How Smoking in the Movies Affect Viewers - Assignment Example

Pop Culture: How Smoking in the Movies Affect Viewers Introduction Cigarette smoking has been reported as one of the most avoidable causes of diseaseand mortality in the United States. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006), more than half (54%) of students who attended Grades 9-12 classes have attempted to smoke cigarettes at some point. Moreover, smoking behaviors of students from Grades 9-12 from 2003-2006 had no reduction at all. The media is known to be a powerful driver in demonstrating societal norms as teenagers have encountered media content that is tobacco-related through different forms of media sources (Lee, Taylor, and McGetrick, 2004). For instance, teens have been continually exposed to countless tobacco advertisements in magazines which have a high popularity rate among teens (Kuczinski, 2001). Furthermore, through content analyses, it has been reported that there is an increase of rate in the use of tobacco among popular television shows and films (Mekemson et al, 2004). Therefore, the extent to which young media users who are frequently exposed to smoking-related content in television programs and movies must be further examined. This paper presents the outcomes of TV viewing, particularly of media content that regularly depicts smoking, on the attitudes and behaviors of young individuals. It also provides a number of empirical studies that will put forward the ways with which the media is used as a vehicle for smoking-related behavior as well as a means for smoking cessation and prevention. Media and Smoking-Related Behavior Television and other forms of media have become a representation of a very important and often unrecognized influence on the health and behavior of individuals (Strasburger and Donnerstein, 1999). Smoking has been popularly used as a way of expressing the image of actors and actresses who have appeared in shows and films. Consequently, frequent exposure to smoking scenes instigate young people to create and retain habitual smoking (Dalton et al, 2003). In a cross sectional study conducted by Gunther, Bolt, Borzekowski, Liebhart, and Dillard (2006), messages that are both in agreement or against smoking can have an indirect effect on smoking susceptibility. Adolescents believe that pro-smoking messages can influence their peers; therefore, there has become a higher estimate of the number of their peers who smoke. Because of this belief that there is a higher number of smoking peers than who actually do has been found to be positively associated with the susceptibility of these young individuals to begins smoking, which is a finding that has been shown to be consistent with several other studies. This outcome is more evident for pro-smoking messages compared to anti-smoking ones, hence increasing the possibility for smoking initiation and habitual behavior. Another reason why the media has had considerable power in influencing the actions and behaviors of young viewers is the fact that many of these individuals are experiencing major life events such as family issues, school concerns, and barriers to establishing peer relationships, to name a few. Thus, such changes that occur in their adolescent stage can substantially affect their emotional wellbeing and often lead to unfavorable coping strategies, including smoking. Most often, these life-changing events can result to cigarette smoking initiation and, eventually, long term smoking behavior. In a study by Weiss et al (2005) that evaluated smoking attitudes of more than a 2-year period, it was found out that among sixth graders who have not attempted to smoke, those who began smoking during the seventh grade was reported to have been experiencing depressive symptoms and aggression. Among the seventh graders who have already attempted smoking, increased depressive symptoms were further associated with a habitual smoking. According to Pingree (2004), negative emotional states can significantly influence smoking behavior as well as become barriers to smoking prevention and cessation. Therefore, along with the influence of TV viewing and its smoking-related media content, the actions and behaviors of young viewers in any country can be easily affected. Empirical Studies on Media and Smoking The study conducted by Scales, Monahan, Rhodes, Roskos-Ewoldsen, and Johnson-Turbes (2009) focused on how the media has become an influence on the smoking behavior of teenagers. In order to collect data for the study, 76 participants made up of European American (EA) and African American (AA) teenagers were used as a sample, 51% of which were female. After conducting short interview questionnaires and a focus group discussion, it was found out that teens become involved in smoking because o f their desire to improve image expression, especially for the females, in order to be socially accepted by their peers. Media images have reinforced the notion that smoking is an effective way of portraying a more acceptable image, thus, increasing the adolescents’ preference to become like the actors whom they have a high regard of. Furthermore, a cultural cliché which teens have perceived from the media is that smoking can be used as a means to reduce stress. Owing to this, it is being expressed in both implicit and explicit manners through different sources in their lives. The