Drugs And The Media And Society

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Drugs in the Media and Society When looking at popular media such as TV, movies, and social media there are lots of stimuli drawing your attention every second. Whether it be funny cat pictures, or a celebrity going to jail, or the constant appearance of some form of drug or alcohol. Since the rise of popular media such as movies and social media, the amount of drug references and depictions of drugs has gone up significantly throughout the years. When looking at drugs in the media, they typically garner a positive image that it is the cool thing to do, and the American values such as individualism and leisure help shape this ideal. In social institutions, drugs and alcohol are strongly viewed as a negative leading to the creation of many drug resistance programs for children. Socialization has help shaped our understanding of this issue by understanding the harms it caused in the past, to lead to disseminating the idea of drug use today. To start, the media has cast a fake image of what it is like to do drugs and alcohol. “According to a study conducted in Columbia (University), people who watch R-rated movies are six times more likely to try marijuana”. This is due to the fact that in R-rated movies they are much more lenient on the use of drugs because the movie is intended for a mature audience with understanding of the effects. But movies such as Project X, 21 & Over, and 21 Jump Street show drug and alcohol party sequences that are very enticing to the teenage demographic. They are enticing because they show teens having a good time, hanging out with friends and all the crazy things that they do under the influence. Even though these movies are for mature audiences teens are impulsive and influenced fairly easily. “This l... ... middle of paper ... ... or any social media and explain the harms that go along with these substance. Then, people would understand the danger that they are putting themselves in and that it is not cool to drink or smoke marijuana. In summation, American values get placed into all forms of media: TV, movies and social media. We see that we are glamorizing the use of these drugs and drinking until you pass out. Through our media we try to represent what type of society we have and it makes a fake image of society. While, in social institutions such as schools and families they talk about being a negative, how they cause harm not to just you but everyone around us. The United States as a society is trying to build off its past and not make the same mistakes, but we are by showing what we are in movies. This why we need to stop our current culture and understand the issues of substance abuse.

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