The influence of Media in today’s world is in
the rise, as we include tablets and phones we become media transporters, there
is not secret, that main stream media has a great influence in our lives, it
can be so powerful that it could change our views and it could change the way
we think. It depicts the real image of many aspects of our lives. The media tells
us how we should dress and the way should act. Also depicts what a successful
person is.
Television is one of the most influential
venues in the US (1), in average teens spends about 3-4 hours a day watching TV
(2). Video Games are another trap where many young people are restrain people
from exercising outside and interacting with one another.
When we watch and hear
we are able to retain more, in a subtle way it changes the way think and act.
Individuals sometimes do not realized that they are even being influenced by
the mass media. It limits our self-awareness and instinct. In the US the left wing owns most of the
cable networks making it easier for them to shape the way of thinking in the
direction that they want. When it comes to sexual behavior TV stations, present
as promiscuous behavior as normal and put not value on abstinence, commitment
and unconditional love.
The glorification of risky sex, drugs, alcohol
consumption and violent behaviors, makes young individuals make decisions that
leads them in a path of destruction and irresponsibility. The media should not
take all the blame, parents are still the most influential persons in the lives
of the children. The issue here is that many parents are “absent parents” not
engaging with their children and not investing quality time with them. Parents
should monitor and control their children’s viewing habits.
“True, media violence
is not likely to turn an otherwise fine child into a violent criminal. But,
just as every cigarette one smokes increases a little bit the likelihood of a
lung tumor someday, every violent show one watches increases just a little bit
the likelihood of behaving more aggressively in some situation.” —Psychologists
Brad Bushman and L. Rowell Huesmann (3)
According to Margaret J. Meeker “Over the last
forty-five years, the amount of time kids spend with their parents has gone
down by ten to twenty hours we week. At the high end, that’s almost three hours
a day gone from your relationship with your children.” (4)
Fathers talk WITH their children for eight
minutes a day, while working mothers talk for 11 minutes. (5)
That’s way is so important that parents be
involved in the lives of their kids as they are grow parents can shape and in
most instances raise a child that can have a good influence in society and not
be a headache to them.
This is one of the reasons that many of the
millennials do not know what is happening around them in regards to many
important issues in this nation and mayor events that occurs around the world.
The vast majority of entertainment draws them to steal their time, and most of
them stare a screen that in many cases does not add any valuable knowledge to
them.
Another big issue, is obesity and eating
disorders are a contribution of media, not only because it prevents us from
exercising but because it promotes a lot of junk food; teenagers are bombarded
with 4400- 7600 junk food ads a year on TV alone. (6)
The media plays a crucial role in the
formation of body self-image affecting females causing them to suffer from
distorted body image and eating disorders (7)
We are constantly being attacked by the media
telling us what we should wear, how our body should look. This type mentality of
great body image is everywhere; Barbie dolls reinforce the unrealistic body
size and has a focus on beauty and an expectation that girls should look like
them.
Teenagers need to realize that society’s ideal
body image is not achievable. The photos we see in magazines are not real
either. Many people don’t realize that those photos have gone through many
touch ups and have been air-brushed to make the models look perfect. Teenagers
striving to attain society’s unattainable ideal image will just end up increasing
their feelings of inadequacy.
Media uses repetition; Hitler said: 'If you
tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed” Individuals
will accept as true and right, ideas that are contrary to our own moral values,
and yet we know that aren’t right at all, and we embraced because it becomes
politically incorrect if we do go with it.
Media constantly uses celebrities because we
tend to uphold these individuals at a higher standard. Many times not knowing
that their life is not worth following because they are not good role models,
this is not in all cases, but the vast majority are not happy with themselves
because of the strains that fame brings.(8)
Sources:
1.
"Mass
Media Influence on Society." Mass Media Influence on Society.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
2.
"TV
and Your Teen." Education.com. National Institute on Media and
the Family, 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
3.
Bushman
BJ, Huesmann LR. Effects of televised violence on aggression. In: Singer DG,
Singer JL eds. Handbook of Children and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage;
2001: 223–254
4.
Meeker, Margaret J. Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters:
10 Secrets Every Father Should Know. New York: Ballantine, 2007. Print.
5.
Pednekar,
Puja. "Parents Too Busy to Talk to Their Kids, Finds Study | Latest News
& Updates at Daily News & Analysis." Dna. N.p., 25
Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
6.
Tiller,
Joel. "How Much Is Too Much? Exploring Children's Use of Media." -
AboutKidsHealth. N.p., 05 June 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
7.
"Society
and Eating Disorders." Eating Disorders. Mirror and Mirror,
n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
8.
"The
Media Influence Our Decisions in Many Ways. Understand How They Do It." Decision-making-confidence.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
