Category: Media

Introduction

The concept of media framing is based on an angle that is taken by a media firm to communicate a specific story. Several people consider news to be completely valuable and the goal still is not usually this method. Many news stories are more value-laden as per the content and manufacturing. Reality is never in reality shown via news however just a small part of reality is developed from many angles. There are several journalists that never, in reality, change the truth nor communicate any lies, however, use specific sources that are focused on specific angles to communicate specific stories by adhering to certain procedures that are immensely selective by nature (Berger, 2017).

Discussion

The media sector is one of the biggest and highly susceptible to massive issues like the integration of corporations, the balance of the truth towards the public interest, social accountability, and overcoming less-than-best customer opinion. Media experts, public association workforce, and interactors from across sectors face strategy-based, financial issues as well as compliance that can rapidly turn into several threats when not correctly expected. Identifying present important challenges particular to the media sector will permit experts to ignore them when right and rapidly move them into options in certain events that they can easily materialize (Bertrand and Hughes, 2017). The important thing to understand is that the concept of communication is considered as a dynamic, rapidly transforming firm or sector.

Corporate social accountability

It has been discussed for ages that businesses are in the business to make money. Big business specifically has a wrong picture for putting the bottom line in the future ahead of associations, international considerations, and certain things ethical in common. The media sector finds are troublesome to report such challenges that can be considered as out of compliance, at the time of trying to advertise what social accountability has been exhibited. When people get news that a firm has managed to conduct business questionably, it develops a majorly challenging case for experts in communication that must or should isolate the challenge that is being reported on without gaining any attention to the whole firm and damage a positive business-focused reputation. Corporate social accountability has conventionally been part of integration into the present business model as well as is also self-governed to agree to specific standards of ethics (Chouliaraki et al., 2017). It can not be part of the structure to deal with unforeseen cases and adverse situations that may come up as well and can thus be taken as completely irresponsible in cases dealt with carelessly.

Public and truth interest

Media-focused reporting, mainly when it is news material can be part of spun, embellished, and also exaggerated to captivate people or viewers, gain focused ratings along with psychological that can interest any person who is exposed to the line of the story. The media industry has a continuous way of issues laid out right before it based on balancing the truth with developing the public-focused interest. All over the world, and mainly in the USA, TV is the main source of public data. On one hand, viewers have a component of skepticism when reading or hearing about the news, once it has been decided the actual truth has been changed in a certain manner, interactions executives lose important kinds of credible information that can never be reinstated, handling to bad consumer opinion for the sector as a whole (Drotner, 2019).

Abstract

The impact that violent media content has on mass shootings has been the topic of much discussion. The verdict on this issue is in many ways split. Some argue that yes indeed it does have an effect, while others oppose this notion. The answer to this is not a simple yes or no. It is clear that violent media does not make murders of all its consumers, nor is every mass shooter an avid consumer of it. However, violent media within movies and video games is shown to effect aggression levels in its users, and in some cases it is clear that violent imagery did play some role in influencing mass shooters through social learning and desensitization.

Media Violence

On a Feburary morning that appeared to be another routine day of school for the students of Parkland High School in Florida a tragedy struck. One that would end the lives of several students and profoundly impact hundreds of others. On that morning a lone shooter walked the high school and began fatally firing upon the students there. In the span of just a few minutes 17 students were dead and many more were injured by the shooter. Although thankfully events such as this are still a relatively rare, the magnitude of the violence associated with mass shootings cannot go unnoticed. Especially because these violent actions appear to be much more a product of modern society that was not prevalent in earlier portions of this nation’s history. It is a difficult question to answer“what is at the root of these horrifying events?” In the wake of these disasters muc debate goes into attempting to determine what causes individuals to decide to needlessly kill and what can be done to prevent it in the future. The answers given by law makers and media personnel are usually rather simple, such as: stricter gun laws, mental health policies, and heighted security. Unfortunately the solution to avoiding future loss of innocent life at the hands of mass murders is an intricate one that require multiple facets of approach. The choice to commit such an act of violence is not a decision that one makes in a day. Post-analysis of many mass shooters shows tendencies of premeditation and a history of warning signs leading up to its climax of indiscriminate murder (Kamp, Campo-Flores 2018). One aspect worthy of deeper examination is the consequence of violent media content in the form of video games and movies and its impact on aggression and desensitization to killing. By no means is it reasonable to suggest that media content alone is responsible for mass shootings in their entirety. However, a strong argument can be made for a direct cause and effect relationship between media violence and real world hostility is present and it has the potential to normalize acts of violence in the minds of future killers that most individuals would find impossible.

When addressing the idea that media can have an effect on aggression and one’s willingness to kill, it is important to consider how humans responded to killing before the mass spread of social media. After all, has not mankind continuously been killers throughout its’ history? According to LtCol. Grossman, a psychologist and author of the book On Killing, mankind has not. In his book, he explains that less than 15 percent of individual riflemen were willing to directly fire upon their enemy during World War Two with the intent to kill. That is only 15 men out of a 100 were willing to shoot at enemy soldiers with the resolve to take their life. The others either did not fire at all or simply pretended to fire and just shot over the heads of the enemy missing them intentionally. Likewise an estimated one percent of fighter pilots were responsible for 30 to 40 percent of enemy planes shot down in World War Two. Indicating that only a few pilots were willing and capable of engaging another pilot with the intent to take their life. Going back further in American history to the civil war, accounts indicate that a regiment of soldiers firing at an unprotected enemy from as close as 30 yards would kill an average of only one to two men a minute. Though, in training, these same regiments could release fire power on wooden targets that would have had the power to easily kill hundreds of enemy personnel within only a few minutes. Yet, when in battle facing other human beings the vast majority of men quietly chose not to kill their fellow man. Historical records report finding dead soldiers with muskets that had been loaded with sometimes up to 15 shots. This means that soldiers were going through the motion of preparing their weapon to fire but would only pretend to pull the trigger. It was not until as recently as the Vietnam era that the percentage of soldiers willing to shoot at the enemy with the resolve to kill reached levels of 80 to 90 percent. Modern solider kill rates are even greater with virtually all individuals willing to directly fire upon the enemy with resolve to kill them. To achieve this end the military had to radically change the way it trained its fighters. Providing them with much more realistic training in order to suppress their natural aversions to killing their fellow man. This training involved human shaped targets that fell when hit. And more recent adaptions of lifelike video simulations similar to the point and shoot games advertised to the civilian population that are present in arcades and more recently available within the privacy of one’s own home (2008). This begs the question that if this simulated killing can suppress the natural and healthy aversion of a solider to kill in combat, could it likewise do the same to children playing similar violent games and watching violent movies?

