The Effects of Media on the Americans
The Effects of Media on the Americans
The current society has been flooded with messages and several images from the media (Tonic, 2007). These include books, movies, newspapers, advertisements, television and the internet. With all these, there lies one major concern on whether the media forms are supposed to shape man in the society, or it is the society which is supposed to shape the media. Unfortunately, the current American society has been inclined on the former, where it has completely agreed to be shaped by the media. Therefore, it has become almost impossible to make ones own decisions without fully relying on what the media has to say. Indeed, all forms of media have had a profound negative effect on the beliefs, norms, values and mannerisms of the Americans, which has watered down the self esteem of most Americans.
The American Media at a Glance
Television is one medium which influences the society, as it encompasses commercials, news and programs (Tonic, 2007). Television is an easy, quick and accessible form of media in which the people get entertainment and information. As such, it becomes easier for people to choose television, other than reading a book or a magazine. There are concerns from the American scholars, that what is usually considered as newsworthy is usually altered. Additionally, reality TV has affected a large section of the Americans, where they have been subjected to being so much interested in the lives of others other than their own. Additionally, the television has deceived a large section of the Americans, that whatever they view on the screen is the concept of reality, and therefore they must work very hard to ensure that they keep their sense of self.
In one of the recent American media interviews, a media critic referred to as Danny Schechter gave his views on the American media (You Tube, 2009). According to him, the US media is a tool which has contributed to subjecting the US society into a cocoon (You Tube, 2009). The media has been termed as a plug- in drug, where television plays the medial role in influencing the Americans on the decisions they make in their day to day lives. It has rendered the Americans a people with so many choices, but no voices of their own. The American media has also been criticized as it has no diversity as far as voices and views are concerned. Additionally, when there are controversial issues, the media disassociates itself from such discussions. It also does not give equal treatment to news and commercials. In the long run, the Americans end up being deceived by the media on very many issues, which end up affecting their lives.
Violence and the Media
The National Television Violence Study has come up with serious revelations as far as violent television programs are concerned that about sixty percent of American TV programs have some violent content (Helium, 2010). To make matters worse, only fifteen percent of these kinds of programs reveal the effects associated with watching them. This is a clear revelation as to why the American society has been obsessed with crime and action. This trend has a clear effect on people, especially on the children, who are exposed to violent cartoons and video games. This is because, as the mind of the child develops, he or she absorbs what is revealed in their world. Therefore, if a young child is exposed to television, where he or she views programs with violence, the child will tend to assume that violence is part and parcel of everyday life. Therefore, the trend will also be practiced when the child is in school where a child who has been exposed to violent programs will tend to be so violent, such as beating up his or her peers.
Even though experts have agreed that the media is a source of violence, very few Americans have embraced this fact (Anderson Bushman, 2002). In fact, a large section of the Americans have ignored the researchers, therefore passing across a message, that there are no violent effects associated with the media. Therefore, the fight against the negative violent effects of the media becomes a very difficult one to embark on.
Longitudinal studies by researchers relating to the media have revealed that violence does not only affect the children but also the American youth as well television exposure to the children and the youth largely relates to several aggressive behaviors such as robbery and assault and that when all other factors known to cause youth aggression are held constant, television exposure is a major cause of violence (Anderson Bushman, 2002). As such, there is a clear relationship between aggression and exposure of the media in the children and youth. Therefore, even if the Americans tend to overlook this, the television programs and the media are detrimental to the behavior of the Americans.
Media Increases Sexual Activity among the Adolescents
Recent Pediatrics in the US studies revealed that teenagers or children who are exposed to the TV programs containing sexual content have increased sexual activity (Helium, 2010). This is clearly described by the common phrase garbage in, garbage out. What the children watch will most likely affect their day to day behavior. Therefore, if children or teenagers watch programs with dialogue that predicts sex, or programs with sexual content, there are high chances of them participating in various sexual activities. Several of the TV programs or movies tend to pass across a message, that sex is vital to the lives of the people. This is what influences the teenagers to participate in pre- marital sex. As a result, the girls end up having unwanted pregnancies, which may force them to drop out of school for some time. Additionally, the affected girls may try to procure abortions without the consent of their parents. As a result, this may lead to complications, or even death of the teenage girl. Worse still, the teenagers who are influenced by television may participate in illicit sex, which may lead to sexually transmitted diseases and HIVAIDS. This is because most of them may not even be aware of how to practice safe sex.
