In the last 50 years, media influence has grown rapidly with an advance in technology. First there was the radio, then the newspapers, magazines, television and now the internet. Today, we all live in a media-dominated world. Media is a way for the members of the society to keep themselves informed about what is happening around them. It is also the major source of entertainment. By creating an image appealing to the youth, media controls the variety of material youth incorporate in their daily lives. Their images, which mostly consist of sexuality, violence, coarse language and revealing clothing, have a negative impact on the youth. Media should be forbidden from advertising and telecasting shows pertaining to violence, sex and unhealthy living because it plays an important role in shaping the opinions of the younger generation.

Media violence has led to increased rates of youth violence. Exposure to violence in the movies, video games and music videos increases the likelihood of physical and verbal aggressive and violent behaviour, thoughts and emotions in youth. Researchers have examined various communities before and after the introduction of television, to find a link between violence and real-life aggression. They found that after the television had been introduced, the incidents of fists fights and black eyes among the youth had increased significantly.

The media has many ways on manipulating people’s insecurities about looks, fitness, and set up false goals for them to pursue in the attempt to become more “socially acceptable or desirable” by dictating a social standard for everything. Today, people are focused on looks that leads them into altering their appearance because of what advertisers are constantly showing how a person’s life should be. As women become more affected by the media, they have become obsessed with perfection that they will do anything to change their image. They will go through drastic measures such as starving themselves in order to look thin or going under surgery to get that so called perfection that advertisements often emphasize. Pictures of male models on ads have both expressed and challenged some of the assumptions of masculinity of men. It discouraged men from pursuing many positive traits that are perceived as unmanly such as, the ability to feel a range of emotions, including fear, hurt, confusion, or despair. Also, they are not encouraged to work cooperatively unless they are in control and not to seek for assistance because this represents a sign of weakness. Therefore, men who are influenced have low esteem and this can affect their life-style. Others will do extensive exercises to build up their muscles just so they can prove to themselves that they are no better than those models we see on the ads and some are so influenced that they turn on drugs such as steroids. These types of issues support the concept that advertising has a major impact on our social identities. Advertisement has altered people’s outlook about themselves that in results they become too focused on perfecting their image and obtaining the ideal look that many ads and commercials presents.