Essay About Media Violence

Essay about Media Violence
Violence has been a contributing negative factor to society throughout history. Many researchers believe that the use of violent media, particularly
video games, play a huge role in the downward trend of behavior and attitude of youth, and that this behavior continues to spiral out of control.
However, other researchers believe that since violence has been occurring since the beginning of time, that adolescence are as capable today of
violence, as they were a thousand years ago. Research has been found to link violent maladaptive behavior to the use of video games, but other
researchers believe that the outcome is inconsistent to the findings, since the results are often skewed. Meta–analysis have statistically proven that
...show more content...
Two studies were conducted to compare and contrast video gamers' moral attitudes towards violence in video games, and to reveal whether this moral
attitude correlates to real life situations. Media Psychology purports that "In both studies, justification of virtual violence and user's trait empathy
determined guilt in a structurally similar way to real world scenarios" (g.
1644). Players, especially those who were empathetic, felt just as guilty engaging in virtual violence as they would have had if engaging in unjustified
violence in the real world. Research has concluded that violent media content is responsible for desensitization to violence, although those whom are
desensitized have no greater tendency towards violence.
According to Becker–Olsen (2010) desensitization to violence is "a reduction in emotion–related physiological reactivity to real violence" (pg. 85).
Those whom are desensitized show a greater tendency to viewing violence as normal, but out in the real world show no inclination to acting violent
because of the desensitization. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) reports that today's younger audiences are more desensitized to violence,
not solely because of violent content of media games, but because of a diet of violent television, movies and
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MEDIA VIOLENCE Essay
There's no escaping it! We can't run or hide from it because no matter where we go it'll find us. We're trapped! And the worst part of this scenario is
that we're addicted to it. Violence is everywhere and we all have an addiction for it. We're exposed to it in everyday and we love to watch violence on
television. There are many different representations of violence evident in movies and Television. Media violence can best be described in the words
of Gerbner and Signorelli: "Most research studies have defined media violence as the depiction of overt physical action that hurts or kills or threatens
to do so... It depicts social relationships that force to control, dominate, provoke, or annihilate. By demonstrating who can get away with...show more
content...
It is evident that there is an effect that seeing violence, even if it is fake violence, that leads people to express themselves differently whether it is
excitement, resent, or to be afraid of the scene (Berger 147). Here, I was inspired to create this part through a quote from Diane Brook's article, Rape
on Soaps: The Legal Angle. She stated that: "Perhaps it is not good to "scare" a woman into submission by visualizing the horrors of sexual violence,
but it suggests reason to open discussion and face–to–face encounters with victims" (Fineman and McCluskey 117). Essentially this quote is
commenting that the viewer is forced to see in the perspective of the victim or female regardless of their gender. Like TV programs I wanted the viewer
to see this piece as through a different perspective in order to recognize the violence inflicted on women.
The scenes in the bottom right corner are representations of rape. Rape is a common theme that is easily depicted on shows such as CSI and
Criminal Minds. I had to represent this aspect in my drawing because not only am I against rape but the vast majority of scenes in television are
often representing women being victimized. According to Brooks, rape that appears in soap operas or crime shows usually do not appear as an issue
but rather it adds to melodramatise the situation (Fineman and McCluskey 109). She continues to state that: "It provides a required base of "realism"
that is demanded by contemporary TV

Media Violence
There has been a rapid growth in the amount of studies performed designed to at looking at the potentially harmful effects of the consumption of
violent media and the impact it has on psychological factors. Two psychological factors that have been researched are empathy and aggression and how
violent media influences these two emotions. Theories that have tried explaining the pathway from the viewing of violence in media and the impact on
aggression have generally focused on the role of violent media being used by consumers as observational learning and promoting the development of
aggressive tendencies. It is thought that the exposure to violence and violent acts contribute to the development of aggressive behaviour (Anderson, et
al.,...show more content...
One literature review that has already looked at this is Wiedeman et al (2015) which investigated factors that could potentially influence the impact
that aggressive and violent media have on children. The purpose of their study was to discuss the relevant research that had been previously carried
out on the topic and examine if various factors could potentially impact the risk of being influenced by violent media. A few of the factors looked at
in their study and is relevant to this research report includes time that was spent watching media and the content of the media and how they influence
violent behaviour. They found that exposure to aggressive or violent behaviour whether it was for a brief period or a prolonged time, can not only
increase the level of aggressive behaviour shown, but also have an impact on the desensitization to violence and the suffering of other which relates
back to empathy levels. Another is Bartholow et al (2005) that looked at the consequences of the exposure to violent media to Empathy, aggressive
behaviour and the likelihood of having a hostile personality. The study primarily looked at the effects of violent video game consumption in children
up to seventeen years of age as they reportedly spend up to seven hours a week playing them. The researchers conducted two studies to examine the
link between violent