The Media and the American Womans Body Size
The female beauty standards in the colonial times were completely different with the one in the current days (Derenne Beresin, 2006). During the colonial times in America there was a harsh environment and very uncomfortable surroundings. Therefore, it was important for the families to ensure that there were many children so that they could be a source of labor. Therefore, fertile, able bodied and strong women were valued in the communities during this period. This was also the case during the Second World War, as the women who were left by their husbands when they went to fight were encouraged to form sports associations. As a result, it was a requirement for the women to be physically strong so as to be able to survive in the sports arena. There was also a lot of emphasis on gender and traditional roles for the women. Therefore, women were not actually interested in attaining trim figures, as it is today. Additionally, there was little media influence as most of the people relied on the cultural values of the society. At this point, the valued women were the ones who had a matronly figure, as they could manage all the household and gender roles effectively.
However, there was a complete shift of ideas in the nineteenth century, where the women valued tiny wastes and trim figures (Derenne Beresin, 2006).This was as a result of the onset of the television programs and movies which emphasized that a woman was termed as beautiful if at all she had a trim figure. As a result, the women were all obsessed with becoming slim, so much so that some of them ended up having some of their ribs removed so as to attain the figure This trend has continued up to date, heightened by the onset of the internet, which has added more emphasis on the required figure so that a woman can be termed as beautiful. The demands of a beautiful womans size have increased as the years progress.
The average fashion model as rated twenty five years ago was just eight percent thinner than the average women, which contrasts today, where the number has increased to twenty three percent (Derenne Beresin, 2006). Therefore, most of the American women have tried all they can so as to be in the category of the womens size. As a result, most women end up suffering from anorexia as they try to achieve their required sizes.
The Media and Male Stereotypes
The television has been a source of male stereotypes, a situation which has led to the discrimination of some men in the American society (Femiano Nickerson, 2007). For instance, the television and the internet has made the people believe that the best men in the world are those who are tall, handsome and with broad shoulders. Additionally, the real men are not supposed to be emotional, or have the traits that are considered as unmanly. These include portraying despair, being hurt, confused or even purging out their emotions. The American media has labeled these types of men as being weak. The media has also corrupted the way men solve their issues, as most of the television programs have led to the belief that violence is the best way men can solve issues. This is not true, as there are men who are not in any way inclined to violence. Additionally, the issue of being emotional is not about being manly, but is ones nature. Therefore, if a man chooses to portray his emotions in public, it does not mean that he is a weakling. Also, the fact that there are some men who are short does not mean that they are not handsome. Therefore, the media ends up being a symbol of discrimination to a section of some American men.
There is a very little relationship between the men that are portrayed in the US televisions and the ones that are present in real life (Femiano Nickerson, 2007). They are usually stereotyped, as they are less real and over perfect. The reason why the stereotypes are used in the media is because it is easier to create them. As a result, they become powerful because they affect the perceptions of the Americans in regard to how the man should be, and what they should not be like. As such, these stereotypes are very damaging because they completely destroy the notions of the abilities of all men on the American society. In turn, the women are also affected by the media because their expectations from the men change as far as friendships and relationships are concerned.
The Media and Childrens Health
To get more information regarding media and the health of children, I decided to interview one of the parents from Ohio named Anne Gary. She stated that television was detrimental to the health of the children as she had observed which was a proof of what she had been advised by her childrens psychiatrist (Gary, Personal interview, 2010). Indeed, the media is a major cause of obesity to the children, men and women. This is because the media has replaced the traditional ways of passing leisure time, such as physical education in schools. The children are so engaged in school work, such that the time allocated to sports and other co curricular activities which help them release their stored energy is so minimal. As a result, the Americans end up relying on several forms of the media so as to relax. Some of theses include reading novels, newspapers magazines, and worse still, watching television, especially reality shows and soap operas, movies and playing video games.
Childhood depression has also been closely associated with the media, as it is an accelerating factor (Derenne Beresin, 2006). This is especially so to children who are in families where they are exposed to high levels of violence. Additionally, children who are often bullied in school due to their weaknesses, such as inability to perform well in their academics, end up projecting their feelings by watching television, which in turn lead to obesity. This is because they do not have avenues where they can release their stress, or people to share with.
Television and the internet has also caused several people to suffer from other eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, especially in ladies and the young children (Derenne Beresin, 2006).This is because of the concern about their weight, where the media has realigned itself to adopting certain standards in the society, as well as disregarding all the heavy weighted people. The media pressure has resulted to a large section of the society desiring to be thin, as well as the several industries meant to teach people how to diet. This is a clear revelation that the current media is indeed powerful and ubiquitous, though negatively.
