Reflection on the Corruption in Media - Essay Example

 Name of Paper: Reflective Paper on Corruption in Media Introduction Vampires are considered to be the most dangerous predators of the dark world. This is because everything about them draws a person close to them and then they very conveniently carry out their gruesome act. If we see the real world around us we see a similar predator pretty similar to vampires takes several forms and shapes, sometimes a bat, sometimes a young, good looking bachelor and at others a monster which it truly is. This predator is also immortal and has lived amongst us for over a century. Generations passed by but it still remains there in the life of almost every individual. There is hardly any household that is free from its shadow and curse. Many of them are even aware of its dangers but still cannot stay away from it. In fact they feel it is a necessity now, much like air and water. Yes we are talking about the media. Its popularity has flourished faster than jungle fire and as far stretched as the destruction caused by a seven rector scale earthquake. It is an epidemic that has spread from the extreme north regions of America to the lowest points of Australia, covering every small village and district that came in its path. Every individual, may he be old or a toddler, Black or Asian, literate or illiterate, lawyer or farmer are equally likely to catch this virus. Moreover it is a terminal illness – one you cannot get rid of until your death, lest a miracle. By the introduction, you might be moving towards the violent effect of media on youngsters. But well it is not the only symptom of media viral though one of the most hyped about and the one that has received the most attention from researchers and psychologists. Just because this symptom has empirical evidence of its existence does not prove the fact that other effects are unlikely, impossible, exaggerated or out righted pseudo (Carter 2003). Media is a source of corruption in our society in a number of different ways, some very obvious and others so subtle that they are completely negligible. This paper will highlight some of the ill effects of media. Before we start off with the negative aspect and the ever spreading poison of the media we shall clarify as to what exactly are we classifying as media when we use this over generalized term. Here we will use the word media to reflect television, radio and the newest form of media that is now readily becoming the most commonly used media, the Internet. Major Problems As already mentioned, increase in violence is the most debated about and well documented side effect of media so this is where we will start our discussion from. Around 3000 research studies have been conducted related to this matter and as the number of studies and research reports increase the number of opinions quadruples. Every researcher has his own mindset and his own point of view to convey. By the end of it all what we are left with is a hand full of research reports with many of them contradicting each other. However there is no doubt about the fact that more studies support the hypothesis that watching violence make people more violent in real life. This correlation always does not need empirical support as it is sometimes very apparent. For instance, a popular case is that of two teenage boys took a life and then blamed their act on Oliver Stone's movie Natural Born Killers. However, some people prefer scientific evidence before they start believing any phenomenon. Therefore next we will highlight the scientific research both within and outside the lab. One example of a controlled experiment conducted is that by Bandura. He along with his team tried to explain media violence effect in terms of the social learning theory. In simple words, social learning theory claims that we human beings observe and act out what we have observed. However, different people react differently to the exposure of the same thing. This theory states that action converts into reaction after a four step process, namely, watching or reading, retention, learning and finally motivation to carry out (Lavers 2002). When applying it to media violence – to test this hypothesis he along with his team members conducted a controlled experiment which is popularly known as the “Bobo doll experiment”. In this they gathered a group of children who were exposed to violence either on television or real life demonstration towards a doll figured punching bag and afterwards they were allowed to play in the play ground. The behavior of children was observed in the play ground and it was discovered that the group of children that was exposed to violence in one form or the other for long duration tended to conduct acts of violence including punching their fellow mates confirming the hypothesis that watching violence did provoke violent behavior in young children. Apart from lab research, three other types of researches namely the cross-sectional correlation studies, field surveys and longitudinal studies were also conducted on this topic and all of these demonstrated converging results and confirmed the relation between the two variables mentioned above. For instance surveys were also conducted to discover the relation between watching violence and acting violently. Through these surveys they discovered that people who are more interested in violent television shows rate higher on the violence index too. But again like other surveys it is not very accurate as it might just show that some people are more violence prone than others. However these research studies have been backed up by other research ones in the same line, for example questionnaire survey of teachers related to aggression amongst their students, observation of children in playground or other natural settings, etc. Together, they become more effective in convincing people that a correlation does exist between virtual and real violence. From Tom and Jerry to Prison Break every other movie and show depicts violence in one way or the other. May it be Cartoon Network or CNN, every channel has gruesome stories to share with its viewers. Internet is no less, with the sky rocketing fame of video games such as War Craft and Tomb Raider, violence has been able to enter many homes through the Internet. The real question to be asked is if we are aware of the harmful effect of media violence why are we not doing anything about it? If so much time is spent debating on this issue why is not any time being spent on formulating and implementing a policy to curb it. Media people say that violence is what sells their product, this