Effects of Mass Media Part II

1. Effects of Mass Media Part II

2. Case Study: Columbine • Actions: CBS pulled an episode of Promised Land due to a plot about the shooting at a Denver school

3. WB postpones an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a schoolyard massacre • Marilyn Manson’s April 30 concert in Denver is cancelled

4. Nickelodeon created a new intro to a special on senseless violence that had been created for previous school shootings, and began to offer free dubs to all schools interested in obtaining copies

5. MTV offered to create more programming that would grapple with tough issues for high school kids

6. Words • Steve Tisch (Forrest Gump, America History X) “What’s more troubling, a kid with a sawed-off shotgun or a kid with a cassette of The Basketball Diaries? Its not just movies. Lots of other wires have to short before a kid goes out and does something like this. It’s a piece of a much bigger, more complex puzzle.”

7. Gerald Levin: Time Warner Chairman • “I can’t help but think that television is an easy scapegoat. Where is the cry to stop the proliferation of guns?”

8. William Baldwin-Creative Coalition president • Responding to claims that violence portrayed in movies and television is a contributing factor to violent acts by kids: “This needs a serious look”

9. “We have done a considerable amount to address this issue over the last 10 years. What has the gun lobby done?”

10. Writers Guild of America • Included a panel at their 1999 conference entitled “Guns don’t kill people, writers do.”

11. Marilyn Manson: “It’s tragic and disgusting anytime young people’s lives are taken in an act of senseless violence. My condolences go out to the students and their families.”

12. Hilary Rosen- president/CEO of the Recording Industry Association • “In the coming days, we may find out more about the cause of this tragedy, but we do know that music does not drive teenagers to violent dispair, nor does it put guns and weapons in the hands of children. It’s too easy to make music a scapegoat.”

13. Robert Johnson- BET chairman • “It think it’s a threat to our First Amendment rights and the rights of viewers to receive information without government instruction” (in response to questions about V-chip)

14. 1999 Gallup poll: 32% of respondents believed that parental involvement is the single most important key to preventing future killings like those at Columbine

15. Parenting was ranked twice as important as school security (16%) • 42% of Pew Research Center respondents said poor upbringing as main reason kids commit violence

16. Public expressed concerns over effects of teen use of violent media, it was not by any means their primary fear with regards to the Columbine shootings

17. 4% of American adults felt that controlling media violence was the single most important factor to prevent future school shootings

18. May 1999: President Clinton would be holding a White House summit that would involve the Internet and entertainment industries

19. Clinton suggested that “video games like Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, and Doom, the very game played obsessively by the two young men who ended so many lives in Littleton, make our children more active participants in simulated violence.”

20. Clinton: “Parents should take this moment to ask what else they can do to shield their children from violent images that warp young perceptions and obscure the consequences of violence.”

21. Al Gore: urged Americans to place more pressure on broadcasters to implement the V-chip. He argued that Americans “need to pay more attention to the problem of excessive violence in the media.”

22. Gore added “If you plant the seeds of violence in most, it won’t have an impact; but in some it does.”

23. 44% of adults felt that violence on TV contributes a great deal to violence in real life • 75% of adults surveyed felt that entertainment industry needed to make a serious effort to significantly reduce the amount of sex and violence on television

24. Public might actually be more concerned by the effects of children’s exposure to sex in the media than violence • 46% said they are uncomfortable watching sex on tv with their kids

25. 37% are concerned about watching violence on tv with their kids • Majority of adults think the entertainment industry must reduce the amount of sex and violence in tv

26. 43% of adults said they would be unlikely to actually use the V-chip to block inappropriate programming • 23% of surveyed said they would be likely to use technology

27. Most parents are not aware of the V-chip technology, and they do not exert effort on their own to gather information about their children’s viewing habits

28. Films that address violence and the media • A Clockwork Orange (1971) • Govt tries to cure Alex’s love of ultraviolence, forced him to watch movie scenes with sex and violence • Lidlockers kept him from shutting his eyes

29. Natural Born Killers (1994) • Society’s obsession with violence by engaging audiences in the very act it condemns • Can we enjoy this film if we are repulsed by its violence?

30. Why are we fascinated by violence? • Who is to blame- the news media for glamorizing violent events or the public for their interest in it?

31. Bowling for Columbine (2002) • Documentary initially appears to be primarily a commentary on gun control, with Moore’s personal stance on the issue unclear due to his membership in NRA

32. Do the media cultivate fear in America? • Why is the public interested in news stories about violence?

33. Problems with Violent Media • American Psychological Association- viewing high levels of violence in the media correlate with an increased in acceptance of aggressive attitudes and increased aggressive behavioral patterns

34. The issues related to media violence are the impact and influence violence in media create amongst the youth. Especially amongst youth that are under represented infested with police corruption, police brutality, inadequate education, gang violence, drugs, unemployment, disintegrated families, and lack of resources

35. Media is a powerful instrument which can service to create, build, or destroy • While media provides a service, it is tool designed for making money

36. Media is a mega business and therefore will create for the audiences what sells based on popular demand, regardless of the consequences and impact on our youth

37. Solutions for youth- murals, community involvement, education, job opportunities

38. Negative Effects of Music • Violent, racist, homophobic, sexist lyrics in much of today’s popular music could have an impact on impressionable young people who are just developing a sense of identity and self-worth

39. Studies indicate a preference for heavy metal music may be a significant marker for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risk, sex-role stereotyping, risk taking behaviors

40. Internet • 1st generation to grow up with the Internet as a routine part of their lives • Ahead of adults in their online explorations • 94% of young people say they go online from home, compared with 79% in 2001

41. When students are asked what Internet related subjects they would like to learn about in school, the top choice for 68% is “How to tell if information you find on the Net is true or not.”

42. Video games Violent or sexist content of games Provide a fun and social form of entertainment Teamwork and cooperation when played with others

43. Kids feel comfortable with technology- very important for girls, who don’t use technology as much as boys • Increase self confidence and self esteem as they master games

44. Develop skills in reading, math, and problem solving • Improve eye hand coordination and fine motor skills

45. Video game sector is fastest growing entertainment industry, 2nd only to music • Not a lot of research available about impact on youth culture

46. Some children become excessive or addicted • Playing games can trigger release of chemical dopamine in the brain- with is associated with pleasurable sensations and has been linked with addiction

47. Parents have concerns over kids lives completely taken over by role playing virtual worlds • 3.5 million people around the world play these games

48. EverQuest- was one of the most popular online games, played by more than 350,000 around world, spend an average of 20 hours a week playing the game

49. Online gaming is one of the few profitable businesses on the Web- hopes to attract and even larger mainstream audience

50. Violence in Video Games • Prime audience for video games is boys ages 7-14 • Most popular games with this group are the “action adventure” and “sports” genres, both of which often contain violence