Anorexia is a serious situation where a person who suffers from it sees him or herself as fat, when he or she is indeed underweight and skinny (Cemanovic, 2010). Ordinarily, the people with anorexia experience bad memory, are depressed, fear gaining weight, are light headed and they often faint. The condition is more serious in women because it becomes difficult for a woman with anorexia to conceive. Additionally, they have disrupted menstrual cycles, where their cycles come late or earlier that expected. The women who conceive in this situation are at a higher risk of getting a miscarriage, or give birth through a C-Section. This is all because of the media, where the women have been obsessed with the demands of being thin so as to be at per with the way beauty is being portrayed.
The effects of bulimia are almost the same with those of anorexia, as they both lead to rapid loss of weight which leads to very unhealthy conditions in the body (Cemanovic, 2010). Bulimia is also a condition which has been caused by the influence of media. Bulimia sufferers are known to eat in a very short span of time and later force the food out of their system through throwing up. Additionally, they are known of going on very strict diets, rigorous exercises and fasting, as well as misusing laxatives.
The eating disorders are common especially in the American celebrities simply because their profession demands that they should be skinny so as to have a greater public appeal (Cemanovic, 2010). As a result they end up spending so much money so as to meet their needs. Since the American celebrities are role models to the youth, they affect them, in that they are always in pressure of becoming like them. Therefore, the children and the youth end up becoming like them.
The youth have been adversely affected by the media especially because of the provocative state of the internet and the television today (Ma, 2009).When the youth are exposed to such lyrics they end up engaging in sexual promiscuity, violent activities and even engaging themselves in drugs. With the onset of technology, there have been several online MP3 downloads, iPods prevalence as well as cell phones with music. They have been detrimental to the children as they have alienated them from the outside world by always having their head phones on. It is therefore the role of the parents to ensure that their children are always protected from the risky lyrics. This is by ensuring that the parents always analyze the media that the children are exposed to and also teach the kids what is appropriate and what is not. Additionally, the maturity and the age of the child is the only determining factor as far as listening to music is concerned. It is also necessary for the parents to look for the music industrys advisory warning of all explicit content, so that the children and the youth can be prevented from watching risky music.
Steps towards Positive Change
The impact of the media on the Americans is far fetched, and therefore, it is not easy to solve the problem (Derenne Beresin, 2006). However, the most basic way of dealing with the problems of the children is through ensuring that the health care providers and the parents of the American children talk openly with the children in matters regarding the media. For instance, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the children have been given all the advice required on the type of music to listen to, the types of programs to watch as well as the time that should be allocated on media. This will be important as the children would be able to handle school work.
It is also vital to ensure that families eat dinner in together on a daily basis. This way, the parents will ensure that their children are well fed, therefore reducing the chances of them suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia, obesity or bulimia (Derenne Beresin, 2006). When a family eats dinner together, the children will not have a tendency of watching television as a way of escapism. In this way, the parent will be ensuring that the media will not in any way affect his or her children negatively as far as eating habits are concerned.
It is the role of the healthcare providers to ensure that they address obesity concerns. In this way, the children will always be restricted on what to eat, as well as encouraging the parents to adopt physical activities (Derenne Beresin, 2006). The health experts and the parents should collaborate so as to ensure that the children are encouraged, whether they are heavy -weighted or not. This will be a bold step to ensure that the children have their self esteem preserved from the media destruction.
The television commercials and the media have also got a very large role to play so as to decrease the negative media effects in America (Derenne Beresin, 2006). For instance, the commercials are always advertising on the recent potato crips, and rarely will they advertise on something like healthy apples. Since the media is a formidable pressure to the Americans, they end up purchasing what is advertised the most. If the media would embark on promoting the eating of fruits and vegetables in America, eating disorders caused by the media will be unheard of. Additionally, the media should at times use big- bodied people in the adverts so as to send a positive message to all that being heavy weighted is not an inability.
From this discussion, it is evident that the American media is more than meets the eye. Instead of it being a mouthpiece of all members of the society, it has led to profound effects in the negative sense, ranging from violence, sexual exposure to minors, provocative music as well as eating disorders. Clearly, if the negative effects are going to lessen, it would only take the effort of the US government and the media to ensure that the role of the media is to build a totally healthy society, and not the ill society that it is creating at the moment.
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