Effects of Violence in the Media
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Abstract
Violence in the media is a global concern because such violence influences the use of violence in the real world. While some people take violence in the media as the hallmark of the entertainment world, others view it as the origin of aggression in the society. This paper seeks to discuss the topic by exploring the effects of violence in the media to the society. Through the analysis of the relevant research studies on media violence and behavior, this paper seeks to discuss the effect of violence in the media on the society through the perspective of the studies. The problem of violence in the media is elevated to a global concern because of the ease of availability of the violent media content globally.
To understand the topic, three studies are explored in the discussion. A study by Craig, Berkowitz, Donnerstein, Huesmann, Johnson, Malamuth, Neil and Wartella seeks to explore the correlation between violence in the media and aggression in the society. The study is by Boxer, Rowell Bushman, O’Brien and Moceri who explore the role of violence in the media on portrayal of antisocial behavior and general aggression. Another insightful research is by Marina Krcmar and Kathryn Greene. The study investigates a direct relationship between violent behavior and exposure to violence in the media. The discussion of these studies will describe their methodology, findings and conclusion in regard to the effects of violence in the media.
Effects of Violence in the Media
Violence in the media involves the use of physical force by characters in media platforms like Television, video games and Films. According to Krcmar and Greene (2014), the portrayal of violence in the media is a concern in the society because it tends to influence the use of violence in the real world. There are many researches done to explore the correlation between the aggression in the real world and the violence in the media. While many scientists and psychologists agree to the correlation, others find it as a form of entertainment that has no impact on societal behavior. The objective of this paper seeks is to explore the effects of violence in the media to the society. The research will illustrate that violence in the media has proven effects on the society in the real life.
A study by Craig, Berkowitz, Donnerstein, Huesmann, Johnson, Malamuth, Neil and Wartella in 2003 found out that there is a correlation between aggression in the society and the violence in the media. According to Craig et al (2003), the content portrayed in the media influences the real behavior of the people in the society towards aggression. In agreement with this report, Marina Krcmar and Kathryn Greene concludes in their research in 2014 that there is a direct relationship between the behavior that people show when exposed to media content that portrays violence. According to Krcmar and Greene (2014), that greatest group of concern is the younger population because they spend more time on the media that exposes them to violence.
In their research in 2009, Boxer, Rowell Bushman, O’Brien and Moceri focused on the role of violent media on the possibility of people showing antisocial behavior and general aggression. Boxer et al (2009) observed that young people who were exposed to violent behavior had a greater risk of being involved in antisocial behavior later in life. Boxer et al (2009) further confirmed the correlation between violent media and general aggression that children and adolescent showed. This may be because the younger people have a fragile character that can copy what they see and lower control to adopt the violence as behavior. (Craig et al, 2003). According to Boxer et al (2009), children have access to television, the internet, video games and distributed DVD videos that have excessive use of violence.
These findings resonate with the learning theories that influence the behavior of people. In his social learning works in the 1970s, Albert Bandura observed that human beings tend to imitate what they see (Bandura, 2004). Bandura’s theory of learning explains the learning aspect of human beings that seeks to model what people learn and practice to form habits. According to Boxer et al (2009), the power of the learning aspect of seeing and the modeling aspect of taking behavior presents a valid explanation of the effect of media violence and aggression. Krcmar and Greene (2014)argue that the young people are the ones who are most affected by violence in the media by taking aggressive behavior later in life. The concern is further validated by the resonance between the aggression seen in real life and the violent habits in the media.
Research Methodologies and Results
Boxer et al (2009) research uses a quantitative methodology to study the effect of violent media on antisocial behavior and general aggression of people. In their research, their sole goal was to study the behavior of juvenile delinquents in order to establish the truth of their hypothesis that violent media affects the behavior of people. To carry out this, Boxer and his team interviewed 390 juvenile delinquents sampled from the high school student population with 51.6% of them female and the average age of 16.83 years. The result was that there was a direct correlation between violent media and antisocial behavior as well as general aggression.
Krcmar and Greene (2014) used qualitative methodology by taking a cross-sectional comparison across the adolescent population of both high school and junior high school students, and college students. Using a sample size of 381 adolescents and 343 college students, the study found out that exposure to violence in media translated into a higher risk of aggression and violent behavior by the participants. Craig et al (2003) research uses both the qualitative and quantitative method to carry out their study on the effect of violence in the media on the society. They focus the bigger part on evaluating and analyzing secondary data obtained from the research of other scientists and psychologists on the same topic.
Conclusion and Opinion
The studies show that there is a correlation between violence in the media and aggression behavior in the society. In agreement with the studies, violence in the media affects the society by influencing the behavior that people embrace. The result of watching violent contents of the media affects the behavior of people because of the modeling effect of learning what they see. However, the studies do not explore the reasons or explanations of how people take the habits. To improve on the studies, the researchers could have described the methods of acquiring the behavior by the society. This will study and prove the theories that explain the acquisition of violent behavior from the violence in the media.
References
Bandura, A. (2004). Social Cognitive Theory for Personal and Social Change by Enabling Media. In A. Singhal, M. J. Cody, E. M. Rogers & M. Sabido (Eds.), Entertainment Education and Social Change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Boxer, P., Rowell H.L., Bushman, B., O’Brien, M., Moceri, D. (2009). The Role of Violent Media Preference in Cumulative Developmental Risk for Violence and General Aggression. Journal of Youth & Adolescence. Mar2009, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p417-428 Retrieved From, <http://www.rcgd.isr.umich.edu/aggr/articles/Huesmann/2009.boxer_et_al.Role.of.violent.media.pref.in.cumulative.devlop.risk.for%20viol&gen.aggress.%20JYA.pdf> June 25, 2015
Craig, A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J.D., Linz, Malamuth, D., Neil M.; Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Wiley-Blackwell). Dec2003, Vol. 4 Issue 3, p81-110 Retrieved From, <http://public.psych.iastate.edu/caa/abstracts/2000-2004/03abdhjlmw.pdf> June 25, 2015
Krcmar, M., & Kathryn, G. (2000). Connections between violent television exposure and adolescent risk taking. Media Psychology, 2, 195–217.
Retrieved From, < http://wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/kgreene/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2014/pdf/mediapsy00.pdf> June 25, 2015