 Dear students, in this module, we are going to discuss mass media as an agent of socialization. Mass media such as television, movies, social media, advertisements, they are important agents of socialization, as they provide messages, different forms of images that shape individuals' attitudes, beliefs, and values. Mass media has become an important agent of socialization in today's world. In the traditional word, let's go back a little bit. 25 years ago, this conventional media, especially television, it was considered an important agent of socialization. However, in the modern word, we see that people are more into the social media as compared to those conventional means of communication. And in Pakistan, mass media might play a role in shaping ideas about beauty, gender roles, and different cultural identities. You must also see that there are many beauty products and advertisements because of which we have a sense of ideal beauty that is constructed. The ideal images of beauty are the desirable standards for us, which are forced to use different beauty products to achieve them. Similarly, there are different gender roles. In terms of gender roles, we also see that male and female domains are specified. The effect of modernization on the media is that the media also re-exerts this modernization by reflecting the modern gender roles. For example, if you look at the latest ads, the male will also help out the female in household chores, like washing dishes, cooking, cooking, etc. or the other household chores. On the other hand, we look at the female. We look at the roles specified in the male and the female as a professional in certain roles. All these different aspects that are specific to different genders traditionally, conventionally, we look at them in the modern society through media and see how they are transpiring in one domain, in the other and in the other domain. These gender roles are being switched in this way. In terms of different cultural identities, media plays a significant role in terms of cultural identities. It is not necessary that you consider a specific country or a specific origin as your identity. Along with this, there are many cultural, regional or universal identities that can now be a part of your personality. For example, in the virtual world, we can make multiple identities, construct them, and deconstruct them. Modern word is a mosaic of the amalgamation of different cultural identities. And mass media also provides information about certain social issues and can influence the public opinion and political attitude. Regarding social issues, media also provides awareness for us. It launches awareness campaigns. We are aware of how certain social issues are important to think about and to mobilize yourself to act against those issues. For example, drug abuse, poverty, urbanization, and more importantly, road safety. The media provides a platform for us that provides information about different social issues and can also be used for awareness. In addition to that, mass media can also affect individuals' health behaviors such as smoking, diet, and exercises. As mass media is being produced, a kind of lethargic attitude is developing in our youth. Living patterns are changing. They are less into the physical exercises as compared to the time spent on mobile phones and they are less engaged in physical exercises. Social media and mass media create positive effects and they also have negative effects.