Violent Content in Media - Assignment Example

Violent Content in Media Animated movie films that are enticing to the youth or young people today are receiving attention that is primarily coming from various experts due to the linked controversies to them. There are many controversies surrounding violent content in the media especially in the case of anime. Concerning this view, the work at hand covers the relevant controversies associated with violent content in the media with primary consideration of the case of animated films or TV programs. There are divided opinions concerning the impact of violent content of anime. Others believe that violence in the media does not cause people to become violent. This means that the violence depicted in animated films with violent theme do not have corresponding violent impact on the people watching them. Mostly, children and adolescents are the ultimate targets of animated TV programs or films and it is important to know what some of the prevailing research studies have to say about the impact of media violence on children and adolescents. The significant research designs reveal that media use does not lead to real-life violence, but to hostility and indirect violence (Kuntsche 230). However, in order for these hostility and indirect violence to develop, excessive media use must be a must. This means that adolescents without excessive exposure to violent content in the media are likely not to develop behaviors pertaining to hostility and indirect violence. In other words, one cannot generalize the point that exposure to media with violent themes lead to violent behavior of the viewers. There must be linked level of exposure to it, but this does not suggest that media violence has direct result to the emancipation of violent behaviors. In the first place, researchers do not know for sure how exactly and to what extent the media leads to long-term changes in aggressive behaviors (Surette 68). However, one thing that is clear is that many people who are exposed to media violence show no evidence of violent behaviors (Gentile 24). This means violence is something that may be triggered by other essential factors aside from the excessive exposure to violent media. This is a strong point of those who believe that media violence does not lead to violent behaviors. For them, violence is something that is caused by other factors and in no way that media violence is responsible for delinquent behaviors. For them, animated movie films or programs have no significant impact on the individual’s violent behavior tendency. After all, the occurrence of violence like crime is a complex area for investigation and no single factor can provide the reason why it exists (Worral 3). On the other hand other parties believe that violence in the media produces violent people. Their major argument is that the media operate at societal level so they affect people’s norms, expectations and patterns of behaviors (Gentile 24). Major researchers in the United States argue that violent content in the mass media has small but significant effects on real-world violence (Whitney and Wartella 16187). The effects include learning of aggressive attitudes and behaviors, desensitization and cultivation of fear. The evidences of this claim is backed by some theoretical models like Bandura’s social learning theory, Berkowitz’s priming effects theory and Heusmann’s social developmental model. This is even supported by the thought that growing up in an environment filled with real violence pushes the risk of an individual to behave violently, and so this argument applies to exposure to violence in television, movies, video games, cell phones and on the Internet (Huesmann, 6). In other words, this claim significantly adheres to the point that the violent content of anime has significant impact on the viewers’ behaviors. This suggests that animated movie films and TV programs are not good for the mental health of their viewers. They have relevant suggestion to consider crime and violence as the norms in the society and this remarkably possess threats to the community. This provides the essential recommendation that exposure to animated films with violent themes are not good for the viewers, most particularly for the children and young people who might be vulnerable because they are still learning many new things from their immediate environment. This claim, as shown by the evidences of research studies as presented above has a strong support by some of the theoretical models associated with the study of crime and violence. In most cases, the main respondents are children, young people and adolescents because in the first place, these age groups are the prime targets of films like animated programs. Finally, media violence may have positive impact on people or society. This argument is the reverse of the second argument and with fundamental consideration of siding with the first contention that the work at hand just presented. Animated films with violent themes do not have corresponding violent impact on the people watching them, as stated in the first argument. The second argument states that violence in the media produces violent people and so violent animated programs have critical impact on the viewers’ behaviors and mental capacity. This argument reveals a significant negative point against violent media like animated movies or TV programs. However, the third argument stands on the ground that the second argument presented concerning the learning models of the individual. As stated in the second argument, there is a social learning or social development taking place in each individual. The environment has significant role to make this a reality for every person. That is why exposure to violent media can be considered as essential component of the learning process. There are many things to learn about the violence taking place in violent media like animated films with violent themes. At the better side, this will provide the individuals like children to be exposed to the reality and insight that violence is something harmful, costly and deadly. Considering that learning is a two-way communication process, to be able to facilitate effective learning requires intervention from the society. Someone has to stand as guide prior to this learning process. Parents or adults are the ones responsible to guide the children in order to facilitate the effective learning process. Media violence as depicted in animated movies and TV programs are therefore good instructional materials provided that parents or the society will make use of them as better examples of showing the dangers linked to violence and crime. This therefore promotes the idea that media violence may eventually have positive impact on the people or society, starting with the young people, children or adolescents who are more likely vulnerable to exposure. The work at hand just presented three essential arguments concerning the violent content in media and controversy surrounding it. The first argument states that there is no significant negative impact of violent media on violent behaviors especially in the case of animated movie films and TV programs. The second argument reveals that there is a probable significant impact of violent media on the human behaviors, making them violent because these stimuli have significant link to the actual learning process. The third argument illustrates the point that violent media will have positive impact on the human behavior because they can stand as effective tool for learning the peril associated with violence and crimes. In other words, there are varying opinions or ideas that can be possibly considered when violent media will be taken into account. This means that this issue is indeed controversial because there are varying views that also have substantial thoughts to share. References Gentile, Douglas A. Media violence and children: A complete guide for parents and professionals. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. Huesmann, Rowell. “The impact of electronic media violence: Scientific theory and research.” Journal of Adolescent Health 41.6 (2007): 6-13. Kuntsche, Emmanuel. “Hostility among adolescents in Switzerland? Multivariate relations between excessive media use and forms of violence.” Journal of Adolescent Health 34.3 (2004): 230-236. Print. Surette, Ray. Media: Images, realities and policies. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Whitney, Charles and Ellen Wartella. “Violence and media.” International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2001): 16187-16192. Print. Worrall, John L. Crime control in America: What Works. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008. Print. Read More