Is Sex and Violence as Depicted in Current Multimedia Good for Society - Research Paper Example

?Is sex and violence as depicted in current multimedia and game art/design good for society as a whole? Why/why not? In the first ever conducted international survey on children and media violence, a UNESCO study underlines television’s dominant role in the lives of young people around the world and its impact on the development of aggressive behaviour, paving the way for a stronger debate between politicians, producers, teachers and parents (Goebel). The role of media, games, art/designs etc in developing aggressive and violent behaviours among teenagers and adults is well documented by many studies. Anderson & Dill (2000) pointed out that “long term video game players can become more aggressive in outlook, perceptual biases, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour than they were before the repeated exposure or would have become without such exposure” (Anderson & Dill, p.774). In any case, it is a fact that sex crimes and violence are growing day by day in majority of the countries. Both teenagers and adults are equally responsible for the growing sex crimes and violence. Even though many sociological and psychological theories are in place to explain the reasons of growing sex crimes and violence, it is widely believed that sex and violence in video games, internet, multimedia and various arts and designs are influencing the society negatively. This paper argues that sex and violence as depicted in current multimedia and game art/design are not at all good for the society. According to Jessica Harris (2001) “children were being particularly affected by the fictions of computer games or videos. She was able to detect from observations and interviews that children are able to differentiate between fact and fiction” (Haris, p.9). The findings of Harris seem to be far away from reality. The findings of the following study clearly reject the opinions or findings of Jessica Harris. A total of 2,003 teens (ages 12 to 17 years) were asked how often they watched 23 popular TV shows that portrayed passionate kissing, sexual talk, and sexual intercourse. One to three years later they were interviewed again; 744 teens reported being sexually active. Those who watched the most TV shows with sexual content were two to three times more likely to become pregnant or to impregnate someone than were teens who watched the least. The findings of this longitudinal study demonstrate "a prospective link" between watching the shows and becoming pregnant, with implications for paediatricians (who should be aware of the link), media outlets (which should portray the negative outcomes of sex), and parents (who should watch TV with their children and talk with them about sex) (Potera, p.20) Children during their developmental stages are not able to segregate between facts and fictions. There were plenty school shooting incidents in America and majority of these incidents were executed without any reasons. In fact the motivation for many of these school shooting incidents were obtained by the culprits from violent films and television programs. Heroism and hero worshipping are popular among teenagers. Teenagers often try to imitate their heroes in real life also. In many of the films, the hero often kills or attacks the villains. Moreover, sex related materials are also plenty in films, internet and televisions. Teenagers might feel that there is nothing wrong in doing these things and that is why such materials are included in the films, multimedia, arts and designs. According to a research conducted by American Academy of Pediatrics, (2001), “when they are exposed to media violence, kids can become more aggressive, become insensitive to violence, have more nightmares, and develop a fear of being harmed”(Impact of Media Violence Tips). Adolescence is a period which can make or break a person. As mentioned earlier, teenagers do not have enough maturity to segregate between good and evil. The influence of growth hormones or sex hormones is hyperactive during teenage period. It is difficult for the teenagers to overcome the challenges raised by these hormones to engage in sex or violent activities. Sex and violence related media contents serve as a catalyst to encourage teenagers to engage in violent or antisocial activities. Media keeps a liberal approach towards sexuality and violence. According to New York Times article, Talking About Sex, in Class and at Home, published on October 25, 2011, “Children and adolescents are developing human beings, with rights to protection, to health and to education — and sexuality is a normal and vital aspect of human development” (Talking About Sex, in Class and at Home). After reading this article, children may get enough motivation to perform sex related activities. When they were denied the opportunities for sex activities, they will try to engage in forced sex which may results in aggression and violence. One of the major myths about sex related crimes is that males are often the culprits in all sex crimes. However, some of the recent statistics reject this concept. Formerly, it was widely assumed by professionals, as well as the public at large, that women rarely, if ever, committed acts of sexual offences. Recently, the number of studies in female sexual offenders is growing, indicating that women do commit sexual offences. Women perpetrators account for approximately 1_24% of all sexual offences, depending on several factors, including whether the data were collected from official criminal justice sources or victimization surveys (Muskens et al. p.1) It should be noted that the number of women culprits in sex related violence cases in the past was negligible. However, recent statistics show that the involvement of women in sex related crimes are growing as time goes on. It is illogical to believe that this transformation occurred quiet naturally. Sex and violence as depicted in current multimedia and game art/design are the major reason for this transformation among females. It should be noted that unwanted pregnancies and pregnancies outside marriage relationships are growing day by day. This is because of the more liberal views keeping by the current females with respect to sex related activities. To conclude, sex and violence as depicted in current multimedia and game art/design are not at all good for society as a whole. Media have the ability to make or break the society. Sex and violence in media contents may definitely bring more harm than good. Works Cited 1. Anderson C.A & Dill K.E. “Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life”. 2000. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. American Psychological Association, Inc. 2000, Vol. 78, No. 4, 772-790. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.78.4.772. Print. 2. Haris, Jessica. “The Effects of Computer Games on Young Children – A Review of the Research”. 2001. Web. 3 August 2012. 3. “Impact of Media Violence Tips”. 2010. Web. 3 August 2012. 4. Goebel, Joe. “Media and Violence Study”. Web. 3 August 2012. 5. Muskens, Maarten., Bogaerts, Stefan., van Casteren, Marjolijn & Labrijn, Sybille. “Adult Female Sexual Offending: A Comparison Between Co-Offenders And Solo Offenders In A Dutch Sample”. 2011. Journal of Sexual Aggression. 2011, 1_15, iFirst article. Print 6. Potera, Carol. Sex and Violence in the Media Influence Teen Behaviour. AJN, American Journal of Nursing: February 2009 - Volume 109 - Issue 2 - p 20. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000345414.71799.ce. Print Read More