The Effects of Violence in Advertisement - Literature review Example

WWF ad        WWF ad Violence is rampant in the community today. The use of physical force is employed in entertainment, sports,and advertisement. Violence has become a reality for people in their everyday existence. Violence is exhibited in schools, neighborhoods, advertisements, video games, and work places. It is virtually in all areas of society. Nonetheless, violence is highly depicted in advertisements, from advertising household commodities to industrial machinery. In addition, violence is not only expressed physically, it is also expressed socially and psychologically. All these forms of violence are exhibited through advertisements. Nonetheless, media stakeholders have tried dealing with this issue (Hamilton, 1998). This paper will consider violence in relation to advertisement and how it affects children and women. The significance of violence in television interference impact is highlighted by proof that violence is common in television programs. Nonetheless, while some advertisers avoid programs containing violent content, other advertisers do not air violent programs. Bushman conducted research on the impact of a violent content on memory for advertisements not containing violence. Bushman concluded that while violent television programs may cause enraged thoughts, this may affect the processing of nonviolent advertisement programs. Violent advertising affect memory of individuals, mostly children and women. This is without regard to whether they like or do not like the violent advertisement. In addition, current studies indicate that the amount of congruity between a surrounding program environment and violent advertisement affect the memory of children and women (Hamilton, 1998). Nevertheless, the results the results are not consistent. In addition, violent advertisements affect children and women more than men. Violent advertising can also affect children’s and women’s memory on commercial messages. For example, the advertisement where there is a gun aiming at a child may affect the perception of women and children regardless of the reasons associated with it. In addition, women and children presume violent advertisements are appropriate when they are placed in a violent environment than when placed in a nonviolent environment. Also, violence is mostly recalled when a person is placed in a violent environment. An explanation for this is that violence in a violent environment makes violence associated concepts more within reach (National Television Violence Study 2, 1998). The attack on the Twin Towers instigated negative impact on the economy of the country and also had a tremendous effect on world economies. Therefore, advertisements related to the Twin Towers have negative effects to women and children. The analysis of the World Wild foundation advertisement takes into account children and women as the targets of the advertisement. This considers the objective of the advertisement and the view of the advertising content or intention of the advertiser. The analysis also looks at the children and women as advertising resource. This can stimulate impacts at the level of thought, behavioral or affective level. The analysis also may refer to women and children as receivers of advertising. This notion is linked with the habits and behavior of intake of advertising by the women and children (National Television Violence Study 2, 1998). The World Wild foundation advertisement does not consider women and children viewers of the advertisement. This is because there is a person pointing a gun at a child. This will make women and children have a negative view of the advertisement. This is because children will view themselves as targets of violence and women will have a negative attitude due to their care giving nature. The city of New Jersey lost the largest number of people after New York City. Over 90 different nations lost nationals in the World Trade Centre attacks. Additionally, there were two individuals who were listed in the official death number. This was after they succumbed to health conditions associated to dust produced from the collapsed buildings. In addition, several different structures near the World Trade Centre area were either badly damaged or destroyed. The public bridges linking different buildings were also ruthlessly spoilt. Additionally, equipment for communication and transmission of signals on one part of the World Trade Centre were also damaged, but media companies were able to redirect signals and continue live transmission extremely fast. Besides, one side of the Pentagon building was destroyed by the impact of the plane. Moreover, there are researches that indicate uncompromising advertising campaigns attempting to raise money for aid is scaring children. The researches indicate three children out of ten with eleven to sixteen years are disturbed by these advertisements. An example is the September 11 attacks. The terrorist attacks perpetrated in the year 2001 on September eleventh were a sequence of four planned attacks in Washington and New York. It is presumed that, on that fateful day, nineteen al Qaeda militants took control of four passenger planes. The militants proceeded to fly two of the four planes in the South and North towers of the World Trade Centre located in New York. The two towers collapsed as a result of the impact from the two planes. It took only two hours for the two towers to cave in from the impact. In addition, the militants used a third plane to smash the Pentagon. Also, the militants aimed to crush the fourth plane into the United States Capitol Building. Nevertheless, the fourth plane ran into a ground in the Shanksville area. This happened after the occupants tried to regain control of the plane from the militants. Almost 3,000 individuals perished in the act. This comprised all the militants and passengers on the planes (Neria, Gross, Marshall & Susser, 2006). Most children were negatively affected when advertisements meant to raise funds for the September 11 attacks victims were aired. This was presumed to be because of the traumatizing pictures contained in the advertisement. Both women parents and children were annoyed by the advertisements which contained the violent pictures and pictures of people suffering. The act caused the deaths of over 2900 people. They comprised passengers, militants, occupants of the towers and members of the military. Over 90% of visitors and employees in the buildings were situated at or over the places of impact. Their deaths were either caused by suffocation, jumping or falling from the building or died when the towers crushed down (Langley, 2006). Moreover, some people from the two towers found their way to the peak of the building hoping to be saved by a helicopter. In contrast, a large number of individuals located under the point of impact got out of the buildings safely. In addition, a research conducted on women and children viewers after the September attacks showed that most of them opposed advertisements that highlighted scenes of suffering and violence in an effort to get sympathy and donations. The researches indicated that advertisements for the economic damage done on the targets were found to be unpleasant to women and children because they employed images of violence and sufferings (Schumann, 1986). The economic impacts were mostly felt on the export sector of the economy. The gross domestic product of New York City was approximated to have dropped by $27.3 billion in the final parts of the year. Small firms in Lower Manhattan, in the area around the World Trade Centre, were also affected. About 18,000 of the small business which were displaced or destroyed resulted in job losses and their subsequent payments. The negative response on the violent advertisements saw the government