...Media being the largest agent of socialization plays a significant role in the society we live in today. It molds some of the values people accept. Media is all around us, from the shows on television to the books we read each day. However even with its perks, it has both positive and negative effects. Some people wonder if the negative effects dominate the positive effects. One might say it causes violent and harmful behaviour on our youth as many studies have attempted to show this link. Another might say, it leads to desensitization due to its gruesome effects on the teen brain. Some people are concerned with the negative connotations that media has, as they believe it might negatively shape one's perception of the world. Media violence can have disastrous effects on teens as this type of interaction can cause harmful behaviour, desensitize teens from other violent stimuli and lead them to perceive the world more negatively. The majority of youth retaining any form of violent stimuli via media can result in harmful behaviour shown and/or cultured in many forms. Many studies have proven that interaction with violent stimuli, especially in youth, can result in aggressive behaviour. Virginia Tech Research Division showed some students a number of non-violent movies preceded by an extremely violent one. The end result was an increase in the number of hostile behaviour among those who were exposed to the violent stimuli . This showcased that even with the majority of exposure...
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...depicting violence on television with reference to effects theory As the development of economy and technology, there are many diverse forms of media in the digitized twenty-first century, including TV, radio, newspapers, and the Internet. Especially the television plays such a significant role in the lives of modern citizens nowadays. However, it may cause some negative aspects such as the television violence because children who watch violent television shows are more likely to commit crimes than those who do not (Marc, 2001). In this essay it will attempt to bring these claims into perspective and discuss critically that the consequences of depicting violence on television with reference to effects theory. The structure of the paper is as follows.How television violence affects children will be firstly presented according to the hypodermic needle theory. Subsequently, it will illustrate the impacts of depicting violence on TV by uses and gratifications theory and media cultivations theory under the conditions of media content and audience variables. Firstly, it is generally believed that television violence can result in the real violence and aggressive behaviour (Mcquail, 2005).Through statistic analysis, children can spend more time watching television which can reach twenty five hours per week than other activities (Violence on prime time broadcast TV 2001). Besides, a large number of violent programs are showed in television nowadays (Children and TV violence 2011)....
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...desensitized and obsessed with violence. As each game becomes more real and more acceptable children are unable to disconnect fact from fiction. Today’s video games have become an ever-rushing stream of death and gore; they have become a part of our culture, and have caused the modern young person to become more aggressive and less respectful of life. Every red-blooded American kid has played or interacted with violent video games at one point in their life. Children seem more technologically savvy and more adept to the virtual world as computers and other electronic devises become more mainstream and relied upon they also become cheaper. Unlike generations in the past, where only the affluent could afford such technologies, they now are available to the masses. It seems as if every household in America knows of XBOX, Playstation, or Wii -with that they probably own one or two of these systems. With the video game systems becoming more prevalent they also become the household norm. When children used to get bored or restless they would use their imagination, maybe go outside and build a tree fort or play "Cowboys and Indians". However, today's subdivisions are becoming devoid of children outside and instead of playing tag they are in front of the T.V. playing the latest "Desensitization-Station" racking up their " Kills" on the latest first person shooter. America is infatuated with video violence. As children go through life and see violence in every aspect of their lives...
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...Violence in Mass Media There are many positive and negative aspects to mass media. Many people have chosen to study how violence in media has caused severe problems on people’s lives. It has been found in 80 percent of American television programs contain violence and children unfortunately, are unable to tell the difference between real violence and “fantasy” violence (Partenheimer). Children even under the age of 12 go home every day after school and watch television shows, play video games, or watch movies that have some degree of violence. Video games which are highly coveted by most children, are targets for violent behavior. When a child sees a game that they think is cool because it has fighting in it, the parent goes out and buys it not knowing the long lasting effects it may have on the child’s behavior. Violence in mass media should be better monitored by parents because it increases aggressive behavior through imitation, desensitization, and provoking sleep disturbances. There has been an increase over the past decade in children’s aggression because of violence and multi-media. Children imitate almost everything they see. Based on experiment conducted by professor A. Badura, children are influenced by things that they see other people do; especially authority figures (Muscari). Violent actions promotes negative behavior because that is what they have learned from their favorite television show or video game. Professor L. Rowell Huesmann, of the University of...
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...Media and Youth In today’s world, it is hard to imagine life without technology. While there are still many adults who can remember life without the smart phone, laptop or tablet, the youth is a different story. Desensitization to violence is a subtle, almost incidental process which may occur as a result of repeated exposure to real-life violence, as well as from exposure to media violence. Emotional desensitization is evident when there is numbing or blunting of emotional reactions to events which would typically elicit a strong response. Cognitive desensitization is evident when the belief that violence is uncommon and unlikely becomes the belief that violence is mundane and inevitable. Emotional and cognitive desensitization to violence decrease the likelihood that violent behavior will be either censored or censured. (Funk, 2004 p. 3) Although violence and sex have always been a part of every culture, the youth of today are more exposed to it than before through the different types of media. The advancement of technology continues to increase as the need for constant connection to the media enhances. However, through this technology, the media has become a normalcy for today’s youth, which includes all of the negatives that go along with it. Over the years, the youth have become desensitized to all of the violence and sex in the media. Music is now and will always be the largest media influence. Unlike visual media, music is a strong mental force that also connects...
