Does media really have an effect on us?

I think that media is one of the main components in our society. Think about it, everything that we do has had an encounter with what we saw on the media. Whether it be, newspaper, television, or Internet, media is everywhere.
I didn't really realize this until it was brought to my attention, but media really does shape who we are and what we want to be in most cases. It has an affect on our decisions and our point of view, whether we believe it or not. In my opinion, Pop Culture is the biggest "media junkie" of them all. Trendsetters set the tone for people amongst society and whatever the celebrities are doing or promoting, in most cases people will buy into that product or go with mainstream flow of what the certain celebrity is doing.
Media does have an effect on the younger generation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it (media) has to be taken away. Sure in a lot of advertisements we see a bunch of fast food ads, a bunch of sex or sexy ads, and alcohol ads, but that doesn't mean that it is all bad. When it comes to allowing what kids watch and see, I think that decision and responsibility falls on the parents and controlling what the kids watch. Ads are going to sell their product with commercials on the station that suits the best for its product and some programs clearly state the age limit for viewers yet, people still complain. It's simple, if you don't want you kids to watch, act like, dress like, or be like what they saw on television or the Internet, don't let them see it.