This document discusses how media is used today and its influence on young minds and society. It notes that media usage has grown exponentially with technology and people now rely on media for daily activities. It also discusses how media influences young minds through advertising and exposure to violence in movies and television at a young age. While ratings systems try to limit inappropriate content, media still shows violence that kids may emulate. The document concludes that media is ubiquitous but can be both helpful and damaging, so people need to use it wisely.

1. Media and Its Effects on Society W200 Chelsea Carter

2. Contents How Is Media Used Today… -Used Today Slide 1 -Used Today Slide2 -Used Today Slide 3 How Does the Media Influence Young Minds? -Young Minds Slide 1 -Young Minds Slide 2 -Young Minds Slide 3 Effects of Violence in the Media -Violence Slide 1 -Violence Slide 2 -Violence Slide 3 In Conclusion Citation

3. How is Media Used Today… “In the last 50 years the media influence has grown exponentially with the advance of technology, first there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet.” “We live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction and do our daily activities like work, entertainment, health care, education, personal relationships, traveling and anything else that we have to do.”

4. How is Media Used Today… Many people start their day with waking up to an alarm clock. Then they may turn on the T.V. to check the news for weather, or they may sit down and read the newspaper. Then they might get into their car and drive to their job where the may use a computer to do their work. All of these things are typical forms of technology that we use on a daily bases.

5. How is Media Used Today… Many of us take the technology that we have available for granted. There was a time when technology was not available and people actually went on living their lives without cell phones, cameras, cars, and computers. I would say that we as a society are spoiled when it comes to technology. My thoughts: I personally could not imagine going through life without the technology that is available to us today. Then again if I never had it to begin with I might be okay without it. I think that technology makes life more complicated, but at the same time things get done quicker.

6. How Does Media Influence Young Minds? Children are introduced to Media at a very young age. Whether it be a T.V. show or movie that they enjoy watching, or a video game, or even a computer game. They choose which movies or games they watch or play by the advertisements that the media portrays.

7. How Does Media InfluenceYoung Minds? “The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to.” Today we see commercials about a certain product and believe everything we see or here. There advertisements is what helps us make our decision of whether or not to eat there, or buy their product, etc. For example: Many kids choose to eat at McDonalds because they use a friendly looking clown as their icon.

8. How Does Media InfluenceYoung Minds? Positive influence- some commercials promote healthy eating and exercising which is very important to everyone. Negative- some magazine ads will do anything to get people to buy their brand of cigarettes or alcohol. They will say anything to encourage you to buy them, “stronger taste, but it’s a light”. My thoughts: I can admit that I have bought products at stores because either I heard something I liked about it in a commercial or maybe because the packaging caught my eye. I think everyone could admit that advertising does sell.

9. Effects of Violence in the Media It almost seems that now days you cannot watch a movie without some type of violence in it. Movie directors realize that people like to see violence in movies therefore they use it to help the movie sell. This is not necessarily a good thing. Many kids grow up thinking that violence is appropriate and sometimes even act upon it at school or with their peers. Most kids watch a lot of television and movies and they may start to think that violence is okay and that since they saw it on their favorite movie it must be fine. What kids sometimes do not realize is that what they see in their favorite movie is probably fiction and unrealistic. It is often times a teacher will see a young student acting aggressive or being violent and we can assume that somewhere they saw this behavior and thought it was appropriate.

10. Effects of Violence in the Media To reduce kids seeing films that are inappropriate we have created a system of ratings in which is based on a persons age. “Ratings and advisories have been introduced to play a role in viewing decisions. Movies are rated according to their content. G, is for general audiences, PG, parental guidance, PG-13, Parental guidance for children under the age of 13, R, parental guidance for children under the age of 18, and NC-17, no children under 17 are admitted.” This has helped eliminate kids watching movies that are not on their maturity level, but as we all no there are ways to get around this system. My thoughts: I think that the rating system for movies is very appropriate and ethical. I do believe that no kid that is younger than 17 should be watching a Rated R movie no matter what their maturity level.

11. Effects of Violence in the Media Media does play a big part in showcasing violence but “we have to consider a large number of factors. It is going to take a lot more than rating, advisories, and cleaning up the T.V. schedule to deal and prevent the problem of violence in America. We should not blame television while ignoring our own responsibilities as parents, caretakers, and adults.”

12. In Conclusion… Media is all around us in our everyday lives. Some of it is helpful and useful while other forms of it can be damaging or lead to bad decisions. What we need to realize is what is important to us and how we can use the technology provided to us as beneficial to our needs.

13. >>Quiz Time<< 1.) What was the first type of technology used back in the day? 2.) What does PG-13 mean? 3.) What is the name of clown that is used for the icon of McDonalds? 4.) Name a time when the media had a negative effect?

14. Answers 1.) telegraph 2.) parental guidance for children under 13. 3.) Ronald McDonald 4.) Cigarette and tobacco ads.

15. Citation of Articles 1.) “Mass Media Influence on Society” Mass Media Influence.27 Jan 2010 <http://hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society> 2.) "Television and Media Essay - TV, Violence, and Censorship." 123HelpMe.com. 27 Jan 2010 <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=10384>.