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...When Children See Too Much While violence is not new to the human race, it is an increasing problem in modern society. With greater access to firearms and explosives, the scope and efficiency of violent behavior has had serious consequences. We need only look at the recent school shootings and the escalating rate of youth homicides among urban adolescents to appreciate the extent of this ominous trend. While the causes of youth violence are multifaceted and include such variables as poverty, child abuse, family psychopathology, exposure to domestic and community violence, substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders, the research literature is quite compelling that a child's exposure to media violence plays an important role in the origin of violent behavior (Watson). While it is difficult to determine which children who have experienced televised violence are at greatest risk, there appears to be a strong correlation between media violence and aggressive behavior within vulnerable "at risk" segments of youth. Children spend more time in front of the television every week than they do on any other activity except sleeping (Muscari 31). Exposing children to violence can desensitize them to violence and cause them to act more aggressively. To understand human attraction to violent entertainment, it is necessary to look not only at, but beyond, the mass media. Depictions of violence, bloodshed and death are not new, and they certainly are not a product of the electronic...
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...states of sympathy and empathy, and desensitization enveloped the camps. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night shows how desensitization leads to a state of indifference towards violence enacted upon others through the use of man vs. society conflict, situational irony, and imagery. The consistent nature of the conflicts between a prisoner and the twisted society around them creates an indifference to the violence brought upon others. For instance, on the train...
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...Do Violent Video Games Lead to Real World Violence? ABSTRACT As our society becomes more reliant on technology and the mass media, the notion that the media may have a profound influence on people has become more prevalent. Research into Media Violence and its effects on values, beliefs and behaviour has been well documented over the past 50 years. This systematic review, looking at both research reports and other relevant literature relating to the topic explores whether or not violent video games lead to real world violence. This topic has been selected due to the unique participatory nature of this type of media. The review demonstrates the inconclusive nature of the research on this topic. It focuses on the short term and long term effects possible while also investigating the need to consider alternate explanations to violent behaviour in children and youth. The review concludes with suggestions for further research. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Children spend an increasing amount of time playing video games with the majority of them violent in nature (Huesmann, 2007). Players participate in and create the violence, often receiving reward for their violent behaviors rather than negative consequences (Funk, Baldacci, Pasold & Baumgardner, 2004). The area of violent video games in regards to Media Violence is relatively new with somewhat limited research as video games have only been available to the general population since the 1980s. It is however in...
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...VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA OF AMERICA JEFFREY MUHLNICKEL MR. DAVID KERWIN EN 1320 AUGUST 27 2013 Many Americans feel that the viewing of violence in the media reinforces negative behavior in society, especially among children and young adults. "Three thousand studies have been done since 1955 on the link between television and violence; 2,980 of them found a correlation between the two. We hear little about that because we get most of our news from television" (Peterson). With this much research one must acknowledge that there is a problem in America involving sex and violence in the media. We cannot blame all societal problems on the media and its portrayal of these issues, but we can become educated, ourselves, in order to better facilitate the healthy lives of our children. "Violence grabs the headlines, but violence itself is a result of a society that promotes selfishness, greed and instant gratification" (Peterson). Violence on public television often catches us in a serious debate. Concerned parents fear that viewing inappropriate images presented by the media will corrupt America's youth. They cringe at the idea of our nation's children growing up to be vicious killers due to the brutal violence often seen on TV. Some blame television for most, if not all, of the ills of society and its children. "Truly it accounts for about 10 percent of violence, which means that 90 percent is caused by other things," Leonard Eron says. "Violence is a multi-determined...
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...Running head: Does Media Violence Promote Aggressive Behavior Does Exposure to Media Violence Promote Aggressive Behavior? Valerie Bean Psychology 150-107 October 29, 2011 Abstract There have been many studies done on the effects of media violence exposure and aggressive behavior. First the term media violence needs to be examined. What form of media violence is perceived to be the most influential? There are television shows, movies, music, news shows and newspapers, video games and cartoons. What type of violence such as, murder, rape, bullying, or theft is the public more apt to associate with and be affected by? Should a look at how true violent crimes are reported by the media also be considered? Last we should also look at statistics of rising population and families that have more than one income to survive now compared to 60 years ago. The term “media violence” is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as: Media – Plural of the word medium which is the means of communication, such as radio, television, newspaper, magazines, music etc. that reaches or influences people widely Violence – an exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse; injury by or as if by distortion infringement or profanation; an intense, turbulent or furious and often destructive action of force. Does Exposure to Media Violence Promote Aggressive Behavior? There are many forms of media and different ways they can influence behavior. Researchers, Politicians, Psychiatrists, and...
