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A new up and running website has come to our attention, one which shows live videos featuring head turning footage that will be sure to make your mouth drop. An anonymous person has taken the time to set up contraptions which brutally kill people. The Catch? The website’s viewers are the ones responsible for the killing. A direct relationship between the counter on the website and the killing machine has been set up to where the more internet surfers that log on, the faster and more painful the slaughtering occurs. This scene is from a recent film titled Untraceable.
The movie is a perfect example of how much our society has changed. From a television series to song lyrics, the media has become less involved in censoring inappropriate scenes or music selections. Before the 1980’s it was hard to find a television show that cursed or showed a nudity scene before twelve a. m. Since then, adult language and adult content have increased to a point where we don’t even think about turning the channel or flinch when we hear these words and see these brutal scenes we’ve become so used to in everyday life.
In the movie Untraceable, as the website caught more and more attention, more and more viewers tuned in. Although they knew the terms of the website, people were so caught up in the footage of murder. This is a great example of how media negatively influences behavior. As a society, we’ve begun to think things that we know are wrong are suddenly becoming more acceptable. Video games, music videos, horror films, and youtube are all negative media influences. Censoring has become harder when video games are only popular if it involves guns and crime. Anyone can search for any type of fight and find it on the popular website youtube. om. Not only do these media sources provide the footage, but also encourage others to mimic such behavior. Whether kids want to become famous for their ‘fight footage’ as well or they thought a video game gun down was exciting, violence becomes more popular with the more sources that make it so easily available. Of course the media can’t have all the blame on their shoulders. Parents, teachers, anyone who has supervision can be to blame. New video games, rap cds, and scary movies are high sellers when it comes to any holiday. Boy’s want the newest guns and the newest crime in their video games so they roceed to beg for such attractions. Wanting their kids to be happy, parents give in. Media corporations can only make age limits for consumers, if a parent isn’t worried about the contents of the video game their five year old is about to play, they are the only one that can be blamed. A website titled aap. org tells us Since the l950s, more than 3,500 research studies in the United States and around the world using many investigative methods have examined whether there is an association between exposure to media violence and subsequent violent behavior.
All but 18 have shown a positive correlation between media exposure and violent behavior. Violence in the media influence the real world. Cop shows and crime reports make us scared of other people, of going out at night, of helping out strangers. That is perhaps its primary effect. But there should be no doubt that watching violence can also lead to violence. To say that it can is not to say that it does in most circumstances, but it does. Younger people learn by merely observing and imitating.
Exposure to media violence, particularly violence portrayed by action heroes, or in the case of video games, the children themselves, results in an increased acceptance of violence as a way of dealing with problems. Media encourages us to carry weapons for protection through all types of sources and ways to show us we need such ‘protection’. Television executives are quick to deny the influence of media violence. Yet all of television hinges on viewers’ suggestibility. Media’s ability to influence people is obvious for the simple fact that media is everywhere and everything.
It’s a big part of American culture. To argue that people aren’t influenced by media is the same as arguing that we aren’t influenced by culture. According to Safeyouth. org, 61 percent of television programs contain some violence, and only 4 percent of television programs with violent content feature an “antiviolence” theme. 44 percent of the violent interactions on television involve perpetrators who have some attractive qualities which make them just as interesting as the good guy. At least half of these shows never show the villain getting punished for his actions.
This tells children it’s acceptable to act out and they won’t be repromanded in any way. These shows send a message that violence isn’t a serious issue. Not only are we likely to become more prone to violence, but drug use as well. Growing up, almost everyone has a favorite celebrity or hero. Whether it’s Superman, Barry Bonds, Lindsey Lohan, or even my personal favorite, Leonardo DiCaprio. Although who they are on screen can be inspiring or glamorous, there is always a man or woman behind the mask. A celebrity is always someone different off-screen.
Everyday in the local supermarket you can expect to walk by the magazine stand and see a new celebrity exposed for their drug habits. For teenagers who live by their favorite celebrities habits and fashions, what does this say? “If Barry Bonds likes the idea of steriods, it’s good enough for me. “. In high school, I knew boys who aspired to Bonds, who dreamed of playing in the MLB. Little did I know they too picked up Bond’s same way of accelerating their own game. Many people wish to live the same glamorous lives they see portrayed on television.
Celebrities have to pay for their consequences by going to rehab, but teens are so nieve to thinking they’ll get caught that they try the same drugs they see Paris Hilton or another icon doing. Lately the most popular movies attracting to teens are movies suggesting the use of pot and alcohol. Half-Baked, Pineapple Express, Cheech and Chong and so many others give off the vibe that smoking weed is always a good time. Not only does the Media influence the use of pot, but cigarettes as well. Music is a big part of a teenager’s life.
Children learn from what they see and hear. Parents are worried about his, but as they get older they pay less attention to what their children listen to. Artists influence teens to dress or act a certain way. Teenagers try to act like their idols. Music can be very powerful. Teenagers that have tried to commit suicide or committed crimes have blamed it on the song’s lyrics. Many artists have committed crimes and yet they are seen as heroes to many children. Today’s society is used to hearing music where 50 percent of the lyrics are what are considered bad words.