Media Violence Essay
Media Violence
Within the last few years, media violence is rapidly becoming a "hot" topic among many researchers and parents. The recent upsurge of violence and
shootings in our schools causes us to ask the question, " Who should we blame for the hostility of our youth?" There are obviously no easy answers to
this question, fingers may point to many different reasons. With the many different perspectives in this issue, I will discuss the three most important,
blaming the entertainment business, blaming the parents, and within the children themselves.
Many can debate that children are definitely affected by the movies, television shows, book and video games that the entertainment business throws at
them. For too many...show more content...
People can argue that watching violent movies and listening to music deemed "aggressive," can actually relieve some of the stresses of everyday
teenage life. If someone were to censor these things, then where would children turn to as an outlet? Parents must take responsibility and perform their
jobs as parents. It seems as though today that more parents are spending more of their time away from their homes and children, and doing other things.
Without obvious parental controls, entertainment is obviously going to cause children to stray in the wrong direction. It is up to parents, to sit down
with their children and to talk to them and teach them between reality and fiction. Children should know that just because certain situations on
television are dealt with in a certain possibly violent way, that that is not the correct way to deal with them in reality. Parents undoubtly hold the upper
hand, so why can they not monitor what their children are allowed to come in contact with?
One last perspective should look at the children themselves. According to The National School Safety Center, twenty– eight percent of school deaths
between the years of 1992 and 1999 was due to interpersonal disputes. In school shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO,
the perpetrators were both eighteen–year–old high school seniors. Most people would agree that at the age of eighteen, most people are considered
adults and in control of their own lives.

There has been far–reaching research on the link between televised violence and violent behavior amongst adolescents. Current studies have shown a
direct correlation between aggressive conduct and watching violence depicted in many media services and suggest that media is a variable that put
children at risk of aggressive behavior (Huesmann, Moise–Titus, Podolski, & Eron, 1992). According to the American Psychological Association,
watching playing violent scenes them on games and television, can desensitize children to the suffering and pain of others and may be a greater risk
of acting aggressively toward others and they're less bothered by violence in general and less likely to see anything wrong with it. Studies disclose that
children...show more content...
Many argue that media violence is at least partly to blame for the school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, Taber, Alberta and Erfurt, Germany.
Proponents of the idea that violence depicted on both television and video games affects the behavior of children state that, contrary to other beliefs,
these scenes teach a higher sense of the justification of the use of violence in different situations (Tompkins, 2003). It teaches that violence is a correct
avenue to solve differences, which is not an acceptable action within real life situations. The classic setting of using violence for a virtuous cause may
interpret in daily life into a validation for using violence to even the score against supposed victimizers. Consequently, defenseless youth who have
been maltreated may be tempted to use aggressive means to resolve problems.
The hero in most of these scenes also teaches them that violence has no consequences because he/she never gets in trouble for their actions. Most
psychologists agree that experiences teach children during their early years and have a longstanding effect on their lives. Toddlers between the ages of
eighteen to sixteen months are intelligent enough to comprehend the significance of the programs (Tompkins, 2003) that they watch and respond in the
same manner to both actual and acted violence since their link between dream and actuality is still not strong. Furthermore, toddlers between the ages
of three and five years are

