Are Americans influenced by the media to the point we are not really free thinkers?

Oh, we are all free thinkers, all right. But the media know many people will freely think what the media want them to think.

Yeah, but that goes on all over the world too. Take, for example, the case here in Argentina. People are going crazy for High School Musical for no reason whatsoever, and all they ever do is sing those stupid songs. Do they turn into individual thinkers by doing exactly the same thing everybody else is doing? Don't think so. Same thing with "Gran Hermano" (Big Brother). To my understanding, they also do it in other countries. It's a contest where they lock up a random group of idiots in a house and put cameras all over so that people watch what they do. That goes on in one channel 24 hours a day for about a month. Even when they sleep. And about 90% of Buenos Aires is watching that. I don't think that that 90% can be considered a large group of intellectuals.

I, fortunately, am a near exception (we all have some influence from the media) and pay little or no attention to any messages it tries to give me. If it infuenced me too much, I would not be writing this.

I would say many are....but I would also say if they are that easily influenced that far, they weren't going to be America's best thinkers in the first place. So not much lost there. I do think anyone who has access to the media is influenced by it, the extents just depends on the person...and maybe how smart they are.

I think we're very influenced by the media and the media has an agenda when it comes to politics. Also I feel that several of the tv shows are aimed at dumbing us down. Why? So we don't see the real issues.

I think so. It seems like to me people can't think for themselves anymore, they have to get a response from the media in order to make a decision of any type.

The rest of the world probably isn't as easily influenced, but I dk.

The brainwashing starts at home, it is then formalised in school. The media is a red herring issue.

I'd say that many are, I think we all should take what the media depicts with a grain of salt and decide for ourselves who we are, what we like, what we need, etc.

yes, but it's free media.

You can watch Fox News if you want more conservative point of view. Or BBC. Or French news channel, whatever it's name is.

yes

Yes and yes. More than most realise.