VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA In recent years we have witnessed an alarming increase in the crime rate, especially among young people. We have been left shocked and at a loss to find explanations for why teenagers rob and blackmail, why young people commit physical violence, why children become murderers. Some people place the blame on the way violence is represented in the media and, as a consequence, demand that there should be stricter controls, or even censorship, put in place. However, this way of dealing with the problem is not undisputed. It is necessary to take a closer look at whether or not violence in the media really is responsible for this development and then to examine what censorship may entail before taking such a far-reaching decision.
The increase in violent crime by youth is an alarming trend that has many contributing factors. An environment where violence is fed to our youth daily from all avenues including, home, school, and the media can only reinforce the concept of violence as the answer to our problems. Who has the answer for such dramatic damage in our society? Experts who have studied youthful offenders state that most of them grew up in broken and abusive families marked by drugs and alcohol, violence and mental illness. Abuse at such an early age can lead to aggression and violence (The New York Times, 2000).
The daily news escalates the problem by showing terrorist attacks and car bombings. The government needs to impose stronger regulations on violent medias. The violence from the media influences children’s actions and behavior. Violence originates from the feeling of aggression. Mass media influences people to take their aggression out with physical violence.
Violence in the Media Violence can be found in almost every form of media from TV to video games. Does this violence impact society? How do different forms of media violence effect society? How are different age groups affected differently than others? There are many implications on society due to violence in the main stream media.
Violence is everywhere in the world it can either be in wars, fights or even in homes. In the novel Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard violence is an important theme as the book relates to the Troubles in Ireland. In the novel violence portrays an important part and has many effects. For example violence, breaks friendships, causes many deaths and can split households apart. Firstly violence can break friendships.
The quantity of crime and deviance articles in the media is at an all time high, Williams and Dickinson’s found that 30% of articles in the newspaper are related to crime and deviance, leading to moral panics and the creation of folk devils. The high levels of interest in crime and deviance leads to a misleading picture of crime levels as a result the media have been accused of over representing violent and sexual crime. This accusation is supported by research completed by Ditton and Duffy who found that 46% of reports within the media were related to violent or sexual crime. Also the media have developed a stereotype for criminals and victims, portraying them as older and more middle class as apposed to the members of the criminal justice system Felson calls this the “age fallacy”. The bias that the media place on police statistics make it appear that the police force are more successful than they truly are, creating misleading statistics.
Major Causes of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Derek Swader HS350 History of the Middle East 24 June 2008 The Arab-Israeli conflict is without question one of the most volatile and dangerous events on the social, economic, and political landscape of the modern era. One only need to pickup a newspaper, turn on the television, or log onto the internet to see the daily confrontations taking place within the Middle East. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the ultimate “catch 22”. The problems which accompany the issue stretch far beyond just the regional conflict. The issues affect populations world-wide and are widely publicized in the media.
Many people attribute the increase in violent youth to the increase of violence in the media. There is a common belief that television, films and video games are to be blamed for making children deem that violence is not only acceptable, but a necessary way of solving conflict. Some blockbuster movies that top the charts tend to be action-packed, such as the Terminator in 1984 or films about superheroes that save the day by destroying the villains. Superman, Batman and Spiderman are the perfect examples. The youth are then influenced by observing these behaviours and mimicking the actions of these so-called heroes.
Therefore, they display higher levels of antisocial, violent and/or criminal behaviour. The implications of cyberbullying depend on the severity of bullying they have experienced (Brighi, 2012). The more frequent and severe they were bullied, the higher possibility of being unsociable, violence and committing crimes. For instance, victims were at the centre of attention when they were publically humiliated, they felt embarrassed and shameful, ultimately, they alienated themselves from the society (Sonja, 2011; Slonje & Smith,
Every day, teenagers all over America use some source of mass media. Using media is their way to communicate. Whether they are reading a newspaper, checking their smartphones, browsing the internet, or watching television, they are communicating in some way. By consuming the different forms of media, we can discover important events, news, or just find some entertainment to pass the time. Even through all the advantages the media makes available to us, the media also has some negative sides that can be harmful to the younger generation of Americans.