December 3, 2013
The Media’s Portrayal
of Violence
What is the link
between media violence and future violent acts committed by the viewer? Is
there a link at all? As children grow up in this current generation, especially
in the United States and other developed countries, they are constantly being
exposed to the Media, a vast conglomeration of advertisements, social websites,
video games, propaganda, truths, lies, and everything in between. This incomprehensive
definition could continue for pages, however, the point is quite simple: the
Media is immense, representing every stance on every issue. It is impossible for
a young, maturing teen in today’s American society to avoid its powerful
impact. The level of influence may vary from child to child depending on
several factors, but there is no question that a certain amount of influencing
is occurring in the lives of Uncle Sam’s sprouting generation. The Media’s
representation of violence is especially of interest for many reasons, one
being that there are young men and women enlisting in the armed forces directly
after high school, carrying with them their understanding of war and violence
as presented by the Media. The possibility that the Media may have a hand in
criminal activities and misperceptions of the gravity of war, along with other
concepts, is a pill that is hard to swallow. Does the Media truly have that
kind of influence? Who knows? Whether there is a correlation between viewing
violent media representations and developing violent behaviors is uncertain,
but evidence from each side of the argument begs for attention. The fact that
the Media’s portrayal of violence is influencing children in America is unquestionable.
However, is this influence drastic enough to be a direct cause of criminal
violence in America, or is it negligible?
There’s something
about acts of violence that arouses the interest of an audience. Historically,
violent acts such as the gladiator fights in ancient Rome, bullfights in
Pamplona, cockfights in Indonesia, or boxing matches in the ring have intrigued
the human desire for something beyond bland day-to-day events (Felson 103).
Even today, when school kids get into cafeteria fights, it is only a matter of
seconds before the entire student body has amassed around the conflict with
eyes full of excitement. These acts of violence entice the human spirit,
heightening emotions and senses. It is no wonder why so much of today’s media,
especially movies and reality TV, is chockfull of violence. The violence draws
an audience much like flesh draws a herd of zombies. The initial concern for
media violence “emerged shortly after broadcasting began in 1946” (Anderson and
Bushman 2377) according to The Effects of
Media Violence on Society. As the television progressed technologically and
the Media expanded, the conventions of what was appropriate were continually
challenged in order to offer more and more entertainment to viewers. Based on
research performed by Pew Research Center, most parents in America today
“believe there is too much violence in the media and that it is harmful to
society” (Wilson). In her book, Viewing Violence,
published in 1996, Dr. Levine
states, “by the time they graduate high school, children will have spent 50
percent more time in front of a television set than in front of a teacher”
(Levine 6). This really puts the Media in perspective. Whether or not real life
violent acts are a product of the way violence is represented by the Media, we
must face the fact that the most influential teacher in America today is not
the professor, the pastor, nor is it the parent; it is the Media herself. And
as she is continually able to provide entertainment, especially through
violence, more and more of the growing generation will be drawn in and further
influenced.
Although
television violence is often highlighted, there are several other media avenues
through which violence is represented. Some of the modes through which violence
is portrayed in the media are the news, films, pornography, and video/computer
games (Brown). Some of these media components have been noted to result in
certain “copy cat action[s] by some individuals” (Brown 3). There have been
instances of crimes, such as murders, being reported on the news, and then very
similar crimes occurring within a couple of weeks in a different location.
Movies have had the same effect. This news story appeared in a local paper in
San Jose, California in 1993:
An adolescent boy
was killed by a car and several of his friends seriously injured while
imitating a scene from the movie The
Program. The scene shows young men attempting to prove their courage by
lying down along the center divider of a busy road between lanes of cars.
(Levine 19)
Although this example is a single
rare occurrence, it does point out that violent responses such as this are possible,
especially with children. Video/computer games are relatively new additions in
the world of media violence. With that in mind, it is probably important to
define the term, “media violence.” According to Martin Barker in his book Ill Effects: the media/violence debate,
media violence is “everything from cartoons, children’s action adventure films,
news footage from Rwanda and Bosnia… etc., etc.” (Barker 42). As I was saying,
video games are a newer form of media violence. They have slowly progressed
since the Atari of the 70’s to provide quality graphics and enhanced story
lines that offer a very realistic feel of “lifelike violence” (Kirsh 229). From
television to video games, each and every media avenue is supplying violence
that is influencing the development of maturing children.
The
way in which children develop morally is a very important concept to understand
when considering the effects of media violence in conjunction with the stages
of moral development. As children grow up, they cultivate their ability to
reason morally. This occurs in several stages, which are described using “Kohlberg’s
Hierarchy of Moral Development” (Levine 72). When a child reaches the age of
seven (may differ from child to child), he/she enters a stage of conventional
morality, where he is no longer dependent on his parents “to define what is
right and wrong” (Levine 73). At this stage, a child’s motive is solely based
on gaining approval and avoiding dissatisfaction. This phase in the moral
development of children is especially influenced by media violence. The kids
are viewing the violent themes presented with the utmost subconscious
concentration in order to see whether or not the perpetrator will be rewarded
or condemned for his violent actions. In a famous experiment performed by
Albert Bandura in the 60’s, young preschool-aged children watched a filmed
sequence of a man aggressively attacking a plastic Bobo doll. After the man had
inflicted a series of violent blows on the doll, he was rewarded for his might.
