VIOLENCE IN MASS MEDIA 1

Violence in Mass Media

Baolien Dang
Mass Communication and Its Impact on Society
JOUR 2
Instructors Name: aride! Dada
Date: June 2"#$%
VIOLENCE IN MASS MEDIA
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PART 1: INTRODUCTION
&!e term 'Mass media( re)ers to a range o) tec!nologies t!at include *ut are
not limited to tele+isions, radios, ne-spapers and )ilms among ot!ers ./*arra, et al,
200123 &!e main reason )or t!e in+ention, continued use and e+en impro+ement o)
t!ese tec!nologies is due to t!eir in!erent a*ility to reac! numerous num*ers o)
people t!roug!out t!e -orld .Murray, 200123 In spite o) t!is )act, t!e actual e))ect o)
t!e content o) mass media on t!e *e!a+iour o) t!e recipients !as *een a +ery
contro+ersial issue3 &!is !as *een especially so -it! re)erence to t!e role o) mass
media on t!e escalating le+els o) +iolence -it!in t!e society today t!roug!out t!e
-orld .erguson 4 5il*urn, 200623 7!ereas t!ere are t!ose suc! as 8lato t!at t!in9
t!at mass media is to *lame )or t!e aggression *eing -itnessed in society today,
t!ere is also t!e argument t!at +iolence is in no -ay related to t!e content o) mass
media in t!e -orld today .Bryant 4 Oli+er, 200123 &!e purpose o) t!is study is to
pro+ide an opinion concerning t!e role o) mass media in t!e +iolence t!at is
*ecoming increasingly pre+alent in t!e -orld today3 &!is -ill *e done *y e:amining
*ot! sides o) t!e contro+ersies
PART 2: Violence in Mass Media Promotes Violence in Society
Ma;ority o) t!e proponents o) t!e t!eory t!at +iolence o) mass media is
responsi*le )or +iolence in t!e society are social scientists and academics3 Various
studies !a+e presented statistics as e+idence )or t!e correlation *et-een +iolence in
t!e community3 &!ere are t!eories t!at !a+e *een de+eloped to e:plain t!e
trans)erence o) +iolence )rom mass media to indi+iduals in t!e community3 &!ese
include t!e social learning t!eory, t!e social cogniti+e t!eory and t!e catalyst model3
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&!e social learning t!eory is *ased on t!e Bo*o Doll e:periments t!at -ere
carried out *y <ntonio Bandura3 In t!ese e:periments, c!ildren -ere le)t -it! a Bo*o
doll in a room a)ter t!ey !ad *een s!o-n a clip -!ere a model *eat t!e doll3 &!e
c!ildren *eat t!e Bo*o doll ;ust as t!ey !ad seen t!e model doing .Bryant 4 Oli+er,
200123 It=s t!ere)ore suggested t!at any +iolence t!at is s!o-n on tele+ision -ill *e
copied -it!out >uestion especially *y t!e younger c!ildren3 &!e social cognition
t!eory is a deri+ati+e o) t!e social learning t!eory t!at encompasses elements o)
learning, priming, desensitisation, arousal and e:citation .erguson 4 5il*urn, 200623
&!e desensitisation part o) t!is t!eory is considered particularly important in
descri*ing t!e role o) mass media in +iolence3 In an e:periment, teenagers t!at !ad
*een e:posed to +iolence in +ideo games -ere less a))ected *y a +ideo o) real li)e
+iolence3 On t!e ot!er !and, teenagers t!at !ad *een playing non+iolent
+ideogames -ere more a))ected *y grap!ic +ideos3 &!e catalyst t!eory proposes t!at
e:posure to +iolence on mass media among ot!er )actors is to *lame )or +iolence in
society ./*arra, et al, 200123
Statistically, it !as *een s!o-n t!at c!ildren t!at are e:posed to +iolence +ia
mass media on a daily *asis are also more li9ely to engage in +iolent and aggressi+e
acts on a daily *asis3 <dditionally, studies !a+e claimed t!at indi+iduals t!at are
e:posed to +iolence on mass media are more li9ely to engage in +iolence -!en t!ey
are adults, Bill Clinton, JD, %2nd US 8resident, said in !is <pr3 2%, $666 8resident=s
Radio <ddress )ollo-ing t!e Colum*ine ?ig! Sc!ool s!ooting in @ittleton, CO: A<s
?illary BClintonC pointed out in !er *oo9, t!e more c!ildren see o) +iolence, t!e more
num* t!ey are to t!e deadly conse>uences o) +iolence3 No-, +ideo games li9e
DMortal 5om*at,E D5iller Instinct,E and DDoom,E t!e +ery game played o*sessi+ely *y
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t!e t-o young men -!o ended so many li+es in @ittleton, ma9e our c!ildren more
acti+e participants in simulated +iolence(3 &!e Colum*ine ?ig! Sc!ool
massacre -!ic! occurred on <pril 20, $666 in Colum*ine, Colorado, t-o senior
students, Fric ?arris and Dylan 5le*old, murdered a total o) $2 students and one
teac!er3 &!ey in;ured 2% additional students and t!e pair t!en committed suicide. &!e
massacre spar9ed de*ate o+er )irearms and gun +iolence in+ol+ing yout!s, teenage
Internet use

