There is a lot of media when you google the Dead Sea. You will find pictures, videos, articles and so much more. Many of these videos are advertisements showing the beauty of the Dead Sea and the Masada as a tourist attraction. You can find many videos of tourists floating in the sea due to its famous salty waters. Home videos of family trips scatter travel agencies and their websites. There is also media in your local Walmart or Target. Posters and signs that show the famous Dead Sea mud on the skin of tourists, that advertise the cosmetics from the area: aging cream, face masks, make up, lotion, and so much more. The Dead Sea is portrayed as a once in a life time destination, with many consumer benefits that you can take home as a souvenir.

However, the media does not cover something much more urgent. The Dead Sea is dying. The media covers this through activism groups like the Allies of the Middle East. They talk about the shrinking waters, but not in relation to consumerism. But they only have websites and very few articles that are well known to the local public. And even less known to the tourists and foreigners. Some of the people there are very reliant on tourism and in fear of bankruptcy there is little to no media coverage on the issue. Even the Israeli government relies on the tourism to bring in revenue.

The media has taken a very one sided position on the subject. Posters of women with less wrinkles and people of cured skin diseases scatter the area and hotels. Television advertisements show the sea as a destination and an unlimited source of products. Big businesses who have no heritage or connection to the sea or Israel sell these products all over the world drying up the sea and making it vanish within our lifetime. There are many pictures that show the shrinking sea over time, but it is never connected to the tourism industry.

Now the question is, why has there been no media coverage on the draining of the Dead Sea due to consumerism? The answer is simple, the people are dependent on the profits. However, the main people who are depended on the profits from the Dead Sea are the locals who live there. Many family owned hotels and businesses are being closed down due to foreign big businesses attracting all of the tourism. The big businesses can afford to purchase advertisements and sell these products all over the world. The locals who are unable to buy advertisements and ship out products are being forced to close down family companies and leave their spiritual home. The media is powerful and can be helpful, but it can also be very harmful.

 

This image is one of many that you can find that shows how drastically the Dead Sea is shrinking. And how likely that it will be completely gone within our lifetime.

This links takes you to a video that gives a perfect example on how they attract tourists. It gives a family appeal as well as a consumer appeal, and makes it seem as though the sea is infinite and will be able to support the consumer lifestyle forever.