Analyzing the Effects of Media on Society and Human Behavior

This essay examines the multifaceted effects of media on society and individual behavior, drawing upon various scholarly sources. It delves into the contentious debate surrounding media violence, exploring the potential for violent content in films, television, and video games to influence real-life actions, particularly among young audiences. The essay discusses key concepts like the hypodermic syringe model and cultivation analysis, which aim to explain how media messages are received and processed by audiences. It also addresses the role of media in shaping political viewpoints, generating anxieties, and influencing perceptions, aspirations, and strategies. Furthermore, the essay considers the interplay between media, government regulation, and market mechanisms, highlighting the complexities of the cultural industries and the impact of telecommunications marketization. The analysis incorporates perspectives from various authors, including Anderson and Carnagey, Barker and Petley, Svensson, Ferguson, and Hesmondhalgh, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic and its social implications. Finally, the essay considers the effects of media on society in both positive and negative ways and how the media has influenced society from a long time in the post colonization era and is still continuing to do so which are evident from the given sources.

Running head: EFFECTS OF THE MEDIA
Effects of the media
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note

1EFFECTS OF THE MEDIA
To understand the role of media in reformation, it is important to understand how it is
planning to build up the political viewpoint. They generate viewpoints, anxiety, perceptions,
aspirations and strategies for supporting particular policies and practices. The politicians and the
religious leaders have stated that there is a causal link between the violence shown in the film,
computer games, TV programs and the actions in real life. It is often argued that those particular
media content states a terrific negativity on the young and innocent audience. Such beliefs have
resulted in an increased state control over the worldwide media. One of the most constant
arguments is concerned about the extent to which mass media can be responsible for causing anti
social or criminal behavior. It is a matter of concern that to what extent media is responsible for
bringing a negative effect on the viewers and audiences. The two prime sources of mass society
theory and behaviorism have resulted in the phenomenon of effects research (Anderson and
Carnagey 2014). Effects research is often called as hypodermic syringe model as the relationship
between the audience and the media is considered as an unrefined and mechanistic process. With
this process the media evoke information, values and ideas directly to the audience which further
produces instant and immediate response directly from them.
The book ‘Ill effects: The media violence debate’ by M Barker and J Petley claimed that
the possible effects of cruel media are true and they vary from a daft to the mischievous. The
reason to be considered behind this is the claims that are being used inconsistently are wrong.
The cause behind these inappropriate questions is due to the fact that violence does not exist in
reality to pose a harmful effect on the media. Violence exists in the form of music, color and so
on to develop the effects of violence. There have been old claims about new and bad media
images and these are so common that they are always a debatable issue. But these claims are
unjustified as they lack any kind of evidence or logic. On the other hand, it is a raising question

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that how the media influence can be understood. In the report given by Elizabeth Newson, ‘the
principle that what is experienced vicariously will have some effect on some people is an
established one, and is the reason why industry finds it worthwhile to spend millions of pounds
in advertising,’ is a common and consistent sentence found in various words.
If it is assumed that TV or film or other media have some influence on the life of the
people then it is that kind of influence that they want to attribute. For instance, a man took a gun
and shot his entire family after getting influenced from the news. When he was taken for trial he
casually explained that on the basis of bad world news no one has any point to live. In this
example the blame cannot be totally given on the effect of the media. This is because there is a
probability that he was depressed and upset because of a family problem which let him murder
his family. It can be said that the man in this case was unusual and the news cannot be blamed
completely (Svensson 2016). This is not an example of anti- media campaign because the media
or news cannot be considered as causes.
Andy Ruddock contradicted in his book ‘understanding audiences’ by mentioning about
cultivation analysis which is evolved from the debate on media violence. The question that is
frequently asked in this respect is that why television was so violent and what were its impact on
the viewers and their behavior towards society. To analyze this question the author had to go
beyond content analysis for creating a cultural indicators project. This project took care of the
institutional research, scrutinizing the broadcasting structures, analysis of message system and
cultivation analysis. The findings explained that the violence shown in television carried the
message of social structure with it (Barker and Petley 2002). But the intention is not to provide
violence among the audience but to fill the programs with a melodramatic representation. It was

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revealed in the survey that a major chunk of television viewers overrate the amount of violence
in reality with that of their own chances of being a victim.
The critical treatment of cultivation analysis made it possible to have a focused view on
the claim that is made by Gerbner that TV has a distinguished and recognizable effect. But there
can be questions and issues that need to be addressed in this respect. Research has shown that
there is a relation between the effects of cultivation and the development of media literacy. It can
be suggested that the cultivation effects can be created with the tendency to puzzle the
information gathered from the TV shows and those that are shown in the news. Lawrence Lessig
explained that there are many ways to think about constitutional laws and limits that might be
imposed on government regulations (Ferguson and Beresin 2017). Copyright law, defamation
law and obscenity laws are continuously threatening the permit for the violation of legal rights.
There are policies and norms which can regulate market behavior. The constraints related to
these laws are not found easily and they can be changed in different ways.
The real difference and similarities between code and law cannot be missed. The fact that
can be considered here is market mechanism which helps in observing the regulation behind law.
It is also observed by the author of the book, ‘code and other laws of cyberspace’, that the
government uses a range of tools to evaluate. Thus, the government can attain regulatory ends by
the regulation of code writing. This can often take place without experiencing any kind of
political consequences that would have been occurred otherwise. But the rule that makes
regulation easy is a strict matter of concern (Ferguson 2015). It is often argued that the power of
government has a vulnerable sense of value that can enhance efficient regulation.