Another set of young children viewed another variation of this film, in which
the man was punished for his actions. When both sets of children were allowed
to play with toys, those who saw the man rewarded were much more likely to act
aggressively with their toys than the kids that had seen the man punished
(Levine 20). With more and more young children viewing the violence produced by
the Media, it is imperative that parents or other role models assert that those
violent actions are immoral and deserving of punishment.
The
argument has gone back and forth for most of the past century about whether or
not media violence has a significant enough influence to cause criminal acts of
violence down the road. Some see no correlation, a statistical tool that
“assesses the degree to which two different variables fluctuate together”
(Kirsh 31), between observing media violence and perpetrating personal acts of
violence. Others believe that “exposure to violent imagery does not preordain
violence, but it is a risk factor” (Pozios). The surgeon general, the National
Institute of Mental Health, and other professional organizations that have
performed research in this area have upheld this claim. In a series of studies
in the 60’s, Leonard Berkowitz examined the effect of filmed heavyweight
prizefights on the rate of homicides. It was determined that “ the rise in
homicides after [a] prize fight is statistically significant” (Phillips 562). Research
performed by several psychological experts concluded that there is “unequivocal
evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent
behavior” (Anderson, Berkowitz, et al. 81). Many studies have been performed to
discover whether children who view violent TV shows and movies tend to act more
aggressively. In one such study, several children were shown movies containing
violence while other children were shown nonviolent movies. When the children
were brought together to play, those children who had viewed the violent movies
“were rated much higher on physical assault and aggression” (Wilson). With all
of this extensive research in mind, it seams that there may very well be a
positive correlation between media violence and aggressive attitudes. Whether
or not this aggression has the potential to boil over into criminal activity is
dependent upon the individual and the level of media violence observed.
However, even if the Media’s portrayal of violence is not directly causing
criminal activity, there is no question that it is capable of influencing
children towards aggressive behavior, a spark that could eventually be fanned
into a fire.
In
review of the research and facts concerning media violence, there are various
ways in which to react. One may deny the truth and continue to delve into what
the media offers in vain pursuit of entertainment and psychological arousal.
Others may shy away completely from everything media out of fear of becoming a
victim of media violence. Some may tread a middle way and continue to view the
violent representations of the Media while also regulating the amount of
violence they see. If one is careful and attentive, he should be able to
discern when violence in media is beginning to influence his attitude and
relationships. Adults are much less affected by the Media representations than
children are because their moral development has evolved further. Therefore, it
is imperative that parents begin to regulate the extent at which their children
view the violence portrayed in media. More violence is being tolerated today in
movies and on TV than ever before in history, and this trend shows no signs of
slowing. Additionally, video games are developing to provide even better
graphics and more realistic gameplay. And that’s not all. Almost every avenue
of the Media is developing to include more violent themes. This is the age that
children are growing into. With that in mind, parents should seriously consider
how they might regulate their children’s exposure to media violence. There are
many basic ways to do this as a parent. One way is to set limits on TV
watching, computer surfing, and video game playing throughout the day. Another
way is to be intentional about discussing violence with our children, reminding
them that the violent themes showcased in movies are not to be imitated. The
children are the future of this nation, so I think it’s time we become active
in protecting their development, first and foremost by counteracting the negative
effects of media violence.
Works
Cited
Anderson,
Craig A., and Brad J. Bushman. "The Effects of Media Violence on
Society." Science ns 295.5564 (2002): 2377-379. Print.
Anderson,
Craig A., Leonard Berkowitz, Edward Donnerstein, L. Rowell Huesmann, James D.
Johnson, Daniel Linz, Neil M. Malamuth, and Ellen Wartella. "The Influence
of Media Violence on Youth." Psychological Science in the Public
Interest 4.3 (2003): 81-110. Print.
Barker,
Martin, and Julian Petley. Ill Effects: The Media/violence Debate.
London: Routledge, 2001. Print.
Brown,
Melanie. "The Portrayal of Violence in the Media: Impacts &
Implications for Policy." Australian Institute of Criminology.
N.p., June 1996. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Felson,
Richard B. "Mass Media Effects on Violent Behavior." Annual Review
of Sociology 22.1 (1996): 103-28. Print.
Kirsh,
Steven J. Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the
Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006. Print.
Levine,
Madeline. Viewing Violence: How Media Violence Affects Your Child's and
Adolescent's Development. New York: Doubleday, 1996. Print.
Phillips,
David P. "The Impact of Mass Media Violence on U.S. Homicides." American
Sociological Review 48.4 (1983): 560-68. Print.
Pozios,
Vasilis K., Praveen R. Kambam, and H. Eric Bender. "Does Media Violence
Lead to the Real Thing?" The New York Times. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013.
Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Wilson, Barbara J.
"Children and Electronic Media." The Future of Children 18.1
(2008): n. pag. Print.
