Analyzing Mass Media's Influence on Contemporary Moral Panic

This essay delves into the significant role mass media plays in the creation of contemporary moral panics. It explores how mass media, through its various forms, influences public perception, shapes opinions, and contributes to the amplification of fear and anxiety within society. The essay examines the key social actors involved in moral panics, including law enforcers, folk devils, media outlets, the public, and politicians. The essay also discusses the influence of media on democratic politics through distortion, reduction of news and agenda-setting, repelling attention of public from the use of television ads in the political campaigns and social problems. Moreover, it highlights how media coverage, framing, and priming techniques can exacerbate moral panics, making folk devils appear more threatening than they are. The essay also touches on the historical context of moral panics, referencing key scholars and studies. The essay concludes by offering a comprehensive analysis of the complex relationship between mass media and moral panics, demonstrating how media plays a crucial role in shaping societal responses to perceived threats and influencing public behavior. This assignment is a valuable resource for students studying media, sociology, and related fields.

Running Head: MASS MEDIA 0
Management

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Role does mass media plays in the creation of contemporary moral panic
In the recent time, mass media plays a important role in influencing the lives of
people. Therefore, we are required to depend on the communication and information in order
to move in the right direction. By ensuring the advancement in technology, life of people
becomes much easier (Dwyer, 2013). Now days, people have their own computers in order to
find out the various kinds of information, and mobile phones to communicate effectively.
Besides providing the positive benefits, it also has various negative effects attached with it.
The term mass also states that the beneficiaries of media product create the vast sea of
undistinguishable individuals and passive (Fuchs, 2017).
It is assumed that the mass communication development puts the negative impact in
modern social life in wider basis by creating the kind of homogeneous and bland culture that
entertain persons without putting challenge. The aspect of communication means giving as
well as taking of meaning, transmission, as well as reception of messages. In psychology,
sociology and communication theory, media effects means the theories regarding the way
mass media affects how the audience behave and think. It is also found that media research
has expanded in a huge way since 1960s that shifted the attention to the television as the
universal medium. Control as well as pattern of ownership is integrating more and more
media into the few big corporation, increase in the commercialisation of programming as well
as the cross media ownership. Besides this, the ideological influence of the media is also
promoting the overall pattern of thoughts and life. Therefore, the impact of electronic media
on democratic politics through distortion, reduction of news and agenda-setting, repelling
attention of public from the use of television ads in the political campaigns and social
problems.
Industrialisation, modernisation, as well as urbanisation have created the social
conditions in which mass media were developed. Mass media also plays the significant role
in reflecting and forming the public opinion (Lemish, 2019). Critiques in the twentieth century
also stated that the media has at some point has deteriorate the capacity of the individual to
act separately. The recent scholarship also highlights the more intricate interaction between
the society and media that helps in producing the information from the network of influences
and relations (Joeckel & Dogruel, 2016).

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A strong cultural and social influence of the media has found on the society, which
approached to a wide level amongst people. Here, the aspect of distribution of the
information is considered vital than the message. It has also stated that the effective media is
more significant than the message itself. This has been achieved through the It is done
through the support of the medium of radio, television or the print media which captures a
wide level of audience (Cohen, 2002). All these are the influential mediums as they are
responsible for shaping the routine of the individuals as well as structuring the daily lives
(Bonn, 2015). Television broadcasting has huge governor in order to influence the content that
is watched by society. In this way, internet has proved significant in challenging the
traditional participation habit involved in media such as television. Besides this, it has also
lifted various restrictions that society has to face by allowing the diversification of cultural,
and social differences, political opinions as well as heightening the level of consumers
participations. It is also suggested that by allowing the customers in producing information
through internet will definitely lead to the assault of higher information. However, mass
media allows the society as way in presenting their opinion to other people. Besides this, it
will also help in moving away from the entire political restrictions that are placed in society.
A moral panic is the emotion of fear that spreads among the various people. It also
threats the well-being of the society (Altheide, 2016). In the recent time, it is true that mass
media has become the significant player in the dissemination of the moral indigation. As per
Stanley Cohen, moral panic occurs when the episode, person, culture as well as group of
persons come together that in turn put threat to societal values as well as interest. In addition
to this, several authors have also stated that moral panic is the situation where public fears
and threat is posed to the society. In the recent time, moral panics are arising because
campaigns of mass media are being excessively used to presents the fear as well emphasising
the stereotypes. In this regard, Altheide (2016) stated that there is gap between the concern
over the situation as well as in the objective threat that it poses. Besides this, it also
highlighted that there is higher deal of uncertainties in the concern level over the condition. It
has also founded that the moral panic is public as well as political response to the distortion
and exaggeration of the threat put to the society by some of the damaging group as well as
individual (Tamborini, Prabhu, Lewis, Grizzard & Eden, 2016).