In order to better comprehend how media could push an individual towards more violent tendencies it is helpful to understand how exposure to certain stimulus can impact the human mind and change behavior. Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink discusses a topic referred to as priming. He uses an experiment to illustrate priming’s effect on the human mind. In this experiment subjects are given a seemingly random lists of words usually only five or six in total and asked to create sentences using the words as quickly as possible. After they finished the subjects were instructed to walk down a hallway and inform the monitor that they were done. However, when they would get to the monitor’s office they would find them engaged in a conversation that appeared to be a coincidence but in fact was part of the test. The seemingly randomized words were in fact not random at all. In one group certain words like “rushed’, “rude”, and “entitled” were scattered throughout test. In another group words such as “nice”, “polite”, and “patient” were scattered throughout. This was to test how effectively an individual could be primed to be either polite or rude compared to a control group. The results were rather remarkable. Once the control group got to the monitors office they would on average interrupt after a few minutes. The group primed to be rude would on average interrupt much faster than the control group, sometimes within only a few seconds. Yet, the group primed to be polite on average never interrupted even when the conversation dragged on for an excess of ten minutes (SIGHT). It is astonishing how just reading a handful of words can drastically change the actions of an individual for a period of time. One can argue that the images within violent media would be much more effective at priming someone’s behavior than a handful of words. And a constant exposer to such priming could have the potential to have a more lasting effect on one’s conduct.

Furthermore, meta-analysis does show a positive correlation between violent video games and aggressive behavior and violent crimes (Glock & Kneer 2009). It has been shown that playing violent video games can have a priming effect on children. Zheng and Zhang demonstrated this by having children partake in a study where they rate the violence level of certain video games and then measured their aggression levels before and after playing the games. They found that aggression levels noticeably increased in test subjects after playing the violent video games for a reasonable amount of time (2016). Of note, the gender and pre-dispositioned aggression before playing the video games did impact the measured aggression levels in the test subjects. Meaning that males and those who had higher aggression levels prior to conducting the study exhibited greater increases in aggressive tendencies following the study. A separate study that collaborates with the results in the first showed that brain development can actually be changed in adolescence when exposed to violent media imagery. Neuroimaging was used to show that exposure to media violence in childhood can alter prefrontal mechanisms for regulating emotions and behavior. This can result in long-term increases in aggression levels and lack of inhibitory controls (Hummer 2015). This makes logical sense from a psychological perspective when viewed from the premise of Social Learning Theory, which indicates that learning occurs through observation of others and through the reception of rewards and punishments (Kassin et. all 2008). Particularly when one takes into account the premise of most violent video games is rewards based upon inflicting as many virtual causalities as possible. Even when the storyline of the video game does not encourage massive amounts killing, there is rarely any meaningful risk in doing so. Basically most violent video games establish a realistic virtual world where the player is free to commit nearly endless amounts of violence upon the computer-generated inhabitance of the game without any of the negative consequences that would accompany such acts within the real world. Violent movies are similar where it is frequent for the viewer to see massive amounts of murder and killing carried out by the protagonist with little to no consequences. They often present these killings as unimportant and normal within the fictional world of the movie, where the same activities in real life would have devastating consequences for the perpetrator.

This by no means is to propose that every consumer of violent video games and movies is a killer in waiting. Nor is it even proposed to suggest that violent media content in and of itself is accountable for a mass shooter’s decisions to carry out their violent acts. A normal human being can logically tell the difference between fiction and reality; however, as previously mentioned, on a subconscious level this exposure can prime an individual, especially one that is younger, to be more open to accepting violent behavior as normal and desensitize them to violence against other human beings. Like in the case of the Parkland shooting. It was reported that the shooter would frequently play violent video games sometimes as much as 15 hours a day. His favorite was Call of Duty, a game that simulates a soldier in combat allowing the player to rapidly kill dozens of simulated enemies from a first person perspective (SIGHT). Obviously correlation does not always equal causation. However, based off of the studies previously discussed it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the Parkland shooter was not at least to some degree desensitized to killing due to his excessive use of first person shooters.

There is harsh opposition to the idea that video game and media violence plays any role in the perpetration of mass shootings. Such as Ferguson and Barnett who argue that there is not even as much as a causal relationship between the two. They wish to dispel the notion of the “profile” of a mass shooter as always being a social outcast, a loner playing video games in their basement, until one day they just snap and decide to go on a murderous rampage. It is true that there is no established concrete profile of a mass shooter. If one was to attempt to compile a profile, some commonalities would emerge but none would be universal. And mass consumption of violent video games and media would not make the list. Ferguson and Barnett point to statistics provided by The United States Secret Service to back their argument that there is no causal relationship between mass shooters and media consumption. Their statistics indicated that only 59% of shooters displayed significant interest in violent media, and the level of consumption of media was not higher than their peer groups among the general population (2011). This data can be misleading in two regards. First off it fails to account for the wide and almost unanimous consumption of violent media content in the United States. 99% of boys and 94% of girls in the United States between 12 and 17 years of age play video games (Lenhart 2015) with a significant number of those being violent in nature. So even if mass shooters are relatively on par with or even below their peers when it comes to media consumption, nearly all children are still being exposed to and desensitized by violent media content. And second it over simplifies a correlation between mass shootings and media violence. The decision by an individual to commit a mass shooting is a complex one. The road they took to get there and the influences along the way are very much unique to them. For many of these individuals media violence and video games did not play a noteworthy role in their progression to becoming a mass murder; however, for others it appeared to be a significant part of their development. For example the Columbine shooters were avid players of the video game Doom and reportedly based their plan off of the game. Or James Holmes who conducted a shooting at a screening of a Batman movie because he saw himself likened to the Joker, the infamous rival to Batman (Kassin et. all 2008). And numerous other examples are available. It would be unreasonable to assume that the complete removal of media violence from the scenario would have prevented the acts of violence carried out by these individuals. However, it would also be a gross misinterpretation of the evidence to suggest that in some cases of mass shootings violent media content did not play a significant role.

To state the obvious, mass shootings are horrific and tragic. So it is no surprise that what is at the core of these event is the topic of intense debate. Especially following in the wake of yet another tragic shooting. Media violence and its impact on aggression in young people, especially to the extreme in places like Parkland High School, is at the forefront of that debate. Yet like many other issues it is overly simplified. A society, fearful for the safety of its youth, begs the question, “does media violence cause these shootings?” And they seek a simple yes or no, black or white answer to this question. Unfortunately the answer to this, just like the motives behind the individuals who carry out these acts, is complex. Obviously, and thankfully, there is not a direct positive relationship between mass shooters and the heavy consumption of media violence. If this were the case mass shootings would arguably be a daily occurrence given that nearly all individuals consume violent media content. However, through social learning and desensitization a strong argument is present for media violence having a significant influence on at least some of the perpetrators of mass shootings.

References

1. Kamp, J., Calvert, S., & Campo-Flores, A. (2018, February 16). Missed Warnings in the Florida School Shooting. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/florida-shooting-suspect-charged-with-17-counts-of-premeditated-murder-1518704958
2. Grossman, D., & Christensen, L. W. (2008). On combat: the psychology and physiology of deadly conflict in war and in peace. Illinois: Warrior Science Publications.
3. Glock, S., & Kneer, J. (2009). Game Over? Journal of Media Psychology, 21(4), 151-160.
4. Zheng, J., & Zhang, Q. (2016). Priming effect of computer game violence on childrens aggression levels. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 44(10), 1747-1759.
5. Hummer, T. A. (2015). Media Violence Effects on Brain Development. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(14), 1790-1806.
6. Kassin, S. M., Fein, S., Markus, H. R., & Brehm, S. S. (2008). Social psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
7. Ferguson, C. J., Coulson, M., & Barnett, J. (2011). Psychological Profiles of School Shooters: Positive Directions and One Big Wrong Turn. Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations, 11(2), 141-158.
8. Lenhart, A. (2015, August 06). Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships

Why do we use a fork and spoon for spaghetti, yet eat a hamburger with our hands? From the moment we are conceived, we are socialized; we constantly learn hoe to act and react, to function within society. Socialization is defined as the process in which we learn the culture of our society, and it is perpetual. In sense, we are fundamentally products of our socialization; our identity, thoughts and actions are all formed by how we were socialized. If Tarzan was brought to a high-class dinner party, he wouldn’t just be confused as at which fork to use first, he’d be utterly bemused at the entire setup for the meal, and probably even find it incredibly pointless how people fuss over something as eating.

