Media 2 Essay, Research Paper
Media and The Effects on Society
Media and society, what exactly are these two things? Media being any material pertaining to news, billboards, or the signs displayed on the windows of the nearest grocery store. Whether it s radio, television, or newspapers all of it is considered to be media. Society on the other hand, just simply means people working together for one specific common purpose. Around the world media, and society is coinsiding. Every time you click on the television set, or turn the knob on the radio, someone is talking about the shooting that took place on 3rd street. There are thousands of people murdering, raping, and stealing every minute of every day. The average typical person doesn t act of this nature. So why do these types of people act this way? Is it because of the media that is displayed on the television, or could it be the broadcasting on the radio?
Of all the different sources of media, the biggest and most used is television. Why was the television even invented? Television is just another source of entertainment. Also it provides another route in order to get in touch with people. Many of the things that premiers on the television often contain action and some sort of violence. With out violence the broadcasters would not get the ratings they were hoping for. People love to witness the action. Most of the movies created now usually have a scene or more that has violence. Whether a movie has two couples fighting or an army of people fighting with another army of people, it is considered to be some type of violence. I can name lots and lots of movies that have at least one scene where violence or killing takes place. No one wants to watch a dumb nature channel or something stupid like.
I want to know who are these people that say media plays a major role in what kind of life we life we re living. They have got to be crazy to think that. I agree that it may help a person gain heroism. It may even help them to grow up strong. Much of the media shown promotes people to be themselves. I think they help little kids, or the big kids find heroes in their life. Every one needs someone to look up to. That is their goal to be like that person. They feel that person has everything they need. Those characteristics include strength, good looks, fearlessness, and any other thing describing a perfect person s life.
However, I think movies and media to that same effect has very little to do with how the societies act. Anything can happen on television, and that what makes television what it is today. Television is dreamland, and this is where all of our imagination comes alive. I do not think television was intended to teach people how to live. Television land had been designed for people to get away, a place to relax and pass time. Once the knob is switched to off, the people must come back to reality. Society has to understand that television is not real, except in some cases such as, sports, and live news. Just because I watch a movie does not mean that I have the power to go kill an innocent person. These people that say they get the idea to kill from movies and other sorts of media have to be out of their minds. These people all ready had the idea to kill. By watching the material on television, it only promotes new ideas of how to kill. In my opinion I do not think that movies and things influence people to manipulate bodies with guns and other hand weapons.
Take the news for example, the stories they cover like the school shootings really are not that big of a deal as the news displays them to be. The news takes their coverage beyond the limits. They blow things way out of portion. They make money by getting the better story than other news channels. News broadcasters butter their topics up by retrieving eyewitnesses. That s what the American people want to see. With out the witnesses the people wouldn t believe. I do not get these people. The news channels go on and on about a topic. Such as the school shootings had to lasted for at least a month. If they would just drop the subject maybe it would not promote other children to wander into a school and blow every bodies heads off.
I just do not think the news and movies have that much effect. Most of the time I feel that it is the surroundings in which a person grows up around. If a kid never learned it is wrong to kill then he or she naturally would not have a problem with killing someone. If parents are never around and did not discipline the child, that child could just explode and kill someone. It is really important that the parents teach their children the good and the bad things of our society. When the average disciplined child watches a movie such as The Jackal , and a lot of blood is spilled, he or she will know that it is terribly wrong to go do those things. The kids that have been raised in a broken family are fearless. They feel that they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. They want to be a to be in the spotlight, so they may kill. I do not think they kill because of some flick they saw Saturday night at the theatre. It has everything to do with the type of people they were raised with. It is just like everything else. If raised around drugs then more than likely that person is probably going to be a heavy drug abuser. People tend to learn how to live, and if they are guided in the right direction and taught why things are unlawful in life, then these people are going to succeed in a happy life. In many of these cases where kids shooting kids it is mainly the parents fault.
Children that are raised in a broken home sometimes have matching guidelines. This type person can be distinguished from the rest of the crowd. They usually dress really weird. Many of the items of clothing they have look as though they are rags thrown together to make a shirt. Most of the time they listen to very violent music. The type of music they listen to usually promotes satan, killing, and sacrifices. For example Manson, and other very hard metal. Sometimes these people refuse to socialize with anyone around them. They have a hard time talking to people. It could have been anything that set the killing children off. The parents could have pushed their child to hard, or the moms and dads could have been fighting. That is why it is so important that these parents sit down and talk to their children before it is too late. Let them know what is exactly going on.
I have a little nephew about the age of six. He probably watches the tube a least four to six hours daily. He watches everything from cartoons to rated R movies. He has a wide viewing rang. One of his favorite things to watch is anywhere someone is getting hurt. He thinks it is the funniest thing to see someone fall down a flight of stairs. After watching the violence he does not relate it to his everyday life. He does not go out kicking people because Jackie Chan does. He was taught that it is wrong to kick, hit, or bite. So after he watches a movie he knows it was just a movie and that could really never happen. He may pretend to shoot something or someone with a stick or a plastic gun, but that is the life of a kid, especially a little boy. If he wasn t taught that television is just television, then who knows what he could have done after watching any of the movies with violence. He could pick up the idea that it is okay for someone to kill. Sure he probably thinks about it from time to time, and wonders what it would be like to kill. But, because of good parenting skills and good family life he knows that it is wrong to really kill someone. Growing up he will not forget that. He will always know it is wrong to murder a person.
In my opinion, I do not think television effects the way our modern day society works. I think the people that believe that television has everything to do with the world acts are silly. I feel they use television in order to find something to put blame on, or to solve the mystery. I can not believe that because some kids shoot up a school they automatically turn to television for the answer. These critics did not know what the kids were going through. They did not know why they killed and why they killed themselves. Like I mentioned before, anything could have set them off. There are numerous amounts of things that cause any of the shootings that goes on. Again, I can not emphasize it enough. The idea is already there to become a killer; television doesn t put the idea there for these people who get a joy of killing.