is what the people demand and desire, but is this good enough a reason to allow this appendix from entering our household and allowing it to infect our children and our society at large? Another problem that is very popular to the one that we already mentioned and discussed is the depiction of sex and nudity in the various mediums around us. Once again this type of content is not restricted to adult movies or pornography only, it has spread through every channel, available in every video shop, can be surfed on the Internet, hence it is practically everywhere. Cartoons such as Johnny Bravo show females in bikinis and people making out therefore we cannot say that we can protect our children completely from it (Greene 2005). Many people are of the opinion that pornography and related materials are not even needed and are a source of corruption of our society even if they are viewed by grownups. Research has shown that sexual desires increase since viewing increases desire to indulge in sexual activities and if they are not available from suitable sources, males can become hunters and go out looking for their victims that as we all know may result in sexual crimes including rape or prostitution. There are whole series of different ways of doing it which people consider to be educational and they think it is important to learn it to have a healthy and spicy long lasting relation. What they do not realize and sometimes even if they realize they are in denial is that they have natural tendencies of being creative in this regard and even if they require training it can be provided with sketching and there is no need to show nude females to improve learning. What people need to realize is that these are all excuses to make something unethical sound a little more acceptable. It is one of the few reasons that are a very common reason between problems amongst spouse despite this many husbands still opt for viewing such material. Some people defend it saying its freedom of expression and it is a natural part of life and there is nothing wrong with viewing what is so mundane. What people need to think is that if it is so natural then why is it disliked by so many people, why is it available in the back of the store, why people view it mostly when they are alone and why do they hesitate to tell others what they are viewing. Teenagers learn about adult relations way before their parents think it is appropriate and share and discuss it with them in appropriate ways to educate them instead of creating hype amongst them. When they find it out through the media they see the romantic and love side only as well as the joy and happiness it brings and that too in an over exaggerated fashion (Saunders 1996). The media often fails to show the dark side or the responsibility that brings with it. At times when it even does show the reality, the happy endings diminish the chances of long lasting memories and effects. Apart from the extreme effects mentioned above, it even has certain blow of lower intensity which might be lighter but are still destructive to a certain extent. For example due to the increased amount of sexual content parents prefer to view television alone and children prefer to watch it when their parents are not around. This is because it has become too embarrassing to watch it as a family now. This, though slow and subtle is still having a poisonous effect on family life. Some people are indifferent to this form of corruption from the side of media because they are sure they can prevent their children from viewing it because of the ratings on the CDs and site viewing locks available but what they are not aware of is that when parents set rules, children always find ways to go behind their back and break them which means if it is out there it will be viewed by the children if they are willing to themselves. Media people are looking for ways to increase their earning and they have learned it with the passage of time that violence and sex sells so now this is added to every movie, clip, website needed or not needed. If they are not considerate we need to play our role and be aware of our responsibility towards our offspring and also towards the society as a whole. Possible Solutions The only progress that has taken place so far is the rating of movies and video games as either PG or G but still there is a lack of awareness on the part of parents and indulgence from their side. They need to keep a check on the content their children are accessing. Another problem is that even though many movies, shows and games are not rated they still have minor forms of such acts that have a detrimental effect on the viewers (Gerbner 1988). Therefore no suitable solution has yet been discovered although bodies, such as National Parent Teacher Association etc are still investing time and money on this issue. The only possible solution that comes to my mind is abstinence when it comes to adults and strict check and control along with proper training related with the dealing of children. The child’s mind is like a white slate and from the above mentioned evidence and findings, exposure to media violence would be like a permanent marker that once used on the white board would leave its indelible mark no matter how much you mop or rub it. Therefore more than adults it is important to deal with the issue of young children being affected by the ills of different mediums. It is often said that the more you restrict the child from watching a certain act the more prone he will be to watch it. What they need to do is to train them by example. They should not watch any rated material in front of their children and keep an eye on their children’s viewing habits in a subtle and indirect way, so the child does not even realize that he is being watched and checked (Young 2003). The message needs to be slowly embedded in his mind and the difference between good and bad should be made clear so the child grows up wise enough to make decision on his own once his parents are no longer around. Honest efforts always bring about a fruitful result. Many parents might think that it is only a wastage of time and children will grow up to watch whatever they want but what they do not know is that principles that are set in the minds of these young children never completely fade out and their existence will be reflected in the choices made by these people when they grow up. Further Problems It is a well-known fact that television viewing is marred with effects of violence left, right and center. However what is unknown is that the young ones and the teens find it pretty hard to adjust their