Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
how media impacts on teenagers
effect of Television on youth
television as socialization agent to children
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: how media impacts on teenagers
The Mass Media according to the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2000 is defined as the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public. The term is usually used to refer to newspaper, television, radio and Internet sources. The Mass Media is perceived by many to have a great impact on teenagers but it is not always verifiable whether this impact is one that enhances or negates the total development of teenagers. The researcher is specifically narrowing this focus however on the teenagers in Southfield with the hope of seeing the extent to which the Mass Media impacts on these teenagers, the nature of this impact (if it exists), the different media forms which have an effect on them and ways in which these media forms can further facilitate their development. SOURCES AND DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION GATHERED =============================================== The sources from which information was gathered for this research were the Internet, Encyclopaedia, a survey and an interview. According to the website Student Central: Media Effects on Adolescent Development 2002, for over twodecades, the mass media including television, music, Internet sources and print media has consumed the majorityof adolescents' waking hours. The writer indicates that the direct effects of the mass media are seen to influence teenagers' actions greatly. The idea is that they see some things in the media such as the movies created and it directly influences them to do something like committing crimes. By the time they graduate from high school, the article states that teenagers will have spent more hours watching television, and fewer hours spent in the classroom. It is also stated that a lack of established sexuality education programmes in schools and limited parent-child communications have allowed the media to become one of the nation's leading sexuality educators. According toMicrosoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2000, violence in the media is of particular concern as it is seen to directly influence people's actions. There have been a large number of studies to see if there is a relationship between television viewing and behaviour.
== == == == ==
The image of Disney’s ravishing princess marrying her perfect Prince Charming has infatuated young girl for decades. These delightful movies present role models for young girls influencing them to dress up as their favorite princesses in the image of their Disney princess models. Many parents regard this imaginative act of child's play as charming or innocent. However, there has been much speculation about the media’s message directed towards young girls. The most prevalent source of this worry is abundant in animated films (Travail). Although animated movies are exciting for young children, recent studies have shown that these films are causing a spike in body dissatisfaction in girls. Throughout the past century negative body image among young girls has been driven by Disney’s animated movies, Barbie dolls, and Barbie’s new animated films.
== == == == ==
Nowadays, a standard stage of growing up is feeling the stress of one’s body image due to the growing pressure from society and media. In 2012 there was a survey that said “A full 50 percent of children from 8 to 10 years old report being ‘unhappy’ with their bodies” (ProQuest Staff). This is because when girls are growing up they see models/ actresses on TV and magazines that are thin and look beautiful and they think that’s what they are supposed to look like; unfortunately this is unrealistic. In 2006 there was a fashion model named Luise Ramos who died of a heart attack moments after she steps off the runway during fashion week in Montevideo (ProQuest Staff). News accounts later report that Ramos, 22, had been eating only lettuce and diet
Have you ever met someone who acted just as teens are stereotyped? Not many people have because they do not exist. Real teens are poorly portrayed in the media and are the complete opposite of their stereotypes. Books and TV shows make teens out to be wild or crazy, irresponsible and out of control. One hardly ever hears about teen-heroes. Instead, newspapers and magazines are plastered with stories of teens and crime. And while looking at commercial billboards and other related media, the regular teen seems to be sex-crazed and image-obsessed.
This world has become immersed in online media from socializing on networking sites to seeking information on search engines. People of all ages have become reliant on online media, but the most engaged users are the younger, more easily impacted generations. Although there are many positive uses for online media, there are many negative uses as well. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for these negative effects to impede upon the perceptions of adolescents. Some countries have been trying to reduce this effect by expelling the inappropriate content of online media ("Influence on Children Media...”). However, in the United States, children are thrown in the waves, expected to stay afloat in this massive sea, but many are being dragged under the surface by the nefarious temptations media creates. Content that is not appropriate for the young, growing minds of children are easily accessible; a myriad of devices may be used to access this material, all at the click of a button. Without adult content filters on online media, adolescents of various ages are exposed to dangerous conceptions. A world of pornography, violence, and public humiliation lay in the user’s fingertips.
Young people especially the teenagers are sensitive and receptive to learning new things. The media provides more than they can handle. Access to different programs, shows, and movies affect the manner that the teenagers behave. Today, it is unfortunate to say that the media is becoming more sexual and violent than the older days, resulting in similar behaviors among the teens (Craig, & Baucum, 2001). By watching programs intended for the adults, teenagers are drifting even further. They start behaving like adults without the prerequisites of becoming one. This means that they have contents that do not match with their ages. And then terrible things begin – increased college dropouts, teenage pregnancies, and increased cases of suicides. Some teenagers who had bright future ahead of them will
Mokeyane, K. Nola. "Media's Positive & Negative Influence on Teenagers." Everyday Life. Globalpost, Web. 21 Jan. 2010.
The mass media has played a key role in shaping people’s lives. The modern society’s use of mass media including TV, radio, newspaper, as well as print media has largely influenced people’s ideas regarding themselves and the society at large. This is evident from their behavior towards themselves and their community as well as their treatment of the environment. While some experts believe that the media is to blame for most of the negative behavioral traits among the active members of society, the majority agree that the media makes people understand and develop a positive sense of association with their society within which they live, making it easy for them to identify and get their role in it.
“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses” (Thinkexist, 2010). The mass media, including news, movies, magazines, music, or other entertainment source has become a part of daily life for many people. As the quote mentions mass media and its power are capable of influencing people’s mind and behavior. Contents in the media introduced to young people make it difficult for them to distinguish between what is real and what is not, as a result stimulating confusion and blind imitation. The mass media plays an important role in the increase of violence, sexual activity, and risky behaviors among teenagers.