The Impact of Media on the Youth - Case Study Example

Is Media reshaping the younger generation for the worse? The impact of media on its viewers hasbeen an intense debate since the idiot box became a common device in average homes. There are many who argue that media has been reshaping the ideals, the values and the actions of the younger generation for the worst. These arguments have become stronger with time as media platforms has increased and the media has become more powerful. Parents are most concerned since they view media usage by their children apprehensively as research on the influence of media on the development of a child suggests an alarming picture. Media supporters argue that banning the media is not the solution because media, like any other device, has both its pros and cons. They further claim that informed and meaningful usage of media can play a positive role in the child’s development. The objective of this paper is to present a debate on the impact of media on the youth. The question that this research paper attempts to answer is whether media is reshaping the attitude, actions and ideals of the youth in a negative manner? For this, both sides of the debate would be considered. This paper claims that media is gaining too much power in today’s world and thus developing the wrong ideals and values in the young generation. One of the most alarming effects of media on the youth is the way is exposes them to violence. According to Bar-on (2000), an average child is exposed to 12,000 acts of violence through media each year. A research revealed that 61% of the content available on television is violent in nature (Bar-on, 289). This unguided and constant exposure to violence desensitizes the youth towards violence. When they start seeing violence so commonly, their minds start accepting violence. They do not consider violence as something out of place. Also many acts of violence committed in media are performed by heroes trying to save the day. A good example of this is the Die Hard series. Such heroes are youth aspirations as the youth tries to imitate their favorite movie and television heroes. This then leads the children to develop aggressive behavior. In many court cases filed against aggressive youth, it was found out that the defenders were inspired by a movie scene or a movie. Some children are more prone to developing a violent streak. These people include emotionally disturbed children who come from dysfunctional families. The socio-economic background of the child also plays a role in the development of the children. Another common element in media, apart from violence, is sexual content. Both programs and advertisements displayed on television have strong references to sexuality. Internet takes a step forwards by allowing access to all kinds of websites. Even during family hour, research revealed that programs now contain around eight references to sexual incidents. This has increased by four times the references made in 1976 (Bar-on, 290). Sexual content, such commonly, displayed on the media develops the wrong ideas and perceptions in the minds of the young generation. Media usage also plays a vital role in the physical development of the child. When children spend too much time in front of television, computers and even video games, they do not pay attention to their physical needs. Children who watch television are more likely to eat fast foods. This is because advertisements of television are not likely to feature fast food restaurants ads as compared to healthy eating foods such as vegetables and foods. These foods are advertised in such a manner that children develop a yearning for them. Also, eating food while watching television can reinforce the wrong eating habits; and are more likely to be a contributor towards obesity (Bolton, 175). Another way through which media effects the wrong dietary choices is its portrayal of the ideal figure. The current media stance about beauty is anorexic models. These models, with their pretty faces and designer dresses, become inspirations for young girls who then start adopting diet plans to get their figure to the perfect body size- the size zero (Paxon, 192-193). The high usage of media by children also effects the academic development of the child. This is because when children spend too much time in front of televisions, computers, games etc., they are unable to focus or give attention to their academic life. At times, children become media addicts. In such cases, they spend too much time in front of their media sources that they do not sleep properly which results in inattentiveness during class. This impacts the grades and class performance of the students. In the long run, the future of the student may be compromised if excessive usage of media is not checked. A research also revealed that watching too much television decreases IQ as well as productivity among the youth (Shin, 278). Media has also been responsible for developing or reinforcing stereotypes among the youth. Since the youth is considered to be the most impressionable age, the media beliefs are imitated by majority of the youth and even adults these days. Even though media is inspired by real life in the development of these stereotypes, but the reinforcement of these stereotypes in movies and films sets them in stone. For instance, the stereotype regarding Arabs is the most commonly cited one. The media can be blamed for this to a great extent as various mediums including films; cartoons, caricatures etc. have given the worst labels to Arabs, including, ‘“barbaric and cruel,” “treacherous”, “war-like” and “rich”’ (Lester, 340). Most of the western world stereotypes the Arabs as rich terrorists with big beards and turbans. Recently media has expanded its horizon to include the internet. The World Wide Web may be a bundle of opportunities but in the recent times, the problems associated with media usage among the youth is also coming to the forefront. Social media, for instance, is the most common website used by today’s youth. The main criticism against social media websites is that they exploit the privacy of their users. User’s information, through their social media presence in various websites, is used to create a data aggregate on the user. This is the sold to marketers, employers and many other people who wish to gain insight on a particular user or group of users. This could then have an impact on the way users are treated in their real life. For instance, insurance premium may increase for a user who has joined AIDs websites even though he may be researching this topic for a friend. Employers may fire an employee based on his posts of Facebook and this is not uncommon. This suggests that media is silently controlling more of our lives than we have been allowed to understand. What a user posts on his Facebook is not