MASS MEDIA

Violence in Media

Violence in Media

Introduction

“Violence” and “media” are familiar elements of modern life. Because the perception of violence is somewhat subjective and the universe of media is quite broad, definitions for each will establish parameters for the ensuing discussion. Violence is the use of illegal, unjustified, unnecessary, or extreme force to injure a person or damage something. Media are the various means of mass communication, including television, radio, print publications, video games, music videos, films, and the Internet together with the people involved in their production, distribution, and sales as a business sector and commercial market. (Anderson, 2008) While the specific genres of violence and media technology may have changed over time, public concerns about representational violence, particularly as a form of entertainment, are long standing. Ethical concerns focus on the possible link between media violence and aggressive behavior, its social impact, the impact of media regulation on free speech rights, and the locus of responsibility for moderating media violence in the interest of social order.

Discussion

Violence in the media has been a subject of active public debate for generations. When novels were first introduced, concerned husbands and parents worried that young women would be corrupted by the dramatic portrayals of romance, adventure, and transgress behavior. The introduction of each new media technology has been accompanied by publicly voiced fears about its effect on people who misuse it. These fears are met with equally insistent proponents of free speech contending that media violence is more a reflection of society's violence than a cause of it.(Anderson, 2008) The controversy over media and violence reveals a deep cultural ambivalence about violence and uncertainty about the ethics of freedom.

Critics of media portrayals of violence point to hundreds of research studies in claiming that exposure to television, video games, the Internet, and other media violence leads to aggressive behavior in children, both in the short term and throughout their lives. Others question the quality of the research findings, the conclusions, and the assertion that American society is dangerously violent. This ongoing debate over media violence has involved the U.S. Congress, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Federal Trade Commission, and a host of other high-profile organizations in the United States and the world. Although the primary focus of this concern is on children, a general anxiety about violence and its impact on society is prevalent as a theme of public discourse. (LeDoux, 2008)

Violence and Representation

Human beings are a violent species—perhaps no more so than other creatures, but humans are uniquely capable of thinking and reflecting about the violence in their lives. As far as we know, cockroaches, prairie dogs, and snakefish do not lose sleep over the suffering they cause by asserting their dominance in the food chain. Humans, on the other hand, are disturbed by violence and by the fact that they depend on violence for their survival. Part of the human reflection on violence is its representation in ritual and art. It could be argued that modern movies, video games, and television ...