Crime and Violence on Television and Its Impact on Wider Audiences - Essay Example

? Crime and Violence on Television and Its Impact on Wider Audiences An analysis of the media portrayals of crime and violence reveals that the phenomenon has been a critical component of television broadcasting, resulting in a widespread psychological impact on the minds of audiences that also extends to the incidence or occurrence of violent behavior. This paper will focus on comprehensively discussing the impact that depictions of crime and violence have had on the behavior of audiences. Specifically, the hypothesis presented in the paper asserts that viewing of violence and crime on television is positively correlated with an increase in violent behavior on the part of the audience. Additionally, the resources that are to be reviewed for the purposes of this paper will include, but are not limited to Centerwall (1992): Television and Violence, Philips (1983): The Impact of Mass Media on U.S Homicides and Kahlor and Eastin (2011): Television’s role in the culture violence towards women, David Bauder (Dec 21, 2012): Violence Baked into Popular Culture and Savage, J. (2004): Does viewing violent media really cause criminal violence?. In conclusion, the paper presents an evaluation of the preceding discussion. Gross and Gerbner (1981) assert that in the light of empirical evidence and researches, it is a plausible assertion to make, that violence on television shares a strong relationship with the occurrence of aggressive behavior in both adults and children, however, the scale of this impact appears to narrow. This research essentially defines the age group of the audience who is at a greater risk of being targeted by violent depictions in the media in comparison with other age groups. According to Huesmann et al. (2003) the results of a longitudinal study lasting from the period of 1977-1992 indicated that while, male children are more likely to show aggressive and violent behavior due to extensive viewing of violence-laden television, the chances of this behavior transitioning into adulthood are foreseeable for both the sexes. The primary reasons governing the positive correlation between the viewing of violence on television and an increase in violent behavior on the part of the audience include; the audiences’ ability to relate to the characters portraying violence and the extent to which they are able to develop an association between the virtual world of television and reality (Huesmann et al. 2003). Savage (2004) notes that researchers need to recognize the distinction between aggressive behavior and violent crime when assessing the two consequences with regards to the viewership of violence-laden television, as an evaluation of extensive empirical evidence does not prove the hypothesis that television violence is responsible for causing an increase in criminal acts. On the contrary, Centerwell’s (1992) assessment of three geographical samples of U.S, Canada and South Africa concluded that for two participant nations out of the three, the introduction of television resulted in a drastic increase in the homicide rate, with a 93% rise reported in U.S and 92% increase observed in the number of homicides in Canada. With regards to the current scenario of the television industry, concerns have risen regarding the essentially positive portrayals of criminals in mainstream television. Showtime’s TV series Dexter has garnered a massive fan following and critical appraise but several factions of society have criticized the show’s main premise which encourages viewers to empathize with its protagonist Dexter Morgan who is employed as a bloodstain pattern analyst by Miami Metro but also masquerades as a serial killer. Bauder (2012) observes that the popularity of shows such as Dexter and Homeland is reflective of what the audience wants. A report by the Nielsen Company concluded that of the ten most watched prime-time shows of this season seven are based on themes of either crime or violence (Bauder 2012). Cummings (2011) reports at least three instances where alleged fans of the TV series Dexter have shown possible signs of being motivated by the serial killer protagonist to commit their actions or being able to identify with the actions or story of Dexter Morgan. In a shocking case, 17-year-old Andrew Conley murdered his younger brother and several sources including documents from the court reported that during the process of his interrogation by the police the murderer allegedly believed that he was like Dexter Morgan (Cummings 2011). The occurrence of such cases also gives weight to the factors which lead to the establishment of a correlation between television violence and display of aggressive or criminal behavior on the part of audience as presented by Huesmann et al. (2003) who claim that one of the reasons why individuals resort to hostility or crime as a consequence of television viewing of violence is because of their ability to relate with the character that is initiating the crime. In which case Conley’s remark of believing he was like Dexter Morgan reflects the possibility of mental and psychological issues due to which an individual fails to distinguish between the virtual world of television and the reality of life. Like Centewall (1992), Philips (1983) also found evidence of a correlation between the portrayal of violence on television and a rise in homicides in the U.S, however, the study conducted by Philips (1983) was based on the impact that the transmission of aggressive sports has on the statistics regarding homicide. Conclusions of the study reported that television broadcasts of heavyweight championships between the years of 1973-1978 met with a corresponding 12.46% rise in homicide cases thereby, declaring that transmissions of heavyweight fights that usually have significant prizes attached with them result in the incidence or occurrence of aggressive and hostile behavior in some individuals (Philips 1983). This section will assess arguments that oppose the thesis statement that has been put forward in the paper. Kahlor and Eastin (2011) report that with regards to crimes committed against women, the nature or genre of television viewership governs the beliefs that individuals hold about crimes such as rape, such that it is more likely for viewers of soap operas than crime shows to believe in myths surrounding rape. Recent research into past empirical studies regarding television violence conclude that the tools of analysis and measurements employed by previous researchers lack credibility and are therefore, ineffective in deriving conclusions which essentially invalidates the evaluations drawn from previous researches involving aspects related to television violence (Savage 2004; Ferguson and Savage 2012). Savage (2004) argues that widely cited studies on the impact of violence-laden television viewership on wider audiences have not been conducted with controls or are indicative of insufficient reporting which nullifies their credibility and scope of application to research. Bauder (2012) asserts that in the present scenario, violence has become a pivotal component of the popular culture. From Hollywood to the television screen; crime, violence, war and aggression are displayed at the crux of mainstream media. However, it is important to note that the media reacts to what the public wants and the popularity of shows such as Dexter, NCIS and Homeland and movies such as Marvel’s Avengers not only in their country of origin but on the global stage reflect a general mindset that thrives on violence. In conclusion, empirical evidence and longitudinal studies suggest that television violence has always been a key contributor towards the promotion of aggression and violence on the part of certain individuals but not the masses or wider audiences. Other important considerations in this regard include assessing the credibility of previous empirical evidence that appears to have over exaggerated the role of television broadcasting in spreading violence. Another significant consideration extends to understanding the difference between aggression and criminal aggression that is triggered by the viewership of violence and crime on television. References Bauder, D. (2012, Dec 12). Violence Baked Into Popular Culture. Bigstory.ap.org. Retrieved 21st May, 2013 from < http://bigstory.ap.org/article/violence-baked-popular-culture> Centerwall, B. S. (1992). Television and violence. Jama, 267(22), 3059-3063. Cummings, T. (2011, Jun 14). Life Imitates Art: Creepy Real-Life Killers Influenced by 'Dexter. Tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved 21st May, 2013 from Ferguson, C. J., & Savage, J. (2012). Have recent studies addressed methodological issues raised by five decades of television violence research? A critical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17(2), 129-139. Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1981). The violent face of television and its lessons.Children and the faces of television: Teaching, violence, selling, 149-162. Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C. L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977–1992. Developmental psychology, 39(2), 201-221. Kahlor, L., & Eastin, M. S. (2011). Television's role in the culture of violence toward women: A study of television viewing and the cultivation of rape myth acceptance in the United States. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media,55(2), 215-231. Phillips, D. P. (1983). The impact of mass media violence on US homicides. American Sociological Review, 560-568. Savage, J. (2004). Does viewing violent media really cause criminal violence? A methodological review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(1), 99-128. Read More