory in the Cave" happenings could be interpreted as what is happening in today's world. The meaning could be positive or negative, depending on where one is standing. There is the advancement of technology in today's world whereby the current century has been branded information age. But one may ask, are the people informed? And if they are, is the information correct, or is it doctored and distorted by a few individuals who make people believe what they want them to think (Zamosc, 2017). on the other hand, the media has altered everything favoring the government, and its citizens are only fed with one side of the story. In some countries, people believe that there is freedom of speech and freedom of information. But in the real sense, these are all one-sided. In this case, the media acts as the shadows in the caves. In a country like the United States, there is usually the availability of information that is generally facilitated by technological advancement. The information available makes people believe that they know all that there is to know, and there possibly could be no other thing to know. The information could be limited, giving a narrow view of the world and what there is to know hence making people content with what they have. On the flip side, the information could be inadequate and incomplete, or worse, doctored. The prisoner, in this case, could be the citizens seeing the shadows in the form of television sets, computers, and other forms of photography and social media. There have sprung applications like photoshops and editing that distort the truth in all aspects. The screen informs people that people try to display the world as it is, but there is much more to what is being said in the real sense. Social media has come with a new perception of the world, which has brought in addictions and other vices. Social media has come to dominate people’s lives and made them prisoners who have been confined to see the world and the environment at a particular angle. The media, in particular, have been controlled by governments through regulations to suit the government. Unfortunately, those against the government are punished. Prisoners who escape from their caves and come to tell fellow prisoners of the reality outside the caves are branded as enemies of the state and forced to flee to exile (Yonit and Iris, 2017). For instance, in China, there is no freedom of speech and information as is in America. Similarly, some African counties have leaders who rule by the iron fist, and anyone who tries to fight against the government is met by...