persistent belief that smoking can help reduce stress is upsetting as the anti-smoking messages which the media has long been presenting have not been able to provide favorable stress reduction mechanisms which individuals could utilize instead of smoking. Similarly important for practitioners of entertainment and education who have been able to demonstrate the influence of entertainment on viewers’ actions and behaviors, is the finding that adolescents who participated in the study of Scales et al (2009) were able to remember various examples of smoking that has been depicted in television shows and movies. Though male teens believed that such depictions do not affect them, they still had a notable ability of recalling both general and specific demonstrations. This implies that there is a need to develop and implement messages and interventions for smoking cessation and prevention that can significantly address the social and environmental factors which have affected smoking behavior. In another study by Kanda et al (2006), the primary goal was to examine the Japanese television industry and how it has contributed to public smoking depiction. The materials that were used for the study consisted of 14 first-run serial television dramas which gained high popularity among target audiences of teenagers to adults of 40 years old. The episodes that were to be selected should be aired on a popular slot (weekdays at 9 pm onwards), and should register a high television viewer rate. Fourteen dramas were able to meet the criteria and were analyzed in terms of ‘smoking’ and ‘display of smoking-related items’. It was found out that many of these television programs in Japan showed smoking scenes. More specifically, smoking scenes occupied at least 7.5% of the 3-minute units, while smoking-related items were shown in 14.2% of all 3-minute units. Many popular Japanese dramas have been able to successfully promote the coverage of Japanese culture all over the world, particularly in Asia (Ng Wai-ming, 2001). The actions and behavior of the youth can be easily influenced by media, including television programs. If unfavorable scenes have been included in this form of media, it is most likely that negative outcomes will be brought about in Japan and in other countries where such programs are broadcast. In the findings of Kanda et al (2006), many of the smoking scenes depicted characters who were aged 20–49 years and were smoking on their own. Many of the smoking scenes are not necessarily related to the drama’s storyline, particularly in office situations as well as in the beginning or ending scenes. Moreover, Japanese dramas have not been able to present anti-smoking messages to viewers. These smoking scenes are likely to promote smoking behavior among young viewers, especially when verbal messages regarding the harmful effects of smoking are not presented. Smoking scenes may, then, counteract the messages for smoking prevention that have been directed towards young children. Dalton (2003) has also previously noted that actors and actresses who smoke on television may encourage adolescents to begin smoking. As there are no legal policies for media content that includes smoking scenes in Japanese television, the exposure of young viewers to such scenes can instigate habitual smoking behavior for the youth. Therefore, the need to prohibit smoking-related scenes in Japanese television is of paramount importance as the media can strongly influence individual behavior. Smoking Prevention and Cessation According to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, there have been global trends which aimed to prohibit smoking on television programs and movies (Taylor 2000). In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the WHO World No Tobacco Theme called the ‘Tobacco Free Film/Tobacco Free Fashion’ with which attention of the entertainment industry, particularly of fashion and films, was shifted to ban the promotion of tobacco (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). Furthermore, anti-tobacco movements have been created in the film industry and endorsed by the WHO, the American Heart Association, and the San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, in order to significantly reduce the adolescent exposure to smoking (Woloshin and Schwartz, 2002). Conclusion Teens are significantly influenced by the desire to be socially accepted, which is potently reinforced by their peers. They are also known to be frequent consumers of media that helps mold their perceptions of the things that can lead to social acceptance and contentment. As such, there is a great need for entertainment–education practitioners to place more efforts and become actively involved with the entire entertainment industry in order to reduce fewer smoking examples in the media while demonstrating the harmful and generally unfavorable effects of smoking, if they intend to considerably reduce the rates of teen smoking. Changes in media content and messages can also influence the interpersonal exchange of ideas among adolescents regarding smoking. Therefore, conveying less negative messages and more positive interventions in the media have been seen to be one of the effective ways to prevent young viewers in becoming involved with smoking. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005. 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