by Lulu

Created on: February 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

People are voyeuristic, even if we don't want to admit it.

The more sensational or graphic the article or topic, the more likely we are to want to read it.

This is why we tend to slow down at accident scenes, we want to see.

There are certain things that capture our attention and the media know this, they have done their research so that they can manipulate us and make money from us.

Newspapers, magazines, television shows, news broadcasts - the people behind the stories and the shows provide the market with what they want, and what we sometimes want is to know the drama that is affecting other people so that we can feel better about our own, rather small problems. As mean as it seems, I think we all feel that way at times. We feel overwhelmed by our debt or stress about the party we are planning, then we read an article about a murder or terrible scandal in the family of someone in the public or political arena and our stress seems to abate for a while.

If it bleeds, it leads. If you don't like it, don't buy into it, walk away from the newspaper or magazine stand, or turn off your television.

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