Influence of Media on Youngsters

INFLUENCE OF MEDIA

• “Mass media is defined as those means of communication that reach and influence large numbers of peoples, the media have a strong social and cultural impact upon society”.

• Different types of media are: newspapers, popular magazines, radio, television, video

games and cellular.

Media influence

• Have you ever had an original thought? Why do we dress the way we do, watch what we watch or even live the way we do?

• Through our means of entertainment, it is almost a guide in how one should live their life.

• With the technology we have in our world, we are persuaded to believe what is right and what is wrong. We see images on television and we will do anything to look like that certain someone.

• It is obvious that our influence on one another is key to our evolution and survival.

What study says

• According to the UNESCO Global Study on Media Violence, "the world's children spend an average of three hours daily in front of the screen. That is at least 50% more time spent with this medium than with any other out-of-school activity including homework, being with family or friends, or reading. Thus TV has become a major socialization factor and dominates the life of children in urban and rural areas around the globe."

Contd..

• The culture of media violence is global. A recent UNESCO study found that almost 90% of 12-year-old school children in 23 countries are familiar with violent action characters such as Terminator and Rambo.

Contd..

• Many children need and use media heroes as role models to help them compensate for and escape from difficult situations. In a recent study on global media violence conducted by UNESCO, 51% of children from high-aggression neighborhoods wanted to be like Terminator, as opposed to 37% from low-aggression settings. As the educators in Responding to Media Violence point out: "Sometimes the appeal of such images lies in the instruction they offer youngsters on how to be strong, how to protect oneself and how to become the aggressor instead of the victim."

Children in the News

• More than half of all kids reported feeling angry, sad or depressed after watching the news.

• 61% of young people say that when they see kids their age in the news, they are involved in crime, drugs or violence.

• Children long for more positive news about themselves.

• When asked what one story they wish the news media would cover about kids their age, 44% said kids "doing good things," "staying away from trouble" or "helping the environment."

What psychologists say

• All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political. economic, strategic, psychological, moral, ethical and social consequences that they leave no part of us untouched or unaffected or unaltered. The medium is the message. Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a knowledge of the way media work as environments.Marshall McLuhan

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• The single biggest selling consumer item in the world is a color television set.Seven out of ten households on the planet own a television.<<BR> Robert Lamb, "The Global Audio-Visual Media Landscape“

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• Children's Television Workshop, the originator of "Sesame Street," has helped educate more than 120 million people worldwide. Eight percent of the American population visits McDonald's on an average day. Two Barbie dolls are sold every second somewhere in the world. By all measures, this is success!Gene Del Vecchio. Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart

Have you ever forbidden your child to see or listen to a particular (television program, movie or musical recording) because you objected to its content?

MEDIUM YES NO

TV Program 84% 16%

Movie 64% 36%

Musical Recording 42% 57%

Screen Addiction: Video Games Change Brain Chemistry

• The researchers discovered that dopamine production in the brain doubles during video game play.

• The increase of this psychoactive chemical was roughly the same as when a person is injected with amphetamines or the attention-deficit disorder drug, Ritalin. This is the first hard evidence that video game playing is addictive, "the equivalent of a dose of speed."

Is Television A Harmful Influence on Society ?

YES NO

YES

• Violence shown on television results in higher rate of crime and pregnancies

• Television is greatly abused for commercial purposes, in which audiences are constantly sold to

• A big part of TV audience consists of teenagers, which is particularly vulnerable to the violence and various stereotypes, promoted by TV

• Television is mostly directed to films and shows that have commercial purposes but little cultural value

• TV has an impact on health by discouraging exercise (Obesity)

• It Promotes Passivity and Wasting Time• etc

The Good Things About Television

• Television reaches very large audiences - usually much larger than the audience your local newspaper reaches, and it does so during a short period of time.

• It has the ability to convey your message with sight, sound and motion, and can give a product or service instant validity and prominence.

• You can easily reach targeted audiences. Children can be reached during cartoon programming, housewives during the afternoon soap operas, and insomniacs after midnight.

• Shared viewing gives family members of all ages an opportunity to spend time together.

NO

• There is no direct link between mass media and antisocial behavior

• Television is not the only tool for advertisement• It is obvious that the influence of family, friends,

religion and school is decisive in forming the moral values of young people

• Many scientific and cultural programs are shown on television, which give new educational opportunities for our society

• People are conscious creatures and they can choose the way to spend their free time that they prefer

• People should be informed about the World they live in and its problems, and through visceral images on tv that represent that reality honestly

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