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In this argument, five kinds of social actors has been found in the moral panic as o
introduced by Cohen. These includes law enforcers, folk devils, media, public and at last
politicians. The persons who show their involvement into Folk devils are the persons that are
socially alleged or defined to be liable for putting the threat for the society. The folk devils
are therefore completely devils. Secondly, the law enforcers such as military, prosecutors,
and police are vibrant to the moral panic. These people are also liable for enforcing and
upholding the official laws and code of conduct of the state. The entire agents are also
expected to arrest, punish as well as detect the folk devils. It is the moral obligation and duty
of the Law enforcers to protect the society from the folk devils when they start demonstrating
themselves. Besides this, they are also required to work in order maintain and justify their
positions in the society (Cohen, 2017). Media are also one of the most commanding set of
actors in creating the moral panic. New coverage are though making the folk devils in order
to be appear as most threatening for the society as compare to what they really are. Anxieties
as well as public concern are really heightened by the journalistic hyperbole that concerns the
folk devils lead to the moral panic. By arguing over this statement, Chow (2017) also given
light on the two significant news media that contribute to the moral panic. These two
elements are priming and framing. Between both these, framing is the way by which an
problem is showed to the angle or public that is given by the news media. As compare to this,
priming is the process of psychology through which the news media tends to focus on the
particular issue (Eldridge, 1997). In this way, it not only increases the salience of the issue
but also activates the priorly acquired information regarding the issue. As compare to above
factors, politics are also the essential actor in the drama of moral panic. As the selected
officials, politicians are required to represent themselves as the protector in the moral ground
and wellbeing of the society. Politicians similarly fuel the moral panic by attaching them with
the news media in contradiction of the evils that are presented by the folk devils. The final
actor is the public that is most significant player in creating the moral panic. Besides this, the
success of law enforcers, politicians, as well as media in sustaining and precipitating the
moral panic is therefore depending upon how successfully they fuel concern (Cross & Ma,
2015).
The social aspects of the television have put the influence on media. In recent time,
many people also founded it’s easier to shelf people in terms of white and black as compare
to coping with the shades of grey that signifies the human condition (Ingraham & Reeves,
2016). People with higher exposure to the media violence must see the world as sinister and

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dark place. In addition to this, television programs in recent time presents very narrow view
of the world that is presented by television is violent (Furedi, 2016).
It is also claimed that television harm the self-image of girls. It has also led to the
“mean world syndrome.” The quick spectators of television also state the crime rates much
higher than the data presents in real (Krinsky, 2013). Besides this, various televisions has also
charged with presenting political, propaganda and pitched at the very low level of
intellectuality. It is also seen that the adults through various means of literacy control the
children. Topics that are unsuitable for the concerned age group will also be written for the
huge level of literacy. It is true that children would also try to read the book that is beyond
their capability of literacy. Real life murder and violence has lingering and profound effects
on both the people as well as one their families and friends. Several studies done in this
regard also stated that TV violence also tends to be more paranoid regarding the level of
violence around them. Violence in television and films are related to profit and rating that
causes tend to harm the society and individual. File as well as rank are much more than is
imagined. The most innovative technique will not provide any success unless one of the
central principles is born in mind. The government of US has also learned the various deals
from Nazis (Surette & Kampe, 2016). Nazis also learned the various things from the technique
of the American Corporate advertising. Emotions also make the people highly vulnerable to
the control technology and subliminal management (Critcher, 2018).
Mass media has two essential sociological features. Firstly, very less people are able
to ensure communication with the large number of people. Secondly, audience do not have
any active way of answering back. In this way, mass communication is the one on one
communication process. Besides this, media organisations are one-way process and are
bureaucratic in corporate nature. In addition to this, the concept of mass society has also
added the force to the idea that electronic media can also presents the several positive aspects
in the mind control (Valkenburg & Piotrowski, 2017).Other studies also showed that the media
effects are indeed powerful and direct model of influence. Research also stated that the mass
communication is mediated in ambiguity and complex ways. The effects of such
communication also depends on the effect on audience such as social context, class, beliefs,
values, time of day as well as the emotional state (Paxson, 2010).

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References
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benefits-public-fear
Chow, Y. F. (2017). Subcultures: Role of Media. The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, 1-
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Cohen, Stanley. Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers.
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Eldridge, John. The Mass Media and Power in Modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University
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Fuchs, C. (2017). Social media: A critical introduction. Sage Publications.
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