Are American Values Shaped by the Mass media?

After reading chapter 1 in our book Taking Sides I found it really interesting how much media is apart of our lives today. The reading made me question myself whether my values have been shaped by mass media and after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that mass media has curved my values in one way or another. For example, MTV has shows that encourage dating, fashion styles, and partying and I can honestly say that from watching those shows when growing up it made me think that those were the right values to have and that was the way I should live life. James Carey had some good points about why the media doesn't affect our values, but if you think about it the media and technology run our lives. We turn on the TV to see whats going on in the local news and their broadcasts are usually favoring one side over the other, which then causes us to follow the same values as the broadcasts because we trust that the news is always right. Also the computer has completely changed the values of many people. Before cellphones it was unacceptable to answer the phone when talking to someone or eating at the dinner table, but now a days people are texting underneath the table while eating and answering their cell phones whenever they please. The media has completely changed the rules and boundaries of peoples values and I know for a fact it has had a huge impact on me and it will probably still have an impact on me forever.