entireties with the visuals shown on the screen. Internet is no less an evil and hence the video clips and animations shown over this medium require strict vigilance and proper checking measures (Barker 2001). However this can only happen once the correct formats are implemented upon. Once again, the role of the authorities is of paramount significance. If these are not adhered to, there could be some serious issues in the wake of understanding how these problems could see the light of the day and be resolved amicably. Earlier on, we mentioned some problems that are well documented and their impact is seen comparatively easily around us however some problems are more complicated and they have a far stretch effect or rounded, indirect effect, which makes them less important and are often viewed as irrelevant and far stretched. However many people are confident about the relation between media and the problems that persist in our environment at present. First let’s talk about the problems related to religion and politics. Someone printed sometime or said something on the television regarding the Prophet of Muslims claiming that it is freedom of speech and thus they do not feel the need to apologize. This created such a hype, strikes all around the globe, and grudges against one another, anger generated in the millions of conferences and debates held on this issue and death of many who were part of the mob or due to those who chose to retaliate. The above mentioned is just one example in a million. Political controversies, national revolts, religious combats are over emphasized, exaggerated, highlighted and in short, made worse due to the existence of media. If we cannot put the whole blame of existence of such problems on our society and many might say that these problems existed even when the present mediums were not present, but what we need to realize is that these problems have definitely aggravated due to the role of the media (Larson 2007). Apart from this another problem of the media in my point of view are the false hopes it creates amongst the youth of today. This problem is more associated with television than other mediums. No matter how much we deny it we are affected by the life depicted in the television no matter how far away it is from reality. The intensity of the effect varies with the maturity and exposure of the viewers. The more mature, educated and well versed the person, less chances that he will believe in the fake life shown in the media. Problems in marriages, disappointments and sadness, all are the byproducts of watching television. How many love stories with happy ending and no problems do we know of if we subtract television? If we ask this question to ourselves we will realize that most of the information we have about our day to day life is what we get from the television and that is not entirely correct and true. Conclusion The way forward is filled with potholes since there are serious stakes in front of us. The problems loom large right in our face and we need to decipher the extent of trouble that has seemingly played havoc with the mental development regimes of the people. More than anything else, it is the lack of initiative on the part of the people to set things right which has been termed as a major problem. However this will be taken care of with the passage of time and hopefully one can bank on the expertise of the influential groups within the media to enact measures that will keep away the ills portrayed by the media. There are a number of avenues that need to be taken care of and that too quickly. Many people recommend solving the problem from the source. They say that as the board acts actively to curb any religiously or politically inappropriate content in the media, same should be the filtering process in terms of violence or sexual content present. There are several problems associated with this problem (Potter 2000). For starters, it is very difficult to control the flow of content especially after the advent of virtual video clips. Anyone can upload videos on the web, be it pornography or gruesome violence. Another problem is that this will start several controversies as people will complain that on one side people are fighting for personal freedom including freedom of speech and that of expression, and on the other they are putting people in chains themselves. Moreover it is very difficult to draw the line and decide as to where it should be drawn. For one person it may be too exposing but at the same time it may not be for others. So who decides what needs to be restricted and what can be broadcasted? And in the latter problems as you can see we will have to completely shut down the media, which obviously is not possible because it means going back to the stone-age. Because no matter what we say and no matter how much we whine, we cannot deny the fact that we cannot carry on with our life without the several monsters around us. So complete abundance is not an option hence it is better that we try out the other available options that will at least solve half of the issues that we mentioned earlier on (Bavles 1993). Hence we might not be able to kill this vampire because neither do we have the holy dragger nor are we sure as to where the heart of this monster is exactly located but we surely can remove the venom and make it not that harmful by taking the above mentioned measures, before this world becomes a graveyard and homes convert into coffins. References Barker, M. (2001). Ill Effects: The Media/Violence Debate. Routledge Bavles, M. (1993). Fake Blood: Why Nothing Gets Done about Media Violence. Brookings Review, Vol. 11, Fall Carter, C. (2003). Violence and the Media. Open University Press Gerbner, G. (1988). Violence and Terror in the Mass Media: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Press Greene, K. (2005). Predicting Exposure to and Liking of Media Violence: A Uses and Gratifications Approach. Communication Studies, Vol. 56 Larson, K. (2007). Analyzing the Impact of Drugs, Violence, and Sex in the Media. American Journal of Health Education, Vol. 38 Lavers, D. (2002). Media Violence: Ugly and Getting Uglier: Is Crime the Punishment? World and I, Vol. 17, March Potter, W. (2000). The Context of Graphic Portrayals of Television Violence. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 44 Saunders, K. (1996). Violence as Obscenity: Limiting the Media's First Amendment Protection. Duke University Press Young, B. (2003). The Faces of Televisual Media: Teaching, Violence, Selling to Children. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Word Count: 3,280 Read More