Sociology Literature Review: The Impact of Mass Media on Youth

This sociology literature review explores the multifaceted impact of mass media on youth. It delves into both the positive and negative influences of various mass media channels, including digital and social media platforms, on young people's attitudes, behaviors, and mental well-being. The review highlights how youth, who are frequent consumers of online content, are susceptible to both beneficial information and harmful content, such as fake news and aggressive information. It also examines the potential for media addiction, the creation of a disconnect from reality, and the pressures to gain social media fame. However, the review also acknowledges the positive aspects, such as access to information, global communication, and the development of critical thinking skills. The review references multiple studies and authors to support its arguments and concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding how mass media shapes the lives of young people.

RUNNING HEAD: Sociology
Sociology
Literature Review
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Sociology 1
Impact of Mass Media on Youth
The purpose of this review is to enlighten the reader about the impact of mass media on youth.
According to Patawat and Balamurugan 2018, mass media has both positive and negative
influences on the people of the country. Mass media holds the power to influence the society on
all the channels that a person has rejected to decode in the environment. Mass media refers to the
technologies used by people to communicate their views, opinion and news to large number of
people and all at once. Mass media is seen as one of the best way to communicate to the people
present in the external environment. There are different channels of mass media like radio,
television, social media, print media, digital media etc. Digital media communication has
become one of the most effective ways to communicate in the external environment and share
the message to large number of people. Digital media tool is nowadays used by most of people
present in the society due to which it becomes one of the best ways to communicate in the
environment. There are different platforms on digital media, through which people communicate,
like Facebook, Instagram, online websites etc. Further, it should be noted that the youths have
started using mass media as a means of communication in the external environment (Johnson,
and Kaye 2016).
So, it should be noted that mass media plays a major impact on the lives of youth present in the
worldwide market. According to Flanagin 2017, mass media impacts the interest of youth in both
positive and negative ways so it cannot be said that it is entirely good or bad for the people
present in the environment. It should be noted that young people have a very low temperament
and they look at things with a singular approach due to which their faith and belief on different
things keeps on changing. Thus, it should be note that mass media lays a great impact on the
personality and mind set of youth. Youths spend most of their day surfing online and reading
different articles present on the online media so any fake news or aggressive information can
adversely affect their interest in the environment. Like, some news channels or people on the
social media spread rumour or fake information in the environment just to become famous.
However, if that information is closely related to youth in the environment then it can negatively
affect their interest and ruin their mental state as well (Collier, et, al., 2016).
For instance, fake news of the death of a superstar can hamper their mind-set. Also it should be
noted that mass media many times podcast or circulate information that is aggressive or fake, so

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if youth will start believing on such information as true then they will face difficulty in making
right judgement in the environment. Further, it should also be noted that nowadays, every person
wants to become famous on social media. Young children can do anything to become famous
and highlight themselves among other people, in response to which many time they perform
wrong actions and spread the information on the media. In such cases, getting attention and
getting ignorance, both can act against the youth in the environment. Thus, the fact should be
noted that mass media holds capacity to negatively affect the mind set of youth in the
environment (Austin, Kallman, and Kistler 2017).
According to Baumgartner, Hofer, Koch, and Kühne 2018, they have started getting addicted to
media tools and platform as they have created a fake world on social media which is entirely
different from the real world. Thus, this type of activities makes it difficult for them to come out
of the fake world and step into reality. Parents all over the world have started getting tense due to
the long term effect of continuous exposure of media in the environment. Adults in the
environment have the level of maturity to understand the difference between right and wrong and
save themselves from the negative content displayed on the media. But youths on the other hand
get attracted towards such content and believe in them as well. Overexposure of some
information or wrongful display of fake information can lead to detrimental effects on the diet,
emotional and sexual capability and social interactions of youth (Hilt, and Lipschultz 2016).
However, in the perspective of Starker 2017, apart from negative aspects, there are several
positive aspects of mass media that helps the youths to grow and become a better person in life.
Mass media helps the youths to get information about the activities happening in the world and
update themselves with several facts as well. Mass media helps them to communicate with
people present in different parts of the world and express their opinion to them as well. Mass
media is the best way to communicate in the environment. It gives them exposure to look for the
areas of their interest attain information about it and grow in the right direction as well. Mass
media reduces communication barrier and increases awareness in the environment. The youths
get to know about the current affairs like LGBTQ rights, elections etc. through the means of
mass media only. Also, it should be noted that the information is travelled to different areas
through mass media channels in no time. It is an innovative and interesting way for the teens to
learn and develop their interest in different fields. It also develops their skills to communicate

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and open up with different people by knowing their personalities as well. It increases their motor
skills to think and act in the environment. Thus, in the limelight of above mentioned events, the
fact should be noted that the paper highlighted information about the impact of mass media on
youth. It explains both positive and negative ways through which mass media reflects on the
physical and mental skills of youth.

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References
Austin, E.W., Kallman, D. and Kistler, M., 2017. Media literacy approaches for improving youth
and family health. International Handbook of Media Literacy Education. New York: Routledge,
pp.65-82.
Baumgartner, S.E., Hofer, M., Koch, T. and Kühne, R. eds., 2018. Youth and Media: Current
Perspectives on Media Use and Effects (Vol. 38). Nomos Verlag.
Collier, K.M., Coyne, S.M., Rasmussen, E.E., Hawkins, A.J., Padilla-Walker, L.M., Erickson,
S.E. and Memmott-Elison, M.K., 2016. Does parental mediation of media influence child
outcomes? A meta-analysis on media time, aggression, substance use, and sexual
behavior. Developmental Psychology, 52(5), p.798.
Flanagin, A.J., 2017. Online social influence and the convergence of mass and interpersonal
communication. Human Communication Research, 43(4), pp.450-463.
Hilt, M.L. and Lipschultz, J.H., 2016. Mass media, an aging population, and the baby boomers.
Routledge.
Johnson, T.J. and Kaye, B.K., 2016. Some like it lots: The influence of interactivity and reliance
on credibility. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, pp.136-145.
Patawat, A., and Balamurugan, J. (2019). Influence of Mass Media on Youth [online]. Available
from < https://www.academia.edu/38000908/Influence_of_Mass_Media_in_Youth > [Accessed
on 20 May 2019].
Starker, S., 2017. Evil influences: Crusades against the mass media. UK: Routledge.