Mass Media Influence on Society - Research Paper Example

? Mass Media Influence on Society The response of people to various social, political and economic issues is usually influenced by their personal experiences and beliefs. The environment of each individual is also likely to have a critical role in human behavior and relations in the context of a particular society. The term environment, as used in the above case encompasses a series of elements, including mass media. The influence of mass media on society is critically discussed in this paper. The literature published in the specific field is reviewed at the level that it can offer adequate explanations on the relationship between mass media and society. It is proved that the above relationship is strong, in fact mass media can affect all aspects of social life; however, in terms of the behavior of individuals, the power of mass media to intervene can be differentiated, meaning that each individual is likely to be influenced differently by the images/ information provided through the mass media. On the other hand, it is made clear that the role of media in social beliefs and events is not standardized; it can be positive or negative in accordance with the conditions of the social environment, the characteristics of the events involved – as provided through the media – and the local ethics and values, as explained below. In order to understand the relationship between mass media and society it would be necessary to describe the characteristics of mass media – as being different from common media. In accordance with Gupta (1) ‘mass media are that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience’. Mass media can strongly affect people in societies with different social and political characteristics. However, the level at which mass media influence the behavior of individuals in countries worldwide is likely to be depended on the following facts: the age of people involved, the living standards, the economic/ political framework of the country involved and the culture of each country. In the study of Singer and Singer emphasis is given on the power of mass media to influence young people. It is explained that mass media often promote social identities with particular characteristics; young people may be affected by those identities. Most commonly, young people are likely to be attracted by these identities, trying to use it as patterns of behavior (Singer and Singer 313). Moreover, the media preferences, as developed by adolescents, are likely to reflect a specific identity; ‘young people tend to use this identity for defining themselves but also other people’ (Singer and Singer 313). From a similar point of view Blanck (24) notes that mass media can strongly affect the style of life of people of all ages, including the young people. Through the mass media, young people can be informed on particular dressing styles, eating behaviors or ways of entertainment, which are described by mass media as a trend. Young people are more likely, compared to adults, to imitate such trends without examining in advance the alignment of these trends with their own style of life, their own social and cultural background and status and, most important, with their beliefs and values. It is in this context, that negative patterns of behavior may be adopted; through the years, these patterns are likely to influence the behavior and the beliefs of young people at such level that their personal views on morality and legality may be radically alternated. The potential negative effects of mass media on young people are explained in the study of Houghton and Roche. In the above study, the role of media in the expansion of drinking among adolescents is strongly criticized (Houghton and Roche 183). At the same time, it is noted that the level at which mass media can influence the behavior and the thinking of young people is depended on the personal beliefs and the social environment of each adolescent (Houghton and Roche 183). It is assumed that in families where communication and understanding are at low level, young people are more vulnerable towards the mass media, which can be considered as a way for escaping from a hostile family environment – referring to families where conflicts are strong and continuous, offering a negative pattern of behavior to their members. Apart from the social aspects of mass media, meaning their potential effects on the society, another issue related to the role of mass media should be discussed. Today, mass media, at a high percentage, are likely to promote violence. Reference is made not just to films of a particular content/ type but also to the news where violence is also used for emphasizing on events and attracting more viewers (Bryant and Sillmann 270). At this point the following issue should be discussed: the relationship between mass media and violence is rather old. In fact, in 1908 Chicago Police refused to issue the permit required for running the film ‘The James Boys in Missouri’ (Bryant and Sillmann 270). The prohibition for running the film was explained by referring to the potential role of the film in the development of criminal behavior across adolescents, as a potential effect of the scenes promoted through mass media. In order to understand the potential role of mass media in the increase of crimes committed by adolescents, the following issue should be explored: which is the level of violence in societies worldwide – at least at an average level. At the same time, the following fact should be taken into consideration: is media violence directly related to the violence actually existing in society (Trend 2007)? The above problem is explored in the study of Trend. It is made clear that media violence is directly related to the violence developed within society (Trend 27). However, violence in society has been reduced – reference is made to the fact that in a recent research of the US Department of Justice, it was been proved that violence in society has been decreased – compared to the past, especially the last decade. At the same time, school violence seems also to have been reduced; as revealed through a research developed by the Trend, despite the decline of violence within society, still the violent events have not been fully eliminated, a fact that can lead to the following assumption: the type of violence promoted by the media is not such powerful as the violence that is actually promoted across societies. The above view should be checked as of its validity using the studies of Andersen and Taylor