intervene by donating funds for both the large and small businesses. The government abandoned most economic advertisements linked with the terror attacks and turned to direct aid on the different businesses. The administration gave $11.2 billion for helping the New York City government after the attack. The administration also gave $10.5 billion for infrastructure and economic development necessities. The small businesses were assisted by economic injury disaster loans, small business administration loans, and federal government community development block grants. The distraction caused in this area raised concerns on whether the lost employment opportunities would be recovered and if the destroyed tax source would recuperate. Investigations of the economic impacts of the terror attack demonstrate the area was less impacted than initially thought, due to visible proof demanded by the financial service industry. Airline advertisements linked with the September attacks also received a negative reception from the population, mostly, women and children. This is because they associated the different airlines with the events of the terror attack. After the terrorist attack, the airline industry was adversely affected due to the closure of the air space. Then, after the attack, it continued to be affected by the violent advertisements which women and children associated with the terror attacks. There was almost a 20% reduction in air travel size, therefore, enhancing the financial issues in the stressed airline trade (Chernick, 2005). In addition, the investigators established that women and children viewers concurred with the decisions being practiced by the regulators on what should be aired during advertisements. Only a single female adult in six adults asserted they were not upset by the violent acts associated with the September attacks. Moreover, the numbers were higher in children, who indicated they and their siblings were offended by these advertisements. Both female parents and children felt the advertisements related to the September terrorist attacks went extremely far. They perceived the advertisements employed painful content to make people feel guilty or upset. For example, many people felt the advertisements target people from a certain community directly or indirectly. The attacks had an impact on cultures. The effect of the attack expanded past geography and politics to culture and society. After the attacks, instantaneous reactions entailed increased church attendance, increased concentration on time spent with loved ones and home life, and additional manifestations of patriotism, for example, flying the American flags. In addition, the radio sector reacted by eliminating some songs from their stations. This was a negative response towards the community that perpetrated the attacks. Television programs created after the September eleven attacks have highlighted the future cultural fears among children and women. Many children in schools have had a different perception of people from the community that perpetrated the attacks. Children are now fearful of members from the community that undertook the attack (Hanley, 2000). Children have fewer relations with members of this community than in previous times. Also, women have had the same experience. They have reduced contact with people from the community which undertook the September eleven attacks. This is largely because of the violent advertisements on the attacks. These advertisements depict members of the militia community as violent and brutal. These advertisements lay all the blame on people from this community. In addition, researches show that both women and children feel that advertisements should contain extra possibility to upset because of their useful objectives. Investigations have indicated a degree of discomfort about the depiction of improbable pictures and body images. Nevertheless, only a few number of women and children feel that identifiable examples of violent advertisements should be removed from viewing. The advertisements on the September attacks assert that, on the fateful day of the attack, the militants damaged more than the Pentagon, rural Pennsylvania, and the World Trade Centre. The militants also damaged the American feelings and ideologies of security developed for hundreds of years. Prior to these attacks, people in America perceived themselves as human beings and valued the remainder of their existence that machinery had not taken away from their lives. Presently, people in America join in grieving, and, in the course of action, altering their notions on the boundary between safety and privacy and the individual. It may be argued that the aim of the militants in the planes on that fateful day was not the White House, the Pentagon nor the World Trade Centre, but much more than damaging significant amounts of property and killing innocent people (Neria, Gross, Marshall & Susser, 2006). Moreover, research has indicated that young people or children are motivated to carry or use a weapon due to the concern of being victims of violent activities. Violence highlighted on advertisements either on television or other means shape the manner and attitudes of society. It mostly affects children and women due to their sensitive nature. Over three thousand five hundred researches have been carried out to establish the relationship between violence portrayed on the media and violent actions. Only eighteen out of the three thousand five hundred researches have not shown the relationship between violence portrayed on the media and violent actions. This indicates that violent advertisements affect people’s cognitive processes (National Television Violence Study 2, 1998). Additionally, children are mostly affected by these violent advertisements because they are still at the initial stages of development. In conclusion, a number of researches have indicated people who are exposed to violent advertisements; mostly children will have a higher likelihood of reacting to other people or children with violence. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that over one hundred and fifty thousand adolescents are detained because of violence related activities every year. Many advertisements are presumed to show realism without restriction. This means that children watching these uncensored advertisements depicting the utilization of harsh language and illegal substances, as well as violence are most likely to copy and imitate these violent actions. In addition, it is unfortunate that due to this propagation of violent advertisements, it may not take long before children or young people start imitating the actions as they perceive them (Hanley, 2000). Additionally, Sigmund Freud deemed children require acquiring a feeling of morality early on in their lives or, they may have issues in their late life. If children do not nurture a feeling of remorse, they will get involved in behaviors presumed as morally and socially wrong. References Chernick, H. (2005). Resilient city: The economic impact of 9/11. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Hamilton, J. T. (1998). Channeling violence: The economic market for violent television programming. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Hanley, P. (2000). Copycat kids: The influence of television advertising on children and teenagers. London, UK: Independent Television Commission. National Television Violence Study 2. (1998). Research report. Center for communication and social policy, university of California, Santa Barbara (ed.). California: Sage. Neria, Y., Gross, R., Marshall, R. D., & Susser, E. S. (2006). 9/11: Mental health in the wake of terrorist attacks. New York: Cambridge University Press. Schumann, D. W. (1986). Program impact on attitude toward TV commercials. Washington: American Psychological Association. Read More