TECHNOLOGY’S IMPACT

The need to socialize has seen people invent various channels of socialization. Technological advancement has reduced the world into a small village. Some areas, such as the mass media coverage, have attracted the attention of many individuals globally. With the current mass media, much has changed, especially in terms of socialization.

This includes the radios, television, newspapers, and many more. They deliver and carry messages or information from one place to the other. Socialization process has extremely taken a new look in the current society.

What the media displays has attracted a lot of attention from the public. Information on major societal issues, such as sexuality, is displayed clearly to the public. Unlike in the traditional society where such sensitive information could not be addressed openly, all forms of information are openly discussed fearlessly in the modern society.

Mass media has become so advanced to an extent that people from different regions can chart over various issues affecting them in life. This has greatly helped people in terms of expressing their views freely in areas of interest. By so doing, a social network is created. Issues of family and marriages are addressed. Relationship issues are discussed through the mass media as well.

Twitter and Facebook are the main forms of social media in the modern society. Through Facebook and twitter, people from various parts of the world share information and would form relationships more easily. According to Henslin (2012), young individuals would get in touch with each other through the social media and would form serious friendships, which would end up in marriages.

Mass media has drawn the attention of many politicians in the modern society since it offers as a platform through which leaders can form strong bonds with the electorate. Through Facebook and Twitter, politicians are able to pass their campaign information to many. The mass media helps them in sharing their political standpoints and interests with their supporters, organize meetings, and hold political rallies.

The first category of the socialization agents is the media. The mass media and the social media have been major agents of socialization. As mentioned above, the mass media is a very vital socializing agent. The newspaper, radio, and television are the main socializing agents in the modern society. On the social media, Facebook, Tweeter, and YouTube are the main agents of socialization.

Facebook has about one billion subscribers from all over the world. This means that through Facebook, one can reach numerous individuals locally and globally. Others, such as YouTube and Tweeter, are also major agents of socialization.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION “MASS MEDIA”

According to the reading, “Socialization and Culture” from the book “Interdisciplinary English” by Loretta F. Kasper, Socialization is the process in which a child learns how to behave in life and participate in a group in society. Socialization has four basic/main agents: family, school, peers and the mass media. Each one of these agents plays a role in our lives. However, in my opinion, the most important agent of socialization for the development of the child is the Mass Media. The Mass media is a significant force in modern culture. Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects the behavioral pattern of some individuals within a society.

SOCIO CULTURAL FACTOR

Researchers (Plungė, 2011; McLuhan, 2003; Nabi, Oliver, 2009 et al.) emphasize that medias are not only the agents of socialization. They are also treated as a socio-cultural factor, transforming entire neighboring environment. Their impact on individuals can be both positive and negative, since they bring changes into the process of cognition and effect. They develop the “here and now effect” and take part in following processes, related to socialization of individuals: y social adaptation of individuals adaptation to socio-cultural conditions and social roles, standards and social groups, organizations or social institutions); y interiorization (internalization) processes (mastering of social standards, values and their transition to internal human world); y exteriorization (externalization) processes (reaction to external cultural stimulus on the basis of internalized standards and activity patterns).

Scientific problem. In socialization related processes each individual interacts with medias (their texts). Therefore, it is important to answer the question – in which processes of socialization their impact on individuals is strongest? Aim of the research is to make analysis of media impacts on individuals in their process of socialization. Object of the research is the impact of medias on individuals. Tasks (objectives): y to make analysis of relation between media action mode and impact; y to discuss the importance of individual media related experience in processes of socialization; y to explore media related impact on individuals in processes of socialization.

Relation between media action mode and impact

Medias influence social environment – they make impact on interrelations of individuals, communication, approach to oneself and entire world, “insist” on certain stereotypes in different situations. They take active part in socialization of individuals. Diversification is typical to them, since it provides them with opportunity for penetration into environment, in which individuals personally could hardly ever penetrate. In other words, boundaries between different environments are eliminated. This impact in community could be entitled as media action mode (methods and styles of action and activities). Above action mode consists of entire chain of these action methods and all this is operated by medias. They are always focused on specific aim, depending on targets that information is orientated on. There are following landmarks in media action mode:

• · Analysis of audience preferences/choice, when media action mode is focused on specific demands of audience (personal, social, cultural, etc.);
• · Analysis of social standards and interests – media action mode is focused on demands of community, in which interaction of medias and audience takes place;
• · Medias as a factor, making social impact.

Introduction

Media plays a significant role in shaping our understanding of society, influencing our perceptions of social hierarchies and reinforcing existing power structures. In this analytical essay, we will examine the phenomenon of stratification in media, exploring how various forms of media perpetuate and reflect social inequalities based on factors such as class, race, gender, and age.

Media Portrayals of Class

One aspect of stratification in the media is the portrayal of social class. Television shows, movies, and advertisements often depict characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds, showcasing their lifestyles, behaviors, and aspirations. These portrayals not only reflect existing class divisions but also reinforce class stereotypes and perceptions.

In media, characters from privileged backgrounds are often portrayed as successful, confident, and influential, while those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are frequently depicted as struggling, disadvantaged, or engaging in criminal activities. Such representations contribute to the perpetuation of class-based stereotypes and the reinforcement of social inequalities.

Media Representations of Race and Ethnicity

Another dimension of stratification in the media is the representation of race and ethnicity. Media often perpetuates racial stereotypes and biases through the characters it portrays and the narratives it presents. Minority groups are frequently marginalized, misrepresented, or portrayed in stereotypical and one-dimensional ways, reinforcing existing power dynamics.

Moreover, the underrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups in media further marginalizes them and perpetuates their exclusion from mainstream narratives. This limited representation reinforces a hierarchy where dominant groups maintain their social power while marginalized groups struggle for recognition and representation.

Gender and Stratification in the Media

Gender stratification is a pervasive issue in media, where traditional gender roles and stereotypes are often reinforced. Women are frequently portrayed as objects of desire, lacking agency or depicted in domestic roles. On the other hand, men are often depicted as powerful, assertive, and in control. These portrayals perpetuate gender inequalities, reinforcing societal expectations and limiting the potential for gender equality.

Additionally, the media’s portrayal of beauty standards contributes to stratification based on appearance. The idealized images of thinness, youth, and flawless beauty disproportionately affect women, leading to body dissatisfaction and perpetuating societal pressures.

Age and Media Stratification

Age is another dimension of stratification reflected in the media. Older individuals are often underrepresented or portrayed in stereotypical ways, reinforcing ageism and marginalizing the elderly. The media’s emphasis on youthfulness and beauty contributes to a culture that values youth over experience, further perpetuating age-related inequalities.