and +iolent +ideo games. Remar9a*ly, aggressi+e c!ildren t!at are not
e:posed to +iolence in mass media rarely e+er *ecome +iolent adults3 <not!er
instance t!at may demonstrate t!e po-er)ul role o) mass media in +iolent *e!a+iour
is t!e Marilyn Monroe e))ect .Bryant 4 Oli+er, 200123 &!is is a situation -!ere*y t!e
num*er o) suicides t!at are reported a)ter t!e suicide o) a !ig! pro)ile indi+idual rise
e:ponentially )or t-o -ee9s a)ter t!e e+ent3
PART 3: Violence in Mass Media Does not Promote Violence in society
&!e ot!er sc!ool o) t!oug!t as )ar as +iolence and mass media is concerned
claims t!at t!e +iolence t!at is depicted +ia mass media is not su))icient to cause
+iolence -it!in society .Sa+age 4 /ancey, 200123 Just li9e t!e ad+ocates o) t!e
t!eory t!at mass media !as a role to play in +iolence -it!in society, t!ere are
t!eories as -ell as statistics t!at !a+e *een put )or-ard3 &!e most popular t!eory in
t!is area is t!e moral panic t!eory3
<s mentioned earlier, t!e +ie- t!at societal +iolence can *e directly lin9ed to
mass media e:isted e+en in t!e days o) 8lato .erguson 4 5il*urn, 200623 &!e moral
panic t!eory proposes t!at ne- in+entions in !uman societies are o)ten met -it!
negati+e sentiment3 In todayEs age, e+en t!e sc!olars suc! as t!e social scientists
and t!e academia !a+e *een accused o) possessing t!is sentiment .Bryant 4 Oli+er,
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200123 &!is is in opposition to esta*lis!ing )acts as t!ey are *y consulting -idely and
*y carrying out scienti)ic studies3 Ot!er t!eories t!at are o)ten used in support o) t!e
)act t!at societal +iolence is related to mass media +iolence !a+e *een discredited
)or +arious reasons .?op), ?u*er 4 7eir, 200123 &!e social learning t!eory is
discredited on t!e *asis o) BanduraEs e:periment3 &!e Bo*o doll e:periment !ad
*een criticised on grounds t!at t!e c!ildren in+ol+ed may !a+e *een moti+ated to
please t!e researc!er3 &!e social cognition t!eory !as *een re;ected )re>uently in
t!e recent past on account o) its ageG it !as *een used )or many years and is
deemed outdated3 &!e catalyst model on t!e ot!er !and is relati+ely recent and is
not -ell accepted as it !as not *een -ell studied ./*arra, et al, 200123
&!e studies t!at !a+e *een done in a *id to relate mass media aggression to
+iolence -it!in society !a+e *een criticised )or +arious reason3 &!e )irst reason !as
*een t!e concentration on mass media *y researc!ers as a pointer )or aggression
-!ilst ignoring t!e )act t!at t!ere are numerous ot!er )actors t!at determine
aggression .Bryant 4 Oli+er, 200123 <dditionally, t!ere are tec!nical issues t!at !a+e
*een identi)ied among indi+iduals t!at !a+e studied t!is issue3 &!e )irst o) t!ese
issues is t!e researc!ersE generalisation and )ailure to design t!e treatment -ell in
cases -!ere +iolent and non+iolent material is gi+en to su*;ects )or assessment
.Murray, 200123 &!e second issue !as *een t!e )ailure o) researc!ers t!roug!out t!e
-orld to esta*lis! measures t!at may *e used to >uanti)y +iolence depicted on mass
media as -ell as measures o) aggression in indi+iduals .erguson 4 5il*urn, 200623
&!is !as raised t!e issue t!at researc!ers may *e presenting results t!at are
con+enient )or t!eir o-n sc!olarly needs ./*arra, et al, 200123
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PART : M! OPINION
in conclusion, it seems most plausi*le t!at mass media may promote +iolence
in +arious instances3 &o *egin -it!, t!ere are numerous predictors o) +iolence in an
indi+idual suc! as genetics, drug a*use, mental illnesses and +iolent peers among
ot!ers .Bryant 4 Oli+er, 200123 <dditionally, it !as not *een pro+en *eyond
reasona*le dou*t t!at +iolent *e!a+iour occurs among all people t!at -atc! +iolent
content on mass media3 urt!er more, it !as not *een clearly esta*lis!ed t!at
parta9ers o) non+iolent content on mass media are completely incapa*le o) engaging
in +iolence3 &!ere)ore, it may *e important -!ic! indi+iduals are at ris9 )or +iolent
*e!a+iour upon e:posure to mass media +iolence as -ell as t!e conditions
necessary to e+o9e +iolence )rom t!em3
Re)erences
erguson, C3 J3, 4 5il*urn, J3 .200623 &!e pu*lic !ealt! ris9s o) media +iolence: <
metaHanalytic re+ie-3 The Journal of paediatrics, 154.I2, JI6HJ"K3
Bryant, J3, 4 Oli+er, M3 B3 .200123 Media effects: Advances in theory and research3
Routledge3
/*arra, M3 @3, DienerH7est, M3, Mar9o-, D3, @ea), 83 J3, ?am*urger, M3, 4 Bo:er, 83
.200123 @in9ages *et-een Internet and ot!er media +iolence -it! seriously
+iolent *e!a+ior *y yout!3 Paediatrics, 122.I2, 626H6KJ3
Sa+age, J3, 4 /ancey, C3 .200123 &!e F))ects o) Media Violence F:posure on
Criminal <ggression < MetaH<nalysis3 Criminal Justice and Behavior, 5."2,
JJ2HJ6$3
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?op), 73 ?3, ?u*er, L3 @3, 4 7eir, R3 ?3 .200123 Media +iolence and yout! +iolence: <
2Hyear longitudinal study3 Journal of Media Psycholo!y: Theories" Methods"
and Applications, 2#.K2, J63
Murray, J3 83 .200123 Media +iolence t!e e))ects are *ot! real and strong3 American
Behavioural $cientist, 51.12, $2$2H$2K03