Media is representative of the many aspects of our society today. Media is often used as a vehicle to deliver messages of reality that are often subjective or critical of our society. Revealing critical aspects of our society through media is almost like "cushioning the blow" of the realization of the aspect itself. Media is used to comment on the status and ideology of today. A topic extensively explored was the status of homosexuality in our society. Modern media is slowly progressing to allow these types to become accepted (or at the least, known) in society. Media lets the public know that the issue is there, and with these 'fictional realities' they suggest how they believe the public should react to the issues. 
One trend that was repeated through countless presentations was how stereotypes are being broken as our society becomes more modernized. In media we see various amounts of "blurred lines" when it comes to anything representative in our society. We have the blurring of Good vs. Evil, creating the Anti-Hero for example. We even have the stereotypes of man vs woman, and that we can see some very authoritative women and some less "manly" men. These shifts in the social paradigm can represent the growth of our society, as they begin to slowly become more and more progressive in their acceptance of radical ideas.
For the best and worst, I like to see this as positive and negative social commentary. Every media project has a message, and it will either highlight or obscure certain aspects of our society. For the negative side of things, I used reality tv series' such as Bridezillas to show how there is a capitalist social ladder still present in our society. Us "middle class" working people find enjoyment in watching the supposed "upper class" go through catastrophic events in what they want to be their "perfect wedding/party/life/etc." By watching these series', however, we're also almost admitting that the lives of others are genuinely more interesting than our own. This negatively reflects the inconspicuous effects that a capitalist economy has on our society. However positive comments can come through the media as well, such as the significance of family values. In shows such as All American Girl and Modern Family, we see the creators and directors glorifying the importance of family values.