limited to his family or friends but rather helps form a perception about him that could be used against him in his real life (Andrews). Cyber Bullying is another ill effect of media. People on social media websites and other websites such as Hotmail and Yahoo create fake user ids. Using these ids, they try to extract information regarding other users. Later they may use this information to blackmail the other user or to defame him by posting indecent pictures, messages etc. about the user. In a survey conducted by Cyber Bullying Research Center, half the respondents revealed that they had been victims of cyber bullying at least once in their lives while nearly 20 percent revealed that they experience such practices on a regular basis (“Cyber Bullying Statistics”). In the extreme cases, cyber bullying can have serious repercussion on the lives of the victims as victims experience anxiety and depression. Some victims may also consider suicide to escape targeted cyber bullying. When media usage increases to the extent of addiction, the impact on the lives of the people increases even further. Productivity of the addict is greatly impacted. People who spend more than 6 waking hours in front of the television, computer etc. each day are bound to suffer both physiological and physical ill effects. They do not contribute productively to the society since they are distracted by the media (Mokeyane). Also physical effects include eye sight problems, constant headaches, obesity etc. On the other hand, the supporters of media claim that media is not entirely to blame for the problems of the society and that media usage can have positive impact on the users. Proponents of media counter attack the above claims with their own arguments. Their major claim is that media is the most important source of information. The news released on television, internet or print media is perhaps the most accurate source of information when compared with relying on other’s stores. Also the news released through media travels at a fast pace to a wide range of people. With the advent of the internet, the reach and pace of news has increased even further. Media has also opened avenues for debates and opinions to be readily available. Especially with the advent of internet, the public has the benefit of interacting with a wide range of people with whom one can share ideas, opinions, stories and much more. Communication through media has increased to a great extent. It is media that has made possible for people to talk with their friends and family in far off regions (Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe, 1146). Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many others have allowed people to increase their virtual social circle to a great extent. This can have positive impact on the lives of their users. They get more exposure; even to worlds that they could not have possibly imagined. Also websites such as Freelancer.com and many others have been a source of livelihood for people in developing countries. People in developed nations outsource their work in developing countries because of the presence of internet that has improved communication channels. Media, while blamed for creating stereotypes, also makes it possible for people to understand each other better. Channels such as Nat Geo and Discovery especially focus on different cultures. In today’s world where diversity has become the norm, knowledge about different cultures is very important and media serves as an importance source of information in this regard. Apart from cultural awareness, media also provides people with political awareness. Politics is an important topic in today’s channels and it allows for people in different countries to understand the political scenario of not just their country but also of other’s country. Media, if used in the right way, can be a source of remodeling the young community. It is clear that the youth today is inspired by media and the people who represent it. They would do anything that their favorite celebrity is doing. This could help develop and reinforce good habits in today’s youth. If media celebrities give a public service message against a societal problem such as drug abuse, smoking etc., it is likely to have a strong impact on the youth. This is because the youth aspires to be like the celebrity and tries to imitate him. This is one reason that celebrity endorsements form an important part of marketing campaigns these days (Marshall, 41). However, while all the supporters of media may be true in their claims, the main point is that media has brought more evil to the society than good. The power of celebrities is not being used in the right manner. It is common to see music artists using references to smoking, drugs etc. in their songs. They are not using their influence on the youth in the most beneficial way for the society. Statistics and various data reveals that media is directly leading to increase in criminal behavior among the youth. The power and purpose the media has, is not being used in the most ethical manner. Media can be rightly blamed for the corrupting the society with aggressive behavior and stereotypical thought. In today’s society, media is an extremely powerful tool with the way that it makes an impression on the youth of today. Media has the potential to change the youth for the better. But unfortunately the content and misguided usage of media is having a detrimental effect on the physical and mental development of youth. Works Cited Andrews, Lori. "Facebook Is Using You." The New York Times, Sunday Review. 4 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 May 2014. Bar-on, Miriam, “The effects of television on child health: implications and recommendations, Archives of Disease in Childhood”, 83(4), 289-292. Web. Bolton, Ruth, “Modeling the impact of television food advertising on childrens diets”, Current issues and research in advertising, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 173-199, 1983 "Cyber Bullying Statistics." Cyberbullying.org, 2013. Web. 23 May 2014. Ellison, Nicole, Steinfield, Charles, and Lampe, Cliff, “The Benefits of Facebook “Friends:” Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12: 1143–1168, 2007. Web Lester, Paul, “Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media”, NY: ABC-CLIO, 2011, Print Marshall, David, “Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture”, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1997, Print  Mokeyane, Nola, “Medias Positive & Negative Influence on Teenagers”, Demand Media, n.d. Web 24 May 2014 Paxon, Christina, et. al. “Childhood Obesity”, The Future of Children, Vol. 16, No.1, 2006, Web. Shin, Nary, “Exploring pathways from television viewing to academic achievement in school age children”, Journal of Genetic Psychology, 165 (4) 267-81, 2004, Web Read More