Impact of Media on Juvenile Crime - Research Paper Example

Impact of Media on Juvenile Crime Abstract Media leaves a strong impact on viewers especially the juveniles. When teenagers see media personnel in movies, television plays and in video games, they are influenced and they try to act like those media personnel. The juveniles show attraction towards crime because of the negative impact on media on their minds. They try to perform those acts that are done by reputed people coming on media. There is a sort of copying attitude from the juveniles due to which, they try to copy the media personnel. Proper steps should be taken to help out the teenagers to stay away from negative impact of media related to crime. Impact of Media on Juvenile Crime Introduction Media has always had its way over people, influencing them to believe in or involve themselves in things they normally would not. People have a hard time deciphering the difference between reality and what they are presented with in songs, television shows and movies, and in video games. As the United States becomes more liberal in regard to media and what is available to people as entertainment, older children and teenagers are subjected to an array of harmful ideas and concepts. These would not be a problem if it were not for the fact that the media has glamorized concepts such as murder and harmful sexual acts upon others (Fuhrman, 2009). When teenagers see these events taking place, especially within a fictional story, they feel that their own actions are condoned if they decide to act out in the same way. Topics and concepts that had been taboo only less than two decades ago are now being displayed all over televisions and movie screens and discussed in songs, within reach for anyone to grasp and make use of for themselves. Research Methodology The research methodology adopted for this paper is literature review. A literature review is an evaluation of the work that has been published by scholars in a particular topic area. The purpose of the literature review is to summarize and synthesize the available research in such an area. By evaluating the work of others, it is possible to identify research trends and research that still needs to be done in the chosen topic area. Literature Review The young, the impressionable It is not uncommon that a child or a teenager would want to react what they see on a television show or in a movie, in a game they have played, or to copy the speech from one of their favorite songs (Grossman & DeGaetano, 1999). They are at their most impressionable stages of life when they are young and are still being influenced by the things around them. Unfortunately, instead of deciding to be influenced by the moral values of their families or by lessons taught in church or other religious service, they decide to be influenced by the media. This tends to be potentially damaging to teenagers, as they allow themselves to be taken over by the images and suggestions that they see and hear in the media. Media is so widespread and in so many formats that teenagers are subjected more to it than they are to moralistic parents and adults. A large percentage of teenagers resort to television, movies and video games when they are bored or just want to take it easy. Music has become almost as common to a teenager as breathing or eating; they simply cannot go a day without listening to music, if not have it on all day as background noise. Teenagers are subjected to the media on a daily basis, which is more than enough time for the ideas and concepts seen in the media to absorb themselves into a teenager’s mind. Teenagers have the habit of accepting fiction as viable ways of life. Many of the fictional stories in the media involve the characters getting away with the horrific things that they do, being praised for their actions, or not being punished properly for their wrongdoings. Teenagers become under the impression that if they were to do the things that they see in media, they too would be praised for it, or would not find themselves in trouble. By the time the average child has reached seventh grade, they have witnessed approximately eight thousand murders and one hundred thousand acts of violence on the television and in movies. There is little doubt that heavy exposure to televised violence is one of the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society among teenagers (Kuklin, 2008). Media violence affects children of all ages, both genders, at all economic levels, and all levels of intelligence and education. Long-term childhood exposure to television is a casual factor behind one half of the homicides committed by juveniles in the United States (Kuklin, 2008). Portrayal of crime in media Media has long since glamorized crime in all of its forms. The men and women in fictional stories, movies, songs, or games are praised for what they do. They are seen as strong human beings when they allow themselves to commit the crimes and destruction that they do. Many people regard them as heroes, people that should be looked up to and idolized. They are seldom regarded as the villain, even if that is their given role in the piece of media. "In its evaluation of almost 10,000 hours of broadcast programming from 1995 to 1997, the National Television Violence Study found that 61 percent of television programs portrayed acts of violence. Most of this violence was glamorized, committed by characters that are otherwise presented as positive role models. While many of the violent acts that would cause serious harm or death in real life, the programs neutralize these lethal effects through the lack of painful effects or through humor. Less than five percent of violent programs feature an anti-violence message. In fact, in more than one-third of these programs, the violent offenders go unpunished (Cantor, 2004)." Crime in media opens up this fantastic world to its viewers. Many people watching believe in what the media shows rather than the harsh reality that the crime world actually is. Death and devastation are displayed in a higher light than true crime stories are on the news or in another form of nonfictional media. The reality is, though, that the crime world is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum than what media has crime placed at. Unfortunately, teenagers are often in way too deep before the realize that just because they saw it on television does not mean they should try it at home. Types of media and criminal responses For each type of media, there are unique experiences and responses that teenagers take to heart when it comes to criminal activity. Regardless of this, teenagers that engage in a life of crime based on things they have witnessed in the media all end up in the same place: juvenile detention facility, prison, or six feet under. Each form of media lets teenagers experience criminal acts in different ways. Television and movies Television and movies give teenagers an almost first-hand look at criminal