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In his book ‘the cultural industries’, David Hesmondhalgh has critically put forward that
the governments intervene in all areas of commercial life. There is no existence of free market in
today’s modern and complicated society. But it is appropriate to be inspired by those who
believe in the concept of market in the ideal situation. This can be regarded as the best way to
issue resources and address human needs. The three areas of legislate, regulate and subsidise are
known as policy. These policies of culture, along with the media literacy and communication
help in providing knowledge about cultural industries and the changes that have taken place in
the previous years. The key elements in the book focus on the consequences of cultural industries
since 1980 that had taken place in broadcasting and telecommunication sector (Gentile 2014).
In the early 20th century, most places had used telecommunications which was available
to the entire population of the area. To be influenced by the actions of the media hence, is not
something new. Most of the democratic liberal states had had the role and responsibility to
organize telecommunications that passed the authorities in charge of the postal system. Radio
was also developed to form one- to- one communication, similar to the kind of telephone or a
telegram using the airwave instead of broadcasting. The power of radio as a broadcasting
technology became apparent socially as well as commercially and politically. The reason behind
the high intervention of the government in the broadcasting and telecommunications were
breaking down under the terrible attacks of 1980s and 1990s specifically due to private business
from the critics and policy makers who were responsible for supporting their wellbeing
(Hesmondhalgh 2007).
There are many variations in the public service system but the most important one being
funding of television system and the public service channels that are included in it. The other
variation is state control of public service broadcasters in some open-minded independent

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countries such as Greece and France. With the improvement in marketisation the public service
broadcasting is pulled apart on the basis of the effort put to arrange the cultural industries. The
pro- market union was operated through lobbying and Public Relations along with the policy
makers, critics and opinion leaders of the media. One of the important consequences of
telecommunication marketisation took place in juxtaposition with a long term effect in
broadcasting and the changes that took place in the IT industry. Thus it can be said that the
media had actively influenced the society from a long time in the post colonization era and is still
continuing to do so which are evident from the given sources (Lessig 2009).
‘The media reader’ by John Thompson throws light on the significance of the term
communication media. The relevance of this term in this assignment is beyond explanation as the
topic is based on the effect of media on the behavior of people. But the term mass is sometimes
misinterpreted as in it evokes an image of a large gathering constituting millions of individuals.
This can be considered as an appropriate icon of for the media products such as film, TV
programs and newspapers. So it can be said that the term mass should not be used in a narrow
way. The originality of mass communication lies in the availability of the products to plurality
rather than a large number of people are receiving the products. Also mass culture and mass
society was considered to have an adverse impact on the society by creating a homogenous
culture which entertained the individuals without involving their critical faculties (Mackay and
O'Sullivan 1999).
The innovation and development in the new media of communication and transport had
affected the means by which the individuals experience spatial and sequential characteristics of
the social life. Before the media industry was developed many people had the knowledge of time
and distance only through symbols. Thus, it can be said that the media had not only affected the

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society in a bad way but also in a good way. The communication media has given rise to the
development of mediated historicity. Verbal interaction and personal communication are
considered to have molded the society in recognizing the past which grabs the symbolic attention
from the media industry products (Ruddock 2000).
The evidence gathered from the books as well as other sources have affirmed that there
has always been a controversy on how the media has a negative impact on the society in the form
of inflicting violence and changing the opinion of the people. The accusation has varied from a
simple claim to a major panic sometimes. The discussion throughout this assignment is a proof
of why media has always this reaction from the society. The readings have referred to the debate
as whether the media has influenced the public to behave in an aggressive way and change their
thinking or the people are only responsible for their difference in behavior. The social impact of
the risks associated with the debate of media violence can cause panic and nervousness among
the public. The social implication of the risk in relation to the society and the moral panic that is
created out of media violence is a debatable issue. It can be said that it is not always the case of
media violence but the organization can also cause panic in the society. The instances of media
violence vary from the children’s cartoons to the horror films of the adults which pose a negative
impact not only on the individuals but also on the society. The individuals which are affected by
the media have a tendency to imitate the scenes and action that they have experienced on the
screen. Video games can also be regarded in this respect as the children are getting affected by
its activities.

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Reference
Anderson, C.A. and Carnagey, N.L., 2014. The role of theory in the study of media violence:
The General Aggression Model. Media violence and children,, pp.103-133.
Barker, M. and Petley, J. eds., 2002. Ill effects: The media violence debate. Routledge.
Ferguson, C.J. and Beresin, E., 2017. Social science's curious war with pop culture and how it
was lost: the media violence debate and the risks it holds for social science. Preventive Medicine.
Ferguson, C.J., 2015. Does media violence predict societal violence? It depends on what you
look at and when. Journal of Communication, 65(1).
Gentile, D.A., 2014. Why don’t media violence effects look the same on everyone?:
Developmental approaches to understanding media effects. Media violence and children: A
complete guide for parents and professionals, pp.45-69.
Hesmondhalgh, D., 2007. The cultural industries.
Lessig, L., 2009. Code: And other laws of cyberspace. ReadHowYouWant. com.
Mackay, H. and O'Sullivan, T. eds., 1999. The media reader: continuity and transformation.
Sage.
Ruddock, A., 2000. Understanding audiences: Theory and method. Sage.
Svensson, G., 2016. Blaming the media. Cultures of criticism and accountability in discussions
over refugees, immigration and integration. In ECREA conference, Panel “The Mediation of
Refugeedom. Europe’s refugee crisis through different lenses”, 9-12 November 2016, Prague,
Czech Republic..