and that of Gentile. In accordance with Andersen and Taylor are likely to have a crucial role in the perceptions of children and young people on crime and its consequences. The incident in Columbine in 1999 is mentioned as an example in order to prove that mass media can highly affect the criminal behavior of young people (Andersen and Taylor 87) – referring to the fact that the two young boys who committed the relevant crime were found to have particular preferences in terms of mass media: they preferred playing video-games that included violent scenes. However, the level at which mass media can negatively influence young people, as for example the incident mentioned above, couldn’t be regarded as standardized. The family and the social environment of young people are likely to influence the perceptions of young people on crime, so that the power of external events/ patterns, like the violent scenes promoted through mass media, to change the views of young people regarding crime to be limited. However, the potential response of young people to violence, as promoted through mass media, is difficult to be precisely measured. This fact is highlighted in the study of Boyle where reference is made to the following fact: in most cases where such incidents are brought before the courts it is proved that the involvement of young people in criminal activities has been, even partially, related to the exposure of these people to violence, as promoted through the mass media (Boyle 2). The film ‘The Matrix’ is mentioned as an example of a film, which can lead young people to crimes (Boyle 2), as the relationship between violence among young people and this film has been identified in the case of the Columbine incident (Boyle 2). The potential power of mass media to lead young people to crime is also analyzed in the study of Gentile. In the above study, emphasis is given on the following fact: indeed, mass media can have a key role in the development of criminal behavior among young people; however, the people who have the supervision of young people are aware of this risk – reference is made particularly to the case that mass media are used by parents in order to keep children engaged for a particular period of time (Gentile 2). After becoming adults, these children can be highly influenced by violence, as promoted through mass media. In other words, criminal behavior among children is the result of a series of factors. The lack of effective communication with parents and the use of mass media for keeping the children occupied are among the factors that can negatively influence the behavior of young people, as proved through the literature published in the particular field. From another point of view, McCombs noted that mass media can be highly involved in the development of a particular political behavior, meaning especially the view of the public on the appropriateness of governmental decisions or the necessity of measures promoted by the local government (McCombs 19). Because of their power to persuade the public on the appropriateness of political choices, politicians and governments often use mass media for the support of their programmes. It is in this context, that mass media are used for promoting particular candidates in elections or for justifying a particular measure/ measures in cases of political choices, the justification of which is quite difficult. The above activity, i.e. using the mass media for promoting specific political messages, i.e. to influence the public opinion, can be strongly criticized as of its appropriateness. Indeed, in the context of modern societies, most of which are based on democratic regimes, the use of mass media for influencing the public opinion could be characterized, at a first level, as justified. However, a clearer view of the issue would lead to the following assumption: mass media may lead to the confusion of the public regarding the necessity of a political initiative. From this point of view, it should be suggested that mass media would not be involved in politics, taking into consideration the level of exposure of people to mass media on a daily basis. The particular level can be extremely high, leading to the assumption that the use of mass media for influencing the public opinion is opposed to existing code of ethics, especially if the engagement of mass media in such activities is high (Glasser and Salmon 22). For instance, a political message which is presented through mass media several times daily loses its informative character; it becomes a tool for getting the approval of the public regarding the issues involved, a goal which cannot be characterized as ethically right, no matter the social and political characteristics of the particular society. At this point, the following fact should be mentioned: the involvement of mass media in politics may not be standardized in countries internationally. For instance, in USA, the use of mass media in politics is such high that locals admit that mass media have a key role in their political choices (Janda, Berry and Goldman 182). The differentiation in the involvement of media in politics should be explained by referring to the following fact: freedoms are not equally respected globally. Moreover, even when freedoms are highly protected, still the control over media and the level of their involvement in politics can be problematic. In accordance with Gibson the freedom of press in USA has been significantly limited (12), a result of the expansion of oligopolies in all industrial sectors. In a study published by the Longman law series, emphasis is given on the following fact: mass media should be appropriately protected, even if they can be partially related to negative behaviors, because of the following fact: mass media, and the media in general, reflect the freedom of expression, meaning the freedom of speech. The above freedom has been often related to the freedom of press; in fact, in most cases, the two freedoms are considered as reflecting an integrated framework, being characterized by the promotion of freedom, as an indispensable part of social life (Longman law series 15). The relationship between the freedom of the speech and the freedom of the press is made clear in the legislation of Australia, as also in other countries worldwide. In accordance with Johnston (12), the effective protection of the freedom of speech requires the development of appropriate legislation. Reference is made for example to the incorporation of the freedom of speech in the balancing act, a legislative text aiming to beat