Media Influence and Social Change

While media can perpetuate stratification, it also has the power to challenge and disrupt existing power structures. As media consumers, we have the responsibility to critically analyze the messages presented to us and demand more inclusive and representative narratives. By supporting media that portrays diverse perspectives, challenges stereotypes, and promotes social justice, we can contribute to positive social change.

Conclusion

Stratification in media is a complex issue that reinforces social hierarchies based on factors such as class, race, gender, and age. By critically analyzing media portrayals, we can identify and challenge the biases and stereotypes perpetuated by the media. Moreover, by supporting and demanding more inclusive and representative media, we can contribute to a more equitable and just society. It is essential to recognize the power of media and its potential to shape our understanding of social hierarchies, ultimately striving for a more inclusive and egalitarian media landscape.

Media can affect suicide in a lot of ways, these being through television, literature, music, videogames and almost of all social media. These can usually be divided into two categories, traditional and new. Traditional as in newspapers, television, and music, and new being social media and video games. Today I’ll be covering the ways these types of media affect suicide.

The first way that media affects suicide is through television. This is one of the many traditional media I was referring to earlier. Ways that television can affect suicide is through reports of actual suicides, TV shows that portray suicide, or films that portray suicide. News reports about suicides could influence some people to commit suicide because they want to be remembered like the person they saw in the news, that the public will know their struggle, but what they don’t realize is that people knowing about your struggle won’t help you any after you’re dead. The way it can influence suicide is by sometimes displaying it as a way of escape. For example in the TV show Mission Impossible, a captured spy would take a suicide pill to avoid being interrogated. This portrays suicide as a way of escape from the interrogation, and could send a message to an individual struggling with suicidal thoughts that suicide can be a way of escape for their troubles.

The second way that media affects suicide is through literature. This is also a traditional type of media. The type of books you read can really affect suicide depending on the book. Some books also show suicide as a solution. For example in Romeo and Juliet it’s portrayed as a solution for Juliet when she thought Romeo killed himself, and a solution for Romeo when he finds out that Juliet killed herself.

The third way that media affects suicide is through music. There are a lot of different types of music but the type of music that usually influences suicidal behavior is this emotional or rock music. This type of music incorporates connotations of suicide, depression, and nihilism. An example of this type of music can be seen in the song “Fade to Black” by Metallica which states “Life it seems will fade away, Drifting further everyday, Getting lost within myself, Nothing matters no one else, I have lost the will to live, Simply nothing more to give, There is nothing more for me, Need the end to set me free.” As you can see this song displays signs of depression and suicidal thoughts the listening of the song could push someone to the brink of suicide.

The fourth way media affects suicide through video games. Video games are one of the new medias I was talking about before and can affect suicide in a lot of ways. The first way that video games can affect suicide is by encouraging violence in young children. The encouraged violence may influence depressed people let violence is a good answer and that killing yourself may be a good response to their pain and suffering. Another way that video games can affect suicide is by normalizing suicide. They’re are actually many games that incorporate suicide as a main factor in the game Such as Happy Wheels, Kill Yourself, and 5 Minutes to Kill Yourself.

In the video game Happy Wheels, the objective of the game is to pass an extreme course where one wrong move could end your life. The developers, however make the deaths of the player more enjoyable, to the point where you kill yourself in the game on purpose therefore normalizing suicide. The second game in this category is literally called “Kill Yourself”, where the goal of the game is to find 38 different ways to kill yourself. This not only normalizes suicide but provides more methods of suicide to them. The last game in this category I mentioned is named “5 Minutes to Kill Yourself”. The objective of the game is to kill yourself the fastest you can the limit being 5 minutes. This video game could encourage someone with depression to commit suicide because it rewards you for killing yourself in the game. They might actually perceive suicide as a good thing and actually go through with it. Overall, they’re a lot of video games that can affect suicide but games like these should be kept away from people with suicidal thoughts.

The last and the of the media, which affects suicide in a colossal way is the (((social media))). Besides physical bullying, the use of social media to bully people and push them to the brink of suicide is one the greatest ways that media affects suicide. There are multiple ways that social media can do this though and these ways are through jealousy and by cyberbullying. The first reason I will be covering is jealousy. Even though it’s not seen it happens in a lot of social media.

Some people may feel like they aren’t worth anything or that nobody likes them because they see other people who look so much better on social media. An extensive period of this jealousy can really depress some people and make them feel worthless and unnoticed, which increases their risk of suicide. Self-consciousness plays a major role in this because they’re always thinking about what others think about them and if nobody payed attention to them they would think no one would care about them. Then there’s cyberbullying probably one of the most effective ways that media affects suicide. If you don’t know what cyberbullying it is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Anyway, people doing this to others can exponentially increase their risk of suicide. The way it does this is put down the victim of it until he/she is feels so worthless and hated that they decide to end their own life. This is a serious problem nowadays and it needs to be attended to.

In conclusion, the media can affect suicide in a plethora of ways. These ways being through television, literature, news etc. But it’s important to remember to be careful what you entertain yourself with because it could be brewing thoughts of depression or nihilism, that could lead to suicidal thoughts, and eventually suicide.

In May 2019, a video of an incident which took place at a restaurant in Gurgaon, India went viral on Facebook. In that video, a middle -aged woman was seen harassing a group of young girls and slut-shaming one of them because she was wearing a short skirt. The victim also stated that, the woman was asking the men present at the restaurant to rape her as she deserved that because of her ‘inappropriate’ clothing. This incident is a small glimpse of the consequences of deeply embedded rape culture within the society. Simply put, rape culture is a collection of values that excuses, normalizes and tolerates male sexual aggression and violence against women. Rape culture offers a framework that penalizes women for sexual assault rather than holding the perpetrator accountable.

Rape myth is one of the key features of rape culture. Kimberly A. Lonsway and Louise F. Fitzgerald defined rape myths as ‘attitudes and beliefs that are generally false but are widely and persistently held, and that deny and justify male sexual aggression against women’. Some of the common rape myth includes: ‘she asked for it’, ‘she didn’t resist’,’ drunk women are somewhat responsible for letting things get out of control’, ‘women who walk around in skimpy clothes should not be surprised if they get raped’, ‘usually women who sleep around a lot get raped’, ‘he’s not the type of person who rapes’, ‘he is being framed’ and so on. We can all agree that media plays a great role in bringing the victims out of the shadows and give them a platform to share their side of the incident.

But sometimes media also perpetuates rape myths and encourages the rape culture by the way it cover the news of rape incidents or portrays the victims of sexual violence. Routinely we find articles which describes the incident with the phrase ‘had sex with’ instead of using the term ‘rape’. This type of word choices diminish the severity of the incident for the readers. Oftentimes we read articles which imply a ‘sexual relationship’ between perpetrator and victim or include details which can revoke the credibility of the victim, for example, their outfit choices, how much makeup they had on or whether they were drunk at the time of the incident. Drawing attention to victims’ appearance and lifestyle ultimately signals to readers that these choices led to their attack.

Mainstream media also perpetuates rape culture by stereotypical portrayals of men and women in films, books, music videos and magazines. Men are usually shown as aggressive, dominant and receiving rewards for their ‘masculine’ achievements. On the other hand, women are usually portrayed as meek, sensitive and subordinate character.

The fact is that, rape has nothing to do with a woman’s clothing or her lifestyle. Rape is 100% the perpetrator’s fault. But unfortunately, the way rape has been trivialized by the perpetuation of rape culture are dissuading victims from coming forward and seeking justice.

