Media Violence

Discussion Questions How do you define media violence?

(What actions constitute violence?)

Do you think there is too much, too little or just the right amount of violence in the media?

How does media violence affect you?

How do you think media violence affects others?

Are the mass media the cause of aberrant behavior?

Positive effects of media violence

Cathartic effect

Media violence can be positive

People release violent inclinations by seeing them portrayed

Socially positive action

Media portrayals of violence can increase awareness of social problems

Negative effects of media violence

Aggressive stimulation theory

Media-depicted violence has potential to cue real-life violence

Albert Bandura’s Bobo doll study

Criticized for overstating cause-and-effect connections

Criticisms of aggressive stimulation theory

Causality is overstated

Conclusions are simplistic

Much of the evidence is anecdotal

Other factors could be involved

Aggressive people may gravitate

toward violent media

Catalytic theory

Media may have a role in violence

But media don’t necessarily trigger violence

Media trigger violence only when certain non-media factors are also present

Violence is rewarded Media exposure is heavy Violent person meets a certain profile

Contributing factors

Violence is realistic and exciting

Violence rights a wrong

Violence includes characters & situations similar to viewer’s own experience

Bottom line

Violence is far too complex to be explained by a single factor

Effects of media violence vary from person to person

Desensitizing theory

People becoming hardened by media violence

Society’s tolerance for antisocial behavior is increasing

Applies to news media also

Time for a quiz

“Mean-world syndrome”

George Gerbner

T.V. violence makes people think they’re in greater danger than they really are

The more T.V. people watch, the more likely they are to give the “T.V. answer”

Poses a threat to democracy

The Debate Over Media Violence Effects

CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, AND THE MEDIA

A Report for Parents and Policy Makers

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman

Committee on the Judiciary

“By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence.”

“Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence.”

“More than 1,000 studies on the effects of television and film violence have been done over the past 40 years.”

“The majority of these studies reach the same conclusion: television and film violence leads to real-world violence.”

“The existing research shows beyond a doubt that media violence is linked to youth violence.”

Side 1:Media violence DOES promote violent behavior in young people

Huesmann & Moise

Research shows that media violence has a strong effect on audience

Short-term changes after exposure

Physical attacks on people & inanimate objects

Media violence primes/cues aggression

Viewing habits of young children predicts subsequent aggression

Exposure to violence leads to arousal, desensitization & acceptance

Side 2:Media violence DOES NOT promote violent behavior in young people

Freedman Counters "powerful effects"

argument

Laboratory studies unrealistic (demand characteristics)

Results inconsistent & inconclusive

Children know the difference between real & fiction

Correlations small (1-10%)

Not necessarily causal

For some children under some conditions, some television is harmful. For other children under the same conditions, or for the same children under other conditions, it may be beneficial. For most children, under most conditions, most television is neither particularly harmful nor particularly beneficial.

Wilbur Schramm, Jack Lyle, Edwin Parker