activity, such as murder, burglary, rape and other acts of criminal violence. They see these events taking place as though they were there themselves, watching it all unfold. In most cases, the stories are fictional and portray the characters and their actions in a positive light. Teenagers are able to see the approving responses in which these criminal characters are given after committing these crimes. Juvenile offenders get a lot of their criminal ideas from the television shows and movies that they watch (Panel on Juvenile Crime, 2001). They involve themselves in copycat crimes. Whether they do this to show off for their friends or peers, or if they do it out of anger or curiosity to see if they get in trouble remains to be figured out. Each individual juvenile defender could be acting out in the way that they see fit. Though regardless of the reason, they are still engaging in these actions based on what they have viewed on television or in movies. When a teenager has committed a criminal act that they saw on television or in a movie, they often react to what they have done in the same way that the character did: with a hero complex. They expect to be rewarded for what they have done or, at the very least, they expect not to be punished. If a teenager commits the crime for the sole purpose of committing a crime, they do so defiantly, not caring what the outcome is for themselves or for others (Marvis, Satterthwaite & Sarat, 1997). Music While music is not a visual medium, with the exception of music videos, it is still capable of instilling criminal ideas into the minds of the teenagers that listen to such music. Rap music, as well as other genres, while enjoyed by many, contains vulgar ideas, especially in regard to the treatment of women, minorities and those that people find to be insignificant. These songs present teenagers the idea that they are better than other people and that they can treat others in that same fashion. These ideas often create the foundation within teenagers that will start them on the destructive path of criminal activity. Many genres of music in the present day are angry and harsh. Teenagers that listen to music of the sort start to feel and show those same emotions. It eventually comes to a point where they let those emotions take over them and they begin acting out on the messages that the music conveys. Video and computer games Video and computer games are a rather new medium in which teenagers are able to view violence. Unlike television, movies and music, video and computer games allow the players to commit the crime in a virtual fashion. First-person-shooter games are examples as to how teenagers can almost be in the moment of violence. They are the ones that hold the weapons and kill their opponents. Win their character kills enough of the right people, they are praised for it by having a high score and being encouraged by other players of the game. Many parents and adults view these types of games as training programs for their teenagers. They become afraid that their children will take their games too seriously and attempt to reenact them on their own, if not in a greater magnitude (Nakaya, 2005). Results When teenagers take what they see in the media literally and too far, it becomes a part of them permanently. Some juveniles are lucky enough to end up in a correctional facility or in prison. Others, however, take media-based crimes to an extreme and end up dying, usually taking others with them. One of the few positive sides to juveniles landing themselves in prison is that they are still young enough to turn their lives around (Strasburger, 2009). Those juvenile offenders have the chance to understand what they have done is wrong and fix their ways before any other harm befalls them or those on the opposing end of their criminal acts. Preventing media-related criminal behaviors in teenagers The one surefire method to help teenagers avoid being influenced by the media is to instill the fact into them that there is a difference between reality and fiction. They need to understand that just because someone gets praised or gets away with a criminal act on television, does not mean that they will get away with it in real life. On the contrary, the consequences for teenagers engaging in criminal acts can be quite devastating. Parents and adults should also help teenagers find other, less angry forms of media to become involved in. It is not a bad thing to watch movies, listen to music or play video games, but all of it could be done with more pleasant options. Parents need to become involved in the media that their children take an interest in (Steyer & Clinton, 2002). This could even mean monitoring what a teenager watches or listens to. This may seem like a drastic move to the teenager, but they will thank their parents later when it keeps them out of trouble. Conclusion Teenagers are under the impression that just because a fictional character is capable of committing a crime makes it okay for them to do the same. Media in all of its forms - television, movies, music and video games - contain harmful and potentially dangerous images and information that a teenager would be willing to try out. Teenagers are impressionable and will take what they see on television as a dare to do it themselves (Males, 1994). Juvenile crimes rates have been linked to the kind of media that teenagers are subjected to, so making those genres of media inaccessible to teenagers, or teaching teenagers the difference between reality and fiction, will help teenagers to stay out of criminal trouble. Just as with shows on television that advise people not to try a specific stunt at home, teenagers should realize the same thing with criminal violence in their media. References Cantor, J. (2004). Violent television programming and its impact on children. Retrieved from http://www.joannecantor.com/FCCviolence.html Fuhrman, M. (2009). The murder business: How the media turns crime into entertainment and subverts justice. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, Inc. Grossman, D. & DeGaetano, G. (1999). Stop teaching our kids to kill: A call to action against TV, movie and video game violence. New York: Crown Publishing Group. Kuklin, S. (2008). No choirboy: Murder, violence, and teenagers on death row. New York: Henry Holt and Co. Males, M. (1994). Bashing youth: Media myths about teenagers. Retrieved from http://fair.org/index.php?page=1224 Marvis, B., Satterthwaite, M., & Sarat, A. (1997). Juvenile crime. New York: Facts on File. Nakaya, A. (2005). Juvenile crime. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning. Panel on Juvenile Crime. (2001). Juvenile crime, juvenile justice. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Steyer, J.P., & Clinton, C. (2002). The other parent: The inside story of the media’s effect on our children. New York: Atria Publishing. Strasburger, V.C. (2009). Media violence. Pediatrics, volume 124. doi: 10.1542/peds. 2009-2146. Read More