The Impact of Moral Panic and Media Portrayal on Youth Violence

This essay examines the phenomenon of moral panic in relation to media portrayals of youth violence. Through the analysis of three articles, the essay explores how media reinforces stereotypes, constructs folk devils, and influences audience perceptions. The discussion delves into ownership and control debates within mass media, the representation of groups and events, and the impact of media on audiences through various communication theories. The essay also addresses the suitability of sources for academic study, considering bias, influence, and the burden of evidence. It concludes that moral panic, fueled by media representations, can significantly impact societal perceptions of youth and their involvement in violence, highlighting the need for critical analysis of media narratives. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study tools for students.

Moral panic and media youth
violence

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS .....................................................................................................1
Article 1: Deviant youth in the news: a critical discourse analysis of the media and
participant’s social construction of the contemporary moral panic .......................................1
Article 2: MORAL PANIC OVER YOUTH VIOLENCE: Wilding and the Manufacture of
Menace in the Media..............................................................................................................2
Article 3: Social media and moral panics: Assessing the effects of technological change on
societal reaction......................................................................................................................3
DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................4
Ownership and Control debate the development of mass media trends debate and theories.4
Groups and events are represented folk devils and moral panics news production...............4
Audiences can be shaped by media and can also shape the media definitions audience
theories...................................................................................................................................5
Suitability of sources for academic study bias influence persuasion burden of evidence......5
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Moral panic is referring as the term which is based on the public mass movement that provide
false and exaggerated perception and the perspective or information which help to exceed the
actual threat towards the society that they are facing. The moral panic also indicates some of the
widespread fear which is often associated with the irrational threat toward the aspect of society
that is based on the societal value, interest and safety of the people. Whereas, the media youth
violence used to represent the evidence which is based on the compelling. In addition, the brief
exposure of the violent and dramatic presentation is used to focus on the TV and film that cause
short term increase in youth aggressive though, emotion and behaviour which majorly include
physical aggressive behaviour serious enough in order to harm others. In this report, the three
article has been selected which is related with the mass moral panic and youth violence. The
documentary analysis and the discussion is used to made with the proper evidence based data.
MAIN BODY
DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS
Article 1: Deviant youth in the news: a critical discourse analysis of the media and participant’s
social construction of the contemporary moral panic
Bibliographic presentation of the article: Miranda cannon, 2011 “Deviant youth in the news: a
critical discourse analysis of the media and participant’s social construction of the contemporary
moral panic” Manchester metropolitan university, pp. 1-19
News publication: Manchester metropolitan university
Publication aim: The main aim of the publication is developing knowledge and skills by
exploring the discourse in the construction of the contemporary moral panic of the youth crime.
In addition, it is previously examined that the youth crime is the historical topic within the aspect
of media and through the sensational construction which help to lead the formation of moral
panic. Whereas, the article also used to provide an analytical approach in order to analyse the
media article and accountability of the participants in such a way which useful for the youth to
understand and perceived the aspect of society. In this, the publication used to explore on the
different aspect which is related with the moral panic and youth violence. From this, the common
discourse theme are hoodies, youth culture also fears and social inequality which is determined
as dominating factor which based on social construction of youth.
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Group/thing represented in the article: In this, the major of thing or group which is represented
in the article is discourse theme that include hoodies, youth culture, fear and social inequality
which is recessive within the article. The repetitive aspect which is based on the moral panic and
youth violence. The factor which affect the pointed to the factor of significance which is related
with the bi-directional relationship which is associated between media and participants that is
analyse with the discourse in generating of moral panic which is surrounding.
Biasness of the article and their presentation itself: The article is normal and genuine and major
of discussion is based on the relevance of moral panic. The article is unbiased and show
predominant behaviour with