Media & Violence Essay
Violence in the Media and how it Affects Society
The effect of media is profound and far–reaching. All over the world, the media influences our values and intrudes upon our deep–seated ideologies and
beliefs. Indeed the media has been a powerful force in influencing people's perceptions, and more importantly, their behavior as well. Business,
politicians, and showbiz personalities pay huge sums of money to media firms in order create an image or change an existing one. Politics in
particular, has been making use of the media to generate public support for their campaigns and support for certain policies and legislations.
Indeed, the power of the media to affect our behavior has long been proven. Among the most pressing...show more content...
from the National Institute on Media and the Family).
в–Є Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend more time exposed to various forms of media (TV, computer, game consoles, music, etc) than any
other activity in their lifetime. (Kaiser Family Foundation qtd. from the National Institute on Media and the Family).
в–Є Of over a thousand studies that have been done on the effects of violence in television and movies, majority of them conclude that individuals,
especially children who spend significant time watching violence on TV and movies are more likely to display aggressive or violent behavior, attitudes
and values. (Senate Committee; Congressional Public Health Summit qtd. from the National Institute on Media and the Family)
According to these figures, the younger the age of the individual, the more susceptible they become to the adverse effects of exposure to media
violence. (Trend 93) The aggressiveness are often latent and presents later in life which is adds to the difficulty of measuring the actual effects of
media violence. (Freedman 137)
Women who spend long hours watching TV violence are more likely to respond violently towards their spouses. There is an increase in physicality
among women with higher media violence exposure. (Partenheimer) In the same vein, men who

Essay about Violence in the Media
Some believe that violence in the media is to blame for violence in people, but that argument is undermined by the realization that violence existed
long before video games and television. In fact, violence has actually been steadily decreasing since these things have been growing in popularity.
Critics of violent media seem to long for the "good old days"; a time before there was violence in the media. These critics fail to acknowledge that
those "good old days" were actually far more violent than today. While violence is still present in modern society, it pales in comparison to the
violence that was once a part of daily life. For most of human history, people have lived lives dominated by violence. From primitive hunters...show
more content...
"Homicide rates in France, Germany, Italy and Japan either failed to change with increasing television ownership in the same period or actually
declined, and American homicide rates have more recently been sharply declining"(30). Despite the growth of violent movies, video games, and
television shows, or perhaps because of it, society as a whole has become a far less violent place than it has ever been before. Proponents of
censorship assert that violence in the media causes violent behavior in children and young adults. As evidence, they point to things like the Littleton
shooters' history of playing violent video games and movies and the similarity of the shootings to certain games. A study conducted by two
psychologists at the University of Michigan is often cited as having "shown that children exposed to violent programming at a young age have a higher
tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life than children not so exposed" (31). More in depth studies have contradicted these findings.
Another group did a study which followed 875 children from age eight through eighteen in upstate New York. The group concluded that "the
correlation–0.31–would mean television accounted for 10 percent of the influence that lead to this behavior" (31). It should also be known that this
"only turned up in one of three measures of aggression; the

Media Violence
Media violence is one of the most debated public issues society faces today. Television screens are loaded with the glamorization of weapon carrying.
Violence constitute as amusing and trivialized. Needless portrayals of interpersonal violence spread across the television screens like wild fire.
Televisions spew the disturbing events such as children being assaulted, husbands inflicting domestic abuse on their wives and children succumbing to
abuse by their parents. Scenes of betrayal, anguish, infiltrate the television screen. Unfortunately, a child becomes subjected to media violence.
Everything a child sees or hears in the media affects them in some way or another. The precise effects of media violence on children are...show more
content...
We as a society cannot succumb to believing such an opinion because we are very familiar with violence and criminal activity resembling something
from a movie scene or television show. Most violent acts shown on television go unpunished and are often accompanied by humor. Rarely does the
media display the consequences of human suffering leading a child accept its reality. Of course, crime can become the result of a number of influences
working together; even researchers point out the independent influence alone cannot directly contribute to the effect.
Evidence show children imitate aggressive behavior. Researchers conducted a study on students happening in the mid 1990's in Israel. The focus of the
study captured the effects of influence from children watching World Wrestling Federation (WWF) matches. The study revealed startling evidence
demonstrating the students in the selected schools developed imitative behavior depicting what they say in the wrestling matches. The children
practiced banging heads, throwing opponents to the floor, jumping onto them from furniture, pulling hair and poking their eyes with fingers. No
surprise when about half of the responding principals reported that these new behaviors resulted in the use of first aid. In addition, the study found one
fourth of the reported injuries required emergency room visits or other professional medical care (Dube, 2000). In yet another

Essay About Media Violence

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Essay About Media Violence