The ethical line that determines what violence can be shown in films and mass media is greatly impacted by the fiction or nonfiction theme of the film, a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, and the sexual violence in the film.

Film ratings are essential in determining the ethical boundaries of what can be shown on screen and what cannot. Every major film is rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. The association began rating films in 1968 and for the past 50 years, the company has rated approximately 30,000 films. The association was created to give parents an easy way to distinguish which films appropriate and inappropriate for their children to watch. The rating system censors against violence, drugs, sex, adult activities, etc.

There are five different rating categories a film can be placed in that is determined by the content of the film. The first rating is G for general audiences meaning all ages are permitted to watch the film because there is no nudity, inappropriate language, or depictions of violence in the film. G-rated films are typically cartoons or family-friendly that are meant for children without the supervision of a parent or guardian. PG-rated films contain some mild depictions of nudity or violence which may be intense or disturbing for some children. These films are labeled PG which stands for parental guidance suggested meaning the parents are recommended to screen the content of the film before their children view it. Films with mature themes including nudity, sexuality, profane language, violence, etc. are rated PG-13. The Motion Picture Association of America states in the rules and regulations, “There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.” Additionally, any drug abuse and the single use of a harsh sexually-derived word in a film requires the PG-13 rating. PG-13 rated films are labeled as such because parents are strongly cautioned to review the content of the film because it may be inappropriate for children under the ages of 13 to watch on their own. A film that is rated R, which stands for restricted, may contain adult content, abusive language, intense or persistent violence, sexual activities or nudity, and drug use. Children under the age of 17 are not permitted to watch R-rated films in the theater unaccompanied by a parent. The last rating category the Motion Picture Association of America places films in is NC-17 which means no one 17 and under is admitted. Films are given this harsh rating if they exclusively contain adult themes including sex, drug use, and extreme violence.

Each film receives a rating based on exposure of sexual content, violence, drug use, and other mature themes. The MPAA began the Classification and Rating Administration Board that rates each film according to the content of each film; however, it does not determine what content belongs in the film. The filmmakers submit their films on a volunteer basis for CARA to rate. Although the rating system is done on a volunteer basis, the National Association of Theatre Owners will rarely accept movies that have not been rated by the MPAA. Filmmakers have been carefully crafting their films to fit into one of the four main rating categories; G, PG, PG-13, R, for decades. The Motion Picture Association of America explains that the rating system does not determine what is ethical or unethical to show in films. “It is not CARA’s purpose to prescribe socially-appropriate values or to suggest any evolution of the values held by American parents, but instead to reflect the current values of the majority of American parents, so that parents benefit from and feel fairly informed by the ratings system.” This distinction implies that American parents determine what is ethical and unethical to show in film for the rest of America. The number one export for America to the rest of the world is media which includes music, social media, and film. Hundreds of countries take in American mass media every second and absorb the culture whether they realize it or not. According to the MPAA, the content in films starts to become unethical and inappropriate when prolonged violence and sexually explicit content is shown that would be shocking to children and young adults between the ages of 1-17. Etcetera … violence of rape. (Russell 1993, p. 135)—these representations perpetuate these oppressive discourses about women. In this respect, Young (2009) coins the term “criminological aesthetics” to explain that “crime images are Screening sexual violence in film and mass media can have detrimental effects on the general population as well as the victims of sexual abuse. The ethical standards for showing rape and sexual assault in film has been widely debated since the start of the film industry. Trauma theorists and psychologists have studied the physical and psychological affects of showing rape in film and have studied audience’ reactions. Some common effects include triggering post-traumatic stress and anxiety, desensitization, and sexist gender role portrayals.

Mass media is no stranger to sexual violence. From books to news releases dating back to the 1830s Penny Press Era, sexual assault has been mass produced for consumers and their entertainment. The film industry faces a different challenge when it comes to communicating the ethical problem of rape and sexual abuse in mass media. According to Amanda Spallacci, in her article Representing Rape Trauma in Film, “The photograph offered a medium that could not only depict but also authenticate events, and as these images began to circulate publicly, they structured the ways in which the public understood trauma.” Visual depictions of rape and sexual violence are especially difficult for filmmakers to navigate. Rape and sexual assault are the most under-reported violent crimes in America with 63% of victims that do not report incidents to the police. Along with that, approximately 1 in every 6 women and 1 in every 33 men have been victims of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. These statistics contribute to the ongoing ethical debate because it is likely that every audience watching a film includes a large percentage of victims that were sexually assaulted or abused. Spallacci asserts that many of the shocking images found in film that depict sexual violence are problematic because the images can trigger audience members to recall personal traumatic memories. A sexually violent scene has the power to trigger post-traumatic stress or anxiety in viewers that have been sexual assaulted because the images in film can cause their personal traumatic memory to resurface. “Visual media and discourses about trauma have a symbiotic relationship with each other because a ‘memory’ which is represented by media and institutions must be actualized by individuals, by members of a community of remembrance…on shared notions of the past.” Spallacci discusses the psycological damage that comes from screening sexual assault in film. Rather than choosing to insert a physical rape scene in a film, emphasizing the trauma resulting from the sexual violence can less triggering for some audience members with traumatic memories themselves than showing the visual depiction of rape.

There are several different variables that filmmakers must consider when sexual violence is a significant part of the plot. The filmmakers must decide if the sexual assault will be implied or filmed on camera. If the sexual violence is shown on camera, the cinematographers must consider how it will be shown. In addition to the physical variables filmmakers must consider, there is a colossal amount of emotional and psychological considerations as well. Some emotional considerations include the antagonist’s motivation behind the sexual brutality and the other characters reactions to the event. Every decision made by the filmmakers in connection with the portayal of rape or other sexual assault on screen impacts the audience members watching it, which will likely include people who have experienced sexual abuse themselves. Spallacci reasons, “The film techniques used to construct a rape scene certainly affect viewers strongly; however, the presentation of a rape scene and its subsequent affects also influence the ways in which people conceptualize sexual violence.” Filmmakers hold a position of ethical leadership that comes with the moral responsibility to distribute content that is ethical or unethical. They largely control how an audiences reacts to sexual violence and a nation conceives it outside of the film industry. The influence from film on rape culture in a society can be unethical and dangerous because there is potential to desensitize people to the injustice of sexual abuse.

Today sexual violence is glorified in mass media. Popular video games like the fifth edition of Grand Theft Auto has a feature in which players can buy a woman and use her for various sexual acts. Other medium including the Netflix original series ‘13 Reasons Why’ focuses on a high school girl who committed suicide after being bullied and raped. Sexual assault in these settings have been considered offensive and satirical, “This stylistic decision is controversial, as it has the potential to trigger viewers with histories of sexual trauma.” One of the arguments made in the ethical debate of screening rape and sexual abuse in film or media is that it displays the uncurable issue of sexual violence as a form of entertainment and desensitizes people to the seriousness of the problem outside of film. Rape culture is a substantial and regular part of mainstream American film which sends a negative message of normalcy and routine. Sarah Projansky writes in her historical survey of rape in U.S. film, “Rape is such a key narrative element throughout the history of American cinema that one cannot fully under stand cinema itself without addressing rape and its representation.” Sexual brutality is a powerful force that is constantly looming over the American film industry; much of the population is desenstized to the problem and has even grown supportive of sexual violence represented in the adult film industry.

