Mass Media and Society

Media Effects

Sexandviolenceinthemedia
Oneofthemorecontroversialareasofstudyofthemediaiswhateffectthemediahaveonus.This isparticularlytimelyaseyesareonHollywoodandtheviolentandsexymoviesitmakes. Doesallthesexinthemedia,particularlythemoviesandtelevision,haveanythingtodo withthesexualmoresofsociety? Howaboutviolenceinthemedia? Doesithavearelationshipwiththeincreaseinviolenceinoursociety? Doesthemediajustmirrorthesexandviolenceinsociety,ordoesitinfluencesociety? Rememberthethemeforthisclassthatwediscussedthefirstweek(gobacktothemes lectureforarefresher.) Therehavebeencountlessstudiestryingtofindout.SomeofthemostfamouswerethePayne Studiesinthelate1920sthatlookedattheimpactofmovieviolenceonchildren.Andstartinginthe 1960speoplestartedlookingforacausefortheincreaseofviolenceinsociety. Violentcrimesinthiscountrywereontherise. Wewereatwar. Apresident(JohnKennedy)wasassassinated. Apresidentialcandidate(BobbyKennedy)wasassassinated. Acivilrightleader(MartinLutherKing)wasassassinated. TherewasanattemptonthelifeofthePope. Therehadtobeacause.Whythesuddenincrease?Tosome,themediaespeciallytelevision seemedagoodcandidate.Afterall,inthe1960swehadthefirstAmericangenerationraisedon television.Andifyoulookedatthefareontelevision,yousawallkindsofcopshootemupshows. Movies,threatenedwithextinctionthankstotelevision,hadrespondedbyincludingmoreviolence andsex. Anumberoflongtermstudieswereconductedtodeterminewhat,ifanyresults,allthatmedia violencewashavingonus.Fourmajorresultscamefromthesestudies.Afifthonehasevolvedover time.

CatharsisTheory

Thefirstofthesetheoriessuggeststhatratherthanbeharmfulviolenceinthemediaactuallyhasa positiveeffectonsociety.ThecentralassumptionoftheCatharsisTheoryisthatpeople,incourseof dailylife,buildupfrustrations.Vicariousparticipationinothers'aggressionshelpreleasethose tensions. Inotherwords,everydaywefrustrationsinusbuildup.Withoutareleasevalveweriskthechance

ofbecomingviolent,oratleastaggressive.Youdopoorlyonatest.Youhavetoparktofaraway fromtheclassroom.Somejerkcutsinfrontofyouonthefreeway.Yougethomeandyour significantother,orachild,startsdemandingyourattention.Yousnapbackbyyellingorhitting. Thatcountsasviolenceasmuchasshootingsomeone.Itisonlyamatterofdegree. TheCatharsistheoristwouldsaythatbywatchingviolenceinthemediayoureleasesomeofthat tensionandarelesslikelytobeaggressiveorviolent.Butcanyousaythesamethingaboutsexin themedia?

AggressiveCuesTheory
Thenthereistheoppositeview,thatviolenceDOEShaveanimpact.Probablymostprevalentof thesetheoriesistheAggressiveCuesTheorythathasasitscentralassumptionthis:Exposureto aggressivestimuliwillincreasephysiologicalandemotionalarousal,whichwillincreasethe probabilityofviolence. Inotherwords,allthatviolencegetstheadrenalinejuicesinusflowingandmakesusmoreedgy, increasingthechancethatwe'llbemoreaggressiveormoreviolent.AggressiveCuestheoristsare quicktopointoutthatwatchingviolencedoesnotmeanwe'llalwaysbemoreaggressiveorviolent, butitincreasesthechances. Andthewayinwhichtheviolenceispresentedwillhaveanimpactonus,too.Ifwecanrelatetothe protagonistcommittingtheviolence,oriftheviolenceispresentedinajustifiableway,wecanbe ledtoaggressivebehavior. Ifabrattykidgetsspankedinamediaportrayalclearlyanaggressiveandviolentactitsendsa messagethatcorporalpunishmentisacceptableundertherightcircumstances. Ifsteelworkersseeashowwheresteelworkersdrinkandbrawlafterworkeveryday,theyare morelikelytoacceptthatdrinkingandbrawlingarenormalbehavior.

ObservationalLearningTheory

TheObservationalLearningtheoristwouldtaketheAggressiveCuestheoryastepfurther.This theorysaysthatpeoplecanlearnbyobservingaggressioninmediaportrayalsand,undersome conditions,modelitsbehavior. Ifthereare50waystoleaveyourlover,thentheremustbeatleast49waystobeviolentor aggressive.Andwatchingviolentmediaportrayalswillteachyounewwaystobeviolent. Everwatchawhodunit,suchasaColumboepisode,whereyouspotwherethecriminalmakesthe fatalmistake?Evercatchyourselfsaying,"IfIevercommittedamurderIwouldnotmakeTHAT mistake?"What?Areyousuggestingthereisacircumstancewhereyouwouldkillsomeone? Or,howaboutthis?Imaginewalkingdownadarkalleyandsomeonestepsoutinfrontofyouand makesathreateninggesture.Whatwouldyoudo?Anyonethinkofsomekungfu/karatemovesyou mightmaketodefendyourself?That'saprettyaggressive/violentthought.Andyoulearneditby watchingamediaportrayal.

