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This critical analysis points out key assumptions regarding the video above. 

Firstly, the scene opens with a man walking in a specific direction but when the car rolls down the street, he immediately runs in the opposite direction. This gives me the impression that the man is a victim who is running away from someone. The second scene further specifies where the man is running towards to – which judging from the video, is towards a man holding a suitcase. When the man holding the suitcase turns around, the man running towards him immediately takes hold of the suitcase, as though he intends to steal it. Based on the following events, my first deduction has been replaced by the perception that the man ran not because he is a victim, but the robber. However, in the last scene, which presents the entire picture of the story, we can see that the cement was about to fall and the man holding the suitcase might have been caught up in its ruins, but the incident was prevented due to the man running and saving him from the mishaps. Subsequently, my first two assumptions did not cover the entire landscape of the story, for, in truth, the man ran not because he is a victim nor the robber but the hero. 

I think this video is a definite example of how the media twists things and employs different perspectives. More often than not there have been many occasions when the media chooses not to show the full picture and having been equipped with this knowledge, I believe it is not smart to put one’s trust in the media when there have been countless times they distort situations to benefit other parties. This also goes beyond what they manage to control – such as the case when a short video is presented or not, I stand by the fact that these shreds of evidence are not considered as strong evidence since it is always one-sided. 

Back to the video above, we can see how capable the media is of taking one side of the story and destroying someone else’s credibility to influence varied opinions. For instance, if the media only showed the first scene of the story, newscasters and tabloids would have issued the man as someone whose life is under threat as the man broke into a run when the car rolled by. This will influence the people to sympathize with the man and deduce events as to why the man was being hunted. If the second scene was the one released, then this will influence the citizens to think that the man is a thief. Had the third scene been the one that was released, this will incite positive feedback as the public perceives the man as a good citizen who had prevented an unlikely incident from happening. 

As a digitizen, one must be equipped with the entire picture first before judging and accusing someone. There should be a clear perspective where that judgment is based; lest you fall victim to media manipulation, or there I say corrupted media. Moreover, one must amplify their capability to assess information and see whether or not the media is trying to dissuade them. This will be helpful and beneficial in the long run as they can evaluate and appraise information without getting lost nor manipulated easily. Last but not least, we need to keep in mind that there is often more to the story than what we perceive it to be. Hence, developing careful judgment and critical thinking skills is a crucial approach in identifying biases, portrayals, and prejudices in order to avoid being manipulated by the media.

Heydearquency (2020). Media Manipulation [Video]. Tiktok. Retrieved from https://www.tiktok.com/@heydearquincy/video/6885295277113216258?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6906690531662611973&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0