Media Affecting Young Minds in Modernized Society

1439 Words3 Pages

Marriage is a concept that has been losing its significance in today’s modernising world (Borneman, 1996: 217). The unification of a male and a female is traditionally considered to be a main goal in life. The media, however, has been putting less emphasis on marriage and more emphasis on the emotions surrounding marriage; the emotion of love. Due to the rapid advancement of telecommunications in modern day society, the media is now prevalent in almost every geographic region in the world. Before technology became so widespread, the two main sources of knowledge that a child received was from school and from one’s household (Callanan, 2008: 148). With TV and the internet being available in all four corners of the Earth, the media is taking over as a major source of knowledge to children; it moulds the minds of the present generation (Ward, 2005: 64). The reason why not just children, but all humans follow the media is because the humans shown in the media always have an aesthetic beauty that is far above average (Ward, 2005: 65) and in the end there is almost always the happiness of love. Most forms of media, including movies, television shows and music, focus on the concept of love. Although in western culture, love is the proper reason for marriage (Hendrix: 1), the media addresses love in context with sex. Since the introduction of a concept of love in the late eleventh century, media has manipulated the emotion of love in a way that would best suit society. The concept of “courtly love” came around a time when disease was plaguing Europe and the three ways a disease spread at the time were through the three basic human needs, food, water and sex (Qur’an 2:183). It focused on love being completely non-sexual until m...

... middle of paper ...

...1986). “Courtly Love”. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Vol. 3 pp. 668-674

Miller, Barbara

(2008). Cultural Anthropology In a Globalizing World: Pearson Education, Inc. pp. 62

Gamerman, Ellen

(2009). “Bad Parents and Proud of It: Moms and Dad Confess”. Wall Street Journal

Fleming, Jennifer J.

(2007). “Critical Thinking About Sex, Love and Romance in the Mass Media: Medial Literacy Applications”. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. Vol. 39 pp. 14-17

“Actors, Producers, and Directors”. United States Department of Labor. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos093.htm (Accessed March 24, 2010)

“WPIC Homepage”. The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. http://www.wpic.ca/

(accessed March 24, 2010)

“Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association Homepage”. Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance. http://www.cctfa.ca/site/cctfa/ (accessed March 24, 2010)

Open Document