 SotheObservationalLearningtheoristsaysthatnotonlywouldthemediaviolenceincreasethe probabilityoftheviewercommittinganaggressionorviolence,itteachestheviewerhowtodoit. Doesmediamirrorsocietyordoesitinfluenceit?(Theanswerisboth.) Further,theObservationalTheoristhedgeshisbetbypointingoutthatyouwillnotautomatically gooutandmimictheviolentact,butyoustoretheinformationawayinyourbrain. Again,thinkaboutsexinsteadofviolence.Doeswatchingsexualportrayalsteachyounewwaysto thinkaboutsexandperhapsengageinsexualacts?Ifyouseethatsleepingwithsomeoneonafirst dateisnormal,afterawhileyoustartbelievingthateveryonemustbedoingit,soyoushould,too. ReinforcementTheory Onetheorysaysthatmediaviolencedecreasestheprobabilityofviolencebytheviewer.Two otherssaythatitwillincreasetheprobabilityofviolence.AndthenthereistheReinforcement Theorythatdebunksboth. Thecentralassumptionofthistheoryisthatmediaportrayalsreinforceestablishedbehaviors viewersbringwiththemtothemediasituation.Violentportrayalswillincreasethelikelihoodof violentoraggressivebehaviorforthosewhoacceptviolenceandaggressionasnormal.Itwill decreasethelikelihoodofaggressionandviolenceforthosebroughtuptobelievethatviolenceis bad.Violencemerelyreinforcespriorbeliefs. Insteadoflookingforblameinaviolentmediaportrayal,theReinforcementtheoristwouldsaythat ifyouwanttopredictanoutcome,lookattheviewer'sbackground.Lookattheperson'scultural normsandviewsofsocialroles.Ifpersongrowsupinacrimeriddenneighborhood,thenviolent portrayalsaremorelikelytoleadtoviolence. Obviously,selectiveperception(gobacktothecommunicationlecture)isgoingonhere. ButtheReinforcementtheoristwouldpointoutthatthereisgoingtobetheexceptiontotherule. Youaregoingtorunacrossthegentleoldmanwhoeveryonebelievedwouldneverhurtaflywho whackshisfamilyintoathousandpiecesoneday.Oryouaregoingtofindthegangmemberwho onedayrecognizesthefutilityofviolenceandturnstothepriesthood.

CultivationTheory
Afinaltheoryontheeffectsofviolenceinthemediahasevolvedoutofmorerecentstudies.Itisthe CultivationTheory.Ratherthanpredictthatwewillturntoorfromviolence,itlooksathowwe'll reacttotheviolence.Thecentralassumptionofthetheoryisthatinthesymbolicworldofmedia, particularlyTV,shapesandmaintainsaudience'sconceptionoftherealworld Inotherwords,themedia,especiallyTV,createsfantasyworldthatismeanspiritedanddangerous. Italsocreatesstereotypesofdominant/weakfolkinsociety.Forinstance,imagineabankrobber whoisbigandmean.Isyourimaginarybankrobberofcertainrace?Areallpeoplethatlooklike thisbankrobberactuallymeanbackrobbers?

Orhowaboutthis?Youarestartingtoshowsomesignsofagewithgrayhairandwrinklesaround youreyes.Ifyouareguyinthemedia,thatisgood.Itshowsamaturing.Ifyouarewoman,thatis bad,itjustshowsthatyouaregettingoldandlessvital.Amalecanbedominantandbelookedup to.Awomanwhoisdominantcanbeabitch.Alllawyersarecrooks.Alljournalistsareseedy(asin "TheFrontPage").Allmediastereotypes! Andthemediatellusthatitisameanworldoutthere.Drivingfreewaysisunsafebecauseofdrive byshootingsandspectacularpolicecarchases.Crimeintheneighborhoodisrampantifyoulookat thenightlynews.Somepeoplewholivevicariouslythroughtelevisionfeelitisunsafetoleavetheir homeorapartmentandbecomeshutins. HerearesomeinterestingYouTubevideosonmediaeffects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCKJe8KEgY

MediaEffectsonBodyImage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKYw0tKw6D4

RacismandStereotypes PortrayedbytheMedia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PHxTr 59hE&feature=related

TheKillingScreens:Media andtheCultureofViolence

TheImpactofImages

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bXBdGjPAks&feature=related

ReadingAssignment
Youshouldbereadingthechapteronmediaeffectsandissuesinyourtextbooktogetmore informationaboutmediaandsocialissues.

Exercise
Whichoftheabovetheoriesmakesthemostsensetoyouandwhy? Note that when submitting the answer start the subject line with:

J100x YourLastName Effects Send to rcameron@cerritos.edu