discrimination in societies with different social and political characteristics. The power of mass media to influence the society is reflected in another fact: often people claim that they could not live without mass media. This statement is either clear or it is implied by the response of people to mass media. In other words, mass media is an indispensable part of the social life of all people, at the level that people of various ages have access to mass media without restrictions. In fact, technology has been developed at such level that the access of people to mass media has been significantly improved. At this point, the following question should be replied: is the power of mass media to cause instability and uncertainty within a particular society absolute? Moreover, the fact that mass media are a key element of modern life cannot lead to the further increase of their power. Rather, mass media should be controlled, as of the quality of their programme, meaning especially the promotion of scenes which include violence. From this point of view, the control of mass media, which is a prerequisite of the quality of their programmes, can be a difficult task. The press has periodically published the style and the methods of control as promoted through mass media. The above initiatives are particularly valuable in the following case: because mass media are highly involved in society, as explained above, they are likely to be more vulnerable to potential attempts for getting their control. Appropriate code of ethics has been introduced in countries worldwide in order to ensure that mass media are developed within a particularly regulatory framework. Regulatory laws have been also introduced in order to serve the above need. However, still, the control on mass media, meaning their content, is not close and tight. Moreover, issues like the censorship have been often used in order to justify a hostile behavior towards the mass media – meaning the cases where such behavior was not necessary, i.e. there was no violation of the code and ethics of media (Gentile 3). At this point, the following problem appears: how the existing legislation on mass media should be improved so that inequalities and controversies to be effectively controlled? As noted in the study of Cohen-Almagor, the freedom of the press – as related to the freedom of the speech, can be effective only under the following terms: the messages promoted through mass media should be characterized by objectivity (Cohen-Almagor 70). However, media objectivity, as a prerequisite for the freedom of the press, should be negatively criticized at the following point: The perceptions of each individual on the right and the appropriate, as criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of political choices, are different (Cohen-Almagor 70). Thus, when trying to evaluate whether the freedom of press and the freedom of the speech are adequately respected, meaning that their rules are taken into consideration for developing business, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the historical and the social aspects of each case; then, the social influences on media and their messages are extremely high. In accordance with the issues discussed above, mass media can strongly influence the society. Their power to cause turbulences in the social and the political framework of each country is differentiated, being influenced from the local social and political conditions and rules but also on the local social ethics. On the other hand, the involvement of mass media in social activities and beliefs can have so many forms that it is quite difficult to be controlled (Rozel 92). In any case, when the role of mass media in society needs to be examined, then the following tasks should be developed: the potential use of additional sources should be examined – for instance, when print media can adequately cover an event, then the extensive references in mass media should be rather avoided, since there would be no time availability for developing an alternative tool for reaching a specific part of the population (Gorman and McLean 26). Taking into consideration the issues discussed above, it could be concluded that the role of the media in the development of social behavior within a particular state is of critical importance, for ensuring the alignment of the relevant initiatives with the social, ethical and regulatory rules of each country. Works Cited Andersen, Margaret, Taylor, Howard. Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2007. Blanck, Ryan. Engaging the Media: ""Equipping Young People to Think Critically and Make Biblical Decisions about Entertainment"". Lincoln: iUniverse, 2003. Boyle, Karen. Media and violence: gendering the debates. London: SAGE, 2005. Bryant, Jennings, Zillmann, Dolf. Media effects: advances in theory and research. London: Routledge, 2002. Cohen-Almagor, Raphael. Speech, media and ethics: the limits of free expression: critical studies on freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the public's right to know. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. Gentile, Douglas. Media violence and children: a complete guide for parents and professionals. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Gibson, Donald. Communication, power, and media. New York: Nova Publishers, 2004. Glasser, Theodore, Salmon, Charles. Public opinion and the communication of consent. New York: Guilford Press, 1995. Gorman, Lyn, McLean, David. Media and society into the 21st century: a historical introduction. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Gupta, Om. Media Society And Culture. Delhi: Gyan Books, 2006. Janda, Kenneth, Berry, Jeffrey, Goldman, Jerry. The Challenge of Democracy: American Government in a Global World. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2008. Johnston, Jane. Media Relations: Issues and Strategies. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2008. Longman law series. Media law: cases and materials. Essex: Pearson Education, 2000. McCombs, Maxwell, Einsiedel, Edna, Weaver, David. Contemporary public opinion: issues and the news. London: Routledge, 1991. McCombs, Maxwell. Setting the agenda: the mass media and public opinion. Cambridge: Polity, 2004. Rozell, Mark. Media power, media politics. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Singer, Dorothy, Singer, Jerome. Handbook of children and the media. London: SAGE, 2001. Trend, David. The myth of media violence: a critical introduction. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Read More