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...and other electronics and social media are raising our children. Todays children spend so much time playing video games, surfing the net and ‘playing’ on social media, they lack many of the normal developmental aspects that are needed for appropriate entry into society. On the contrary, children that are spending more time on video games are becoming anti-social in the best case, and in the worst case, violent. I believe that it is important to actively raise children with parental love and Gods moral compass. Children today spend a large amount of time on the internet, social media, and game playing. This is a distinct difference from what has happened a generation ago. “Young people now devote an average of seven hours and 38 minutes to daily media use, or about 53 hours a week -- more than a full-time job -- according to Kaiser Family Foundation”. (Rubin) In previous generations, without internet, children would go out and play with one another. Riding bikes, playing hide and seek or just being outside was the norm when the previous generation was young. Bonnie Miller Rubin states in her LA Times article that children are spending more time inside. They are playing video games and not going outside at all. It is a major problem with the kids of all ages. It is usually video games with younger children. She also says that the problem persists with older children as well. Older kids are using their time to update their social media on their cell phones. Finally...
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...Assignment 2: Aggression and Violence in the Media Dr. Santiago Strayer University Social Psychology 110 May 30, 2015 1. Briefly describe at least one (1) episode of a television show in which you observed aggression or violence. Sons of Anarchy is a crime drama television series about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club in Charming, CA. In one episode, the mother of the president of the motorcycle club shows her aggression and violence towards her son’s wife. During this episode, Tara wants out of this lifestyle and is threatening to take the couple’s two sons with her. At the same time, the DA is threatening to put Tara in jail if she doesn’t give them information on a recent school shooting that the MC was involved in. Eventually, Gemma goes after Tara and hits her with an iron. Then she proceeds to hold her head under a sink full of water while repeatedly stabbing her in the head with a barbeque fork. Gemma showed aggressive and violent behavior because she was scared to lose her son and her grandchildren. 2. Identify the context in which the character(s) demonstrated aggression or violence. Include the gender, age, and culture of the character(s) involved in the aggressive or violent act(s). In this particular episode, both Jackson and Gemma Teller demonstrated aggression or violence. The main character is Jackson Teller character. He is in his mid-30s, over six foot tall, and has several tattoos of his clubs logo. The episode was based...
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...With the information provided, researchers predicted the violence in media would make people, “comfortably numb,” in which makes people less willing to provide aid when they witness a person in pain; this is also known as desensitization. The independent variable in both studies is the violent and nonviolent, in either video games or films. Study 2 has an additional independent variables, which is whether the participants witnesses the injured scene before the movie or after. The dependent variable for both studies is emotional and physiological reactions, such as the helping rates, the amount of time it takes for the participants to help the injured person, whether participants reported that the heard the fight, and the severity rating of the fight. In Study 1: the independent variable is operationalized by; having two stimulus material, where participants are dividend into two groups...
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...At a young age, children's minds are sponge-like, absorbing everything that surrounds them, which makes them easy targets in terms of manipulation and victimization by the medias constant influence. By the time of adulthood, individuals are already under the influence of the mass media. Society appears to have a subconscious fixation with the mass media, resulting in individuals becoming desensitized to violence and to be detrimental affected. Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists all obtain different beliefs to provide reasons to why violence continues to be a predominant factor in today's culture. The media promotes violence, and can be blamed for awarding violent behavior like in the cases of Columbine and Virginia Tec, who both received tons of exposure. Violence is a primary component of several individuals’ lives, especially in the youth culture, as many turn to the media for a sense of direction, resulting in them resembling the images they view, shaping their behaviors. Desensitization is a psychological development that has frequently been implicated in explaining viewers' unemotional reactions to the medias constant portrayal of violence (cite). Societies continuous exposure to the medias violence results in desensitization, which causes undermine feelings of concern, compassion, or empathy that individuals may end up having toward victims of actual violent acts (cite).The average child between the ages of eight to eighteen spends approximately forty-four...
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...How Media Effect Children Franchester White Eng/101 September 7, 2014 Karen Strimkovskey Is your child safe? As a parent, you always want to know what your child is watching on television. The media is a powerful tool that doesn’t always teach a positive lesson. Media have provided the means and opportunity for children to distort reality into fallacies through television and video games. While media programs have a negative effect on children, there are some positive programs. The largest amounts of violence are found in children shows. Children between the age of 2 and 18 spends 6 hours and 32 minutes on an average a day using media with the exception of sleeping this is more than they spend on any other activity. When multiple media is stimulated, this time is increased to 8 hours a day. Big parts of media exposure are violent acts that are also witnessed in video games. On an average, a young child will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television (TV). Exposure to violent media wrecks havoc on thoughts, feeling, and most importantly, behavior. “The Influence of Media Violence on Youth,” a report appearing in the December 2003 edition of “Psychological Science in the Public Interest,” points to strong evidence points to the exposure to media violence causes boost in physically and verbally aggressive behavior in children. “Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior...
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