A study done by Daniel Linz from the University of California and Steven Adams from Stanford University looked at the physiological desensitization toward the victims of sexual violence in film and media. They gathered a sample of male subjects and exposed them to 5 sexually violent films over the course of a two week time period. The films portrayed a female victims and male assailants. The researchers found that the subjects, “experienced significant decreases in anxiety and depression between first- and last-day viewing.” After viewing each film the researchers asked each subject about the emotional reactions and attitudes toward the victim in the film. By the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the, “subjects exposed to the filmed violence against women expressed less sympathy for the victim portrayed in the rape trial and indicated less empathy for rape victims in general.” The films desensitized the subjects toward the fictional characters in the films which I believe can lead to the desensitization toward sexual violence victims outside of film as well.

Sexual violence should not be filmed on camera and produced in mass media for entertainment purposes because The depictions of violence in question are achieved at the expense of completely dehumanizing Aileen and Libseth, and rather than challenge the beliefs held by most men who abuse women—men who fail to see women as human, but as body parts This essay therefore argues that event-based representations of rape—meaning that they focus on the rape rather than trauma—such as is the case in Room (2015); 13 Reasons Why (2017); Monster (2003) and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo1 (2011), keep affects contained within the movie or television viewing experience, whereas a television program like Sharp Objects (2018), in representing traumatic memory, can produce a multitude of affects, widen cultural understandings of rape beyond the event, and shed light on the chronically trauma-producing social structures so as to forge the will to change them”

Bibliography

1. Solga, Kim. “Rape’s Metatheatrical Return: Rehearsing Sexual Violence Among the Early Moderns.” Theatre Journal 58, no. 1 (March 1, 2006): 53–72.
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7. Alessandro Gabbiadini, Paolo Riva, Luca Andrighetto, Chiara Volpato, and Brad J Bushman. “Acting Like a Tough Guy: Violent-Sexist Video Games, Identification with Game Characters, Masculine Beliefs, & Empathy for Female Violence Victims.” PLoS ONE 11, no. 4 (January 1, 2016): e0152121. https://doaj.org/article/31725125ce014339bd9ccf7717f47214.
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Introduction

Violence in media is no stranger to anyone. Everyone has experienced or watched violence before in real life or through a screen. However, Violence by young people is the most visible forms of violence where fights among youths contribute to more injuries and deaths.(World Health Organization, 2002)

In 2000, an estimated 199 000 youth murders took place globally which is equal to 565 children and youths aged 10-29 dying on an average each day as a result of interpersonal violence. (World Health Organization, 2002). In my secondary school, most of the guys usually get into fights after blowing up a smaller matter.

Whenever they fight, I could see some of the fighting techniques to be somewhat similar to the WWE games. Those that really play violent video games are also mainly the ones that got into fights, while those that did not play violent video games were peaceful throughout the whole time in secondary school, although there were some exceptions.

Reasons behind youth violence are uncertain, however, the portrayal of violence in the media is considered to be one of the reasons behind violence in individuals. This paper will focus mainly on what types of the portrayal of violence are there on media and how it affects the behaviour of every youth.

Portrayal of violence

Television is one of the favourite past times of children, with cartoons being one of the main things they watch on television. However, studies show that popular cartoons are depicting 20 to 25 violent acts per hour. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009) This means that the youths may watch the violent cartoons and then try to mimic the acts they see in the cartoon. After learning the acts they see in the cartoon, it will be stored in their memory.

The effects of exposure to media violence should extend to every single type of media channel. However, there are not really any strong studies that the internet does convey the effects because of the lack of studies as the internet is a fairly new media channel.

Video games are a popular pastime for most people. However, most games played by youths are violent.97% of youths aged 12 to 17 played video games with two-thirds of them having played games that consisted of violent content. (Pew Research Center, 2008). One violent popular game which most people would know would be Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto is a game where players can steal and kill people. Video games provide an ideal environment to learn violence and many of the strategies that are most effective for learning, with some video games rewarding players to commit violent behaviour, such as in Grand Theft Auto. The youth playing it may start to think that doing those violent acts are the correct choices.

Why do youths get easily influenced?

Youths tend to undergo observational learning when watching media, then conditioned by family and peers to create a new type of behaviour based on the media they watch, After they behave in the new way, It would be harder for anyone to correct their behaviour. They are growing up and their minds can be easily swayed by whatever they observe. (Huesmann, Bushman, & Geen, 2006, p. 156)

Media Violence make youths violent

A report done by the U.S Surgeon General show that Media violence increase aggressive attitudes and emotions, which are linked to aggressive and violent behaviour. Humans will begin to imitate other individuals at an early age and younger humans will copy behaviours by observing others because it is a instinct. An example is that the aggressive ideas suggested by a violent movie can peak other semantically related thoughts, increasing the chances that they will feel more violent. (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001)

By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), repeated exposure to violent media leads to lesser response in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex and a decrease in right ItOFC-amygdala interaction. Reduced function in this network been associated with lesser control over a variety of behaviours, including reactive aggression. (Kelly, Grinband, & Hirsch, 2007)This makes the person more irritable, making him or her more suspectable to aggressive tendencies. Overall, it supports the finding that even short-term exposure to violent media can result In smaller responsiveness of the network related to behaviours such as aggression.

There was a classical experiment called the “Bobo Doll Experiment” hosted by Albert Bandura. Bandura and his colleagues showed one group of children in the experimental condition of a video of an adult hitting an large inflatable doll, while the other group saw a different film or nothing at all. They then left the children in a playroom with an array of toys including the Bobo doll to see how they acted. Children who saw the film of the adult hitting the doll were more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour than those who did not watch the film or a different film. (M, 2005). The main reason that was came up was that when the children witnessed the repeated instances of aggression and see that aggression was being rewarded or approved than being punished, they would try to copy aggressors to try and obtain the same rewards for aggression.

Media violence does not make youths aggressive.

Some studies have shown that media violence does not make youths aggressive. Violent video games did not make youths more aggressive according to Chris Ferguson’s test. What Ferguson did was to get three groups of youths, one group to play violent games, one group to play non-violent games and another group to play, however, all three groups of youths were not affected at all, they did not turn aggressive despite playing the aggressive or non-aggressive game. Ferguson also argued that the reason why people would blame violent crimes on video games is the “publication bias” which scientific journals publish articles that support their hypothesis and reject articles that don’t. (Ferguson, 2007)

Some researchers state that consumption of violent media is not the only sole source of important behaviour, but it may be a risk factor that drives the already violent youth to become aggressive as there are other factors that make the youth already violent even without the consumption of violent media. Media violence is not even considered under one of the factors for youth violence because there are more prominent factors that contribute to youth violence. (S, 1989) Psychologically, media violence is usually the secondary factor that is contributing to the main factors that the aggressive youths have. Even without media violence , youths may still reach the certain level of aggressive. Media violence is just more attractable to youths. Therefore, media violence does not make youths aggressive but it is a secondary factor that may contribute to the main factors which will cause youths to be aggressive.

To some extent, violent media is also thought of to help people cathart

The Catharsis theory is thought that people who consume violent media would be less aggressive because they let go of their aggressive feelings while consuming violent media, resulting in them having little to no aggressive feelings after consuming the media. A test done by Feshbach and Singer in 1971 supports the theory. What the two people did was to vary the diet of seven boys, causing a few of the boys to watch violent and others watching neutral shows with their parents watching over them. In the end, none of the boys became more violent but actually less violent. The results did help to prove the theory correct by proving that the boys were not aggressive after watching violent media, but actually becoming less violent. (Kaplan & Singer, 1976)

Conclusion

In this report, I have talked about what kinds of portrayal of violence are there in the popular types of media that youths like to consume these days which are television and the internet. I have also talked about how does the portrayal of violence affect the behaviour of youths and whether all the claims of how the portrayal affects the behaviour of youths or not. As what I said in the last part of my report, the portrayal of violence is media is only a risk factor that may drive the already angry youths to become aggressive and inflict harm on others, parents are maybe the only stopping block between youths acting fine and youths inflicting harm on others. With the Telecommunications Act of 1996, televisions are manufactured with a V-chip that permits parents to block content for their kids, allowing their kids to not find violent content on the television. (Anderson, Berkowitz,Donnerstein,Huesmann,Johnson,Linz,Malamuth,Wartella, The Influence of Media Violence On Youth, 2003, p. 102). Parents can also restrict certain sites from their children to surf at. When I grow up, I am definitely going to block violent content for my own kids so as to prevent the same things that I see among the guys in my secondary school as I want my child to grow up with a healthy childhood. Media violence is something that is easily stopped in its early stages, but impossible to stop when youths integrate it into their behaviour.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is a national crisis that should be addressed publicly to inform those at sake. Not only is this event a national crisis, but it is also a public health concern, the cost it has brought on our world is a burden. Who it affects is the least important. However, it is important how we want to educate those. According to Madelyn’s research, ‘The media affords the opportunity for indirect transmission of suicide contagion, the process by which one suicide becomes a compelling model for successive suicides.’ Media coverage contains a context that shapes their version of the story to fit their narrative, this persuades other people to participate in the same behavior of deciding that suicide would be the right decision. Suicide on a large scale holds a tremendous impact on our society, causing suicide to remain at the top of the ten leading causes of death. This shows that approaching the concern with that compelling matter apprehends behavioral contagion, which allows the same behavior to immediately and impulsively spread throughout a group.

Proceeding with this process will require dismantling the knowledge you have on suicide to access the fundamentals. Those fundamentals will help you understand how suicide affects everyone at least one time in their life. It will also inform you of suicide prevention to focus on why suicide is a public concern and why the public ought to be informed, not influenced by the media.

In 1951, a theory on suicide was conducted by Mr. David Emile Durkheim’s. Durkheim focused on understanding why people commit suicide and what factors may influence a person to make that decision. Many believed that people who commit suicide are in a pathological state, however he believed that the force that caused a suicide is social rather than psychological. Durkheim figured suicide is caused by some power that is over and beyond the individual. This power would be created by positive or negative acts of the person who knows the result of what that act may produce. He concluded his theory with four types of sucide: egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic. Theses types of suicide represents the social relation between the victim and his society.

A person who is self-centered that lacks unselfish feelings will become isolated socially, which anticipates a person to believe they have no place in the society. They’ll see themselves alone in the world because of this isolation. Low social interactions with others refers to egoistic suicide. Having weak social bonds with society generates the struggle of finding a reason to live.

Altruistic suicide is the complete opposite of egoistic. This involves when individuals are very close within a social group seeking to high expectations of the individuals. Becoming this involved would mean making sacrifices for the group. Egoistic and altruistic suicide together revolves around social relations.

Next is anomic and fatalistic suicide which is the degree of regulation in the individuals’ life. Anomic is a low degree of regulation. Having phases of significant amount of stress and frustration due to certain circumstances creates this type of suicide. Fatalistic on the other hand is due to over regulation. An example would be if a slave committed suicide.

Introduction

This project allowed me to get in depth with two movies, The Breakfast Club by John Hughes and Indiana Jones Temple of Doom by Steven Spielberg. This project mainly focused on how gender, class, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation is pictured throughout the movies. By just having an understanding of the different sociological concepts portrayed in these movies, you can further have a good idea of people’s perspective on the society according to human personalities.

Having a good understanding on these topics is very important in our society today. Our society is surrounded with these four components in everyday life. There are many different sociological insights presented in these movies. Some of the most obvious one that are show through the movie are different types of stereotypes about gender and sexualism about women over men. Even though these movies are extremely different, there are still similarities between how the men and women characters are represented.

Learning the cultural stories that permeate our media institution is very necessary to understand so you know the behavior of the people around you and their actions. Having a good understanding about this will help everyone by building a connection and realizing why these actions are being taken place. If you are able to point out the stereotypes in these movies and understand the differently sociological parts, you can apply it to your daily life to understand how people act. Since both movies are old, the way people behave is different than what is shown in the movies today. It was very interesting being able to see and learn the differences of how people acted back then compared to today, but also how it is the same.

Literature Review

According to Kellner, he believes that media helps us change or adapt our view of the world and its values. Kellner mentioned audience reception and use of media culture. This part of the article explains that different types of culture, race etc. “…read texts differently, and cultural studies can illuminate why diverse audiences interpret texts in various, sometimes conflicting, ways” (Kellner 2001).This shows that our culture and race can affect the way analyze texts and other readings. It is important that you understand how difference races will and can impact the way another person analyzes media in our society. This can be helpful when you are building relationship with someone with a different background than you, to understand them and their viewpoint.

In Katz reading, different cultures impact on the way gender is shown in our society. Katzs used a good example of violence shown throughout media. “Violence in the “real” world fails to include an analysis on gender” (Katz’s 1995). When you see any news about either a shooting or any type of violence’s, your brain first thinks of a white male doing this. This is because the culture or the setting that we are in is highly impacted by it. “violence is genetically programed male behavior” (Katz 1995). Our community and the culture around us have set the mind set of people to immediately think of white male when it comes to violence.

According to Klein, Violence is all around the media and weather it is visual or verbal. Media is only talking about certain groups and they are many groups are underestimated and not respected. This reminds me on cliques in high school. Certain groups are given more importance while the other groups are left out. Race and culture can also be another factor of doing this. If there is a certain race or culture in a group that is underrepresented, they might be left out because they don’t fit in the normal norm. “Ostensibly, the contention is that, by rarely or never showing certain types of persons, the mass media, as cultural mechanisms, systematically dispense with imagery and messages associated with these types of persons and, in the process, send a symbolic message to viewers readers about the societal value of the persons comprising that group” (Klein 2009). This support that they are left out because of their race and cultural back group because they portray a certain “message” to the society.

According to Butsch, gender and class are shown in television shows and they also portrayed a bit of stereotype as well. Typically, when you think of a working wife, they fall under the middle-class stereotype. “Working-class wives, such as in Roseanne, who have to work to help support the family, were very rare” (Butsch 1995). In society today this is not true because there are a lot of wives who are working and also supporting their families in order to survive. This puts importance on class and gender. “They are dumb, immature, irresponsible or lacking in common sense. This is the character of the husbands…” (Butsch 1995). Once again where there is a stereotype of the husband being childish and the women being mature and going to work and running the family.

Lastly, in Wiersma reading, she talks about how gender messages are portrayed in Disney films. “children are socialized not only into the rules of society but also into how they should act based on their sex” (Wiersma 1999). From the beginning, children are taught the difference between boys and girls. They have been given set instructions that boys like blue and play with trucks and motorbikes. On the other hand, girls are instructed to like pink and play with dolls and barbies. Males and females are still being outnumbered in cartoons as well. “Males outnumber female voice overs on television commercials and female characters in television cartoons have fewer lines” (Wiersma 1999). This happens because we have gender stereotypes in our society. The stereotype for females is that they are “affectionate, emotional, sensitive and they express romantic interests.” On the other hand, you see males being masculine, heroic and just manly. This shows how gender differences are shown in television.

Film Analysis

This first movie I watched was The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. Each student in the movie had different traits that lead them to fit into a certain stereotypical group. One of the most stereotypical examples that was portrayed in the film was that the “criminal” in the movie had a perspective of the popular girl that she is virgin and also a daddy’s girl in order spends all his money to get anything and everything she wants. Another example is Allision. She is described as the “basket case” throughout the movie. When someone thinks of a female character, there are many different images that come to the mind. However, Allison would be described as someone totally different. She dresses like a goth and wears black and baggy clothing all throughout. Claire who is the “princess” in the movie feels that she does not have much of feminine look and decides to give her a makeover to change her appearance. This shows that sometimes people are not as satisfied with their look and want to be what everyone else thinks they should be.

This film did not show any diversity at all. There was not a single character of any different race than a white American. Keeping in mind that this movie was released in 1985, there are many differences that come to mind comparing this to the other movies today. There was a lack of diverse actor or did the director do this on purpose? The director might have made a subconscious decision of the actor he chose in this film. This movie also did not show much of a sexual orientation knowing that everyone in the movie was straight. This can also be because people did not have much information about different sexual orientations, or they had a negative perspective on it. As you continue to watch the movie, you notice that it is very male dominate. The men in this movie objectify the women by showing that they have more power. You constantly see the men putting down the women and speaking over them. For example, when Claire is having a disagreement with the “criminal” Bender, she suddenly stops talking because she does not know how to further continue the conversation. This is when we see one of the male students in the movie stepping in the conversation. This shows that she was helpless and needed assistance of someone else to support her argument.

Last but not least, class has a huge role in The Breakfast Club. The way they dressed, the car they were driving, and if they pack lunch or not, all concluded to their class status. It was easy to identify that Claire had a higher-class status than Bender, the “criminal”. Claire got everything and anything that she needed/wanted. She didn’t need to try hard in class whereas Bender had to try hard but wasn’t at all. He was very lazy and did not care much about his education. The reason the characters act different is because of their family situations and the opportunities available to them because of that.

The next movie I watched was Indiana Jones Temple of Doom by Steven Spielberg. This movie showed many different examples of sociological insight. To start with, there were many different stereotypes about gender presented in this film. One of the main characters Willie, who is a female, she is shown as someone who fits the stereotype of a blonde female. They are portrayed as being “dumb” and often objectified. In the movie, Indiana jones, who is the main male character, threatens Willie with a knife so that the other men will get scared for her and give him the antidote. This shows that Willie was used as an object in order for him to receive what he wanted. Also, towards the beginning of the movie, a group of female dancers performed for mainly men at a restaurant. They are being used as a form of entertainment for the men in order to keep them satisfied. A lot of the scenes in this movie make the main female character, Willie, appear weak and ditsy and make the main male character, Indiana Jones, appear heroic and a protector. There was a lot of diversity presented in this film. The two main races that were shown throughout the movie were white American and Indian. Both racial groups have equal power throughout the movie, however towards the end the, Americans have more power. This is shown when they escape from the temple where they were being held. However, the Indians had some type of power when they first kidnapped the Americans and kept them in the temple. In this movie, there was not any discussion of sexuality. This is mainly because of the time period this movie was filmed in. Sexual Orientation wasn’t really a topic that was openly talked about which is why the director decided to not include it.

Last but not least, class status is shown with many examples in The Temple of Doom. One of them being when Willie and the other characters visited the village and stayed there for the night. The villagers welcomed them in a respectful manner and provided them food. However, Willie was very hesitant of eating the type of food they offered. This shows that she was very judging of the class level they belonged to and what she came from. Another example is when Willie realizes that she had a hole in the dress she was wearing, she started to explain and also mention that she had bought it from Paris. This shows that she represented some qualities that belonged to a high-class person.

Conclusion/Discussion

To conclude, this project for was important to do to have an appropriate understanding the society we live in today. This topic can be connected to many things such as the different stereotypes that are put on the media and how people respond to those stereotypes. Everyone today judges and makes assumptions about people they see. We usually make these statements according to what race they are, what they are wearing and how they behave in the society. This can sometime have a negative impact on the person being judged.

My results are important to me because it made me view movies in a different perspective. Usually when watching movies, people don’t analyze for a particular topic rather they watch for enjoyment. This made me focus on the different aspects show in the films such as men being heroic and powerful and females being traditional and sensitive. The job of the media is very critical in our society because it shows the society how they and others are being viewed by someone else.

My results support Kellner’s works as well. Kellner had proved that the text shapes and builds the viewers theories and actions. When watching the films and reading the text, there were many points where I would strongly connect with what is happening and what is said. This proves that media has an impact on our performance every day.

If I had the opportunity to do this study again, I would choose an older movie and a modern movie to compare and contrast the growth of different types of sociological characteristics. It was very interesting and challenging at some points to watch a movie with having a motive in mind rather than just for some entertainment. I would also choose a movie that I have not already seen. The Breakfast Club was a movie that I had previously watched so I already had an understanding of the movie. However, watching the Temple of Doom was much challenging because it was a movie I had not watched prior to this project. After completing this project, I feel confident in viewing sociological insight in the media.

Reference Page

1. Kellner, D. (2001). Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture. In M.G. Durham & D. Kellner (Eds.), Media and cultural studies: Keyworks (1-13). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
2. Katz, J. (1995). Advertising and the construction of violent white masculinity. In G. Dines & J. Humez (Eds.), Race, Gender, and class in media: A text reader (133-141). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
3. Klein, H. & Shiffman, K. (2009). Underrepresentation and symbolic annihilation of socially disenfranchised groups (‘‘out groups’’) in animated cartoons. The Howard journal of communications, 20, 55-72.
4. Butsch, R. (1995). Ralph, Fred, Archie, and Homer: Why TV keeps recreating the working class baffoon. In G. Dines & J. Humez (Eds), Gender, race, and class in media (403-411). London: Sage Publications.
5. Wiersma, B. (1999). The not-so-wonderful world of Disney: An exploratory content analysis in full length animated feature films. The Great Plains sociologist, 11(2), 55-72. 44-71.
6. Hughes, J., Friesen, G., Meyer, A.,Tanen, N., Estevez, E., Gleason, P., Hall, A. M., Kapelos, J., Nelson, J., Ringwald, M., Sheedy, A., Vance, M., Forsey, K., Allen, D., Corso, J. W., & Del Ruth, T.(2015). The Breakfast Club. 30th anniversary edition. Universal City, CA: Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
7. Spielberg, S., Slocombe, D., Lucas, G., Marshall, F., Huyck, W., Katz, G., Watts, R., … Paramount Home Entertainment (Firm),. (2008). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Hollywood, Calif: Paramount Home Entertainment.