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.
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.
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
In this century there has been a lot of attention toward the media and how its affects young people. Joyce Garity, author of “Is Sex All That Matters,” and Steve Lopez, “A Scary Time to Raise a Daughter,” write about how media such as magazines, the internet, and television affects teenagers. Both authors talk about how the media is using sex and violence to sell products, thus leading teenagers to commit wrongful deeds, including lack of using birth control leading to unwanted pregnancy, imitating girls on the magazines, and cannot distinct between fantasy and reality. Both Garity and Lopez explains how the teenagers do not have individuality and lose their virginity at a young age; Garity uses personal experience to state the point about media pounding messages about sex and violence directly at young people.
The Representation of Teenagers in the Media Throughout the media we see representation of teenagers. This can show teenagers in positive and negative lights. Teenagers are found in magazines, advertising, television and films, and they are targeted by newspapers and magazines etc. There are two different newspapers reports from the ‘Daily Mail’ and the ‘Dorset Echo’ that are part of this representation. “Perverted tennis club coach jailed for seducing pupil of 15.
History of the debate Since the late nineteenth century the media has been a cornerstone of our society. It has, for long periods of time provided the public with a variety of debates. In social policy the amount of influence the media has on the public has been at the forefront of intellectual minds. One of the main groups who have gained the attention of the media since the outset of the 1950’s is youth in their various different forms. These considerations lead to three questions:- * What pressures are present in the production of media material and how do these pressures affect what eventually reaches the public via newspaper reports and other media sources such as television?
The media is often blamed for having a negative influence on adolescent life. Whether it is presented by means of television shows, magazines, advertisements, news, radio or any other means in which people communicate, the media displays an identity to these adolescents that society deems as sexual appeal and is characterized by sex, quality or state of being sexual. Media portrayals add to confusion on personal image, and can affect ones outlook on competition and violence (Federman, 1998). The media influences adolescents’ psychological and physical development during their cognitive development stage when it’s exposed to them (Schmidt, 2008). This is the stage when the adolescent is most vulnerable and sensitive to the surrounding in which they are growing and willingly absorbing information. If explicit behaviors arise often it can be influenced by explicit media exposure.
The media, that giant intimidating creation has taken the stereotypes of teens, the way people view teens, and the way we view ourselves, and has turned it into a delusional monster. The media at this point in time portrays teenagers as generally bad. Well to be honest, not generally bad, but mostly horrible. We are seen as the cause for alarm and trouble in society. The media portrays us as manic delinquents with no solid past and no concrete future.
The Mass Media is a unique feature of modern society; its development has accompanied an increase in the magnitude and complexity of societal actions and engagements, rapid social change, technological innovation, rising personal income and standard of living and the decline of some traditional forms of control and authority.
The adolescent stage must be the subject of the research, in that preliminary research suggests that in the adolescent stage of life, important social aspects are being noticed and formed, especially by way of media, while looking to family for social information or influence diminishes (Arnett, 1995). In researching the effects of media on adolescent views of relationships, one must first research if scholars have yet studied and answered if the media has any relationship or effect on adolescents at all. In the research conversation of media influence on adolescents, it has been found that there are five uses of media by adolescents, including entertainment, high sensation, coping, identity formation and youth culture identification (the two latter uses will be highlighted later in this paper) (Arnett, 1995). With this, adolescent’s use of media for a number of purposes is evident and has been established for some time. Moreover, research suggests that U.S. adolescents spend six to seven hours per day using media, with half of that time devoted to television/film (L’Engle, Brown, & Kenneavy, 2006). Furthermore, many studies have found that heavy television/film viewing does positively correlate with effects on an individual’s beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions (Shrum, Wyer, & O 'Guinn, 2009). Professor and Researcher Dr. George Gerbner coined and introduced cultivation theory into this communicative conversation. The cultivation theory is defined as the “independent contributions television /film viewing makes to viewer conceptions of social reality (Gerbner, 1998). The cultivation theory describes and has both constructed a platform research in this area as well as prove that me...
Media has changed over the years, but what has remained the same is the influence media has over adolescents. Everything from television, the internet, even printed media plays a major role in how adolescent view them. According to Walsh and Ward (2008) state that media may play a powerful role in socializing adolescents, making their portrayals important to understand (p.133). Media places stigma on social norms of what society thinks of adolescent and most importantly how they are seen by peers. I will be focusing on the television aspect of media publication. TV accounts for a majority of adolescent time. Adolescents are estimated to spend approximately three hours per day watching television, resulting in their spending
Have you ever watched a movie and later caught yourself daydreaming about the actors' lives? Ever finished a movie then found yourself imitating the way the heroin talks, wears or walks? Do you not ever stop and wonder how much your views and attitude have been influenced by the media and what you're constantly exposed to? The media has an enormous influence over the lives of men, women, and teenagers. Today, individuals get affected by how people dress, talk, behave, and think trying to become another version of them. Media doesn't only have a positive effect on us, but it can also impact us negatively. Nowadays, the media is widespread in society in different forms (television, books, films, internet etc.), and its effects on individuals is quite noticeable mainly in youths' physical and verbal aggression through violent and emotional behavior. This is a result of the current presented means of entertainment. People are now constantly watching TV series and video clips and later start taking the actors, singers and even TV presenters as role models and dressing like them in attempt to stand out and be up to date. Not only do they dress like their role models, but they blindly believe in their opinions no matter how biased and incorrect they are. The media is currently making our decisions for us, such as deciding our own personal preferences. Media is affecting teenagers greatly because it displays abundance of violence, and inappropriate scenes as well as unhealthy living conditions, making teenagers believe that such behaviors are acceptable in our society. Mass media has become a major negative influence in the society, especially on the younger generation's attitude, beliefs, and values.
Ransohoff, Julia. "How the Media Affects Teens & Young Adults." Media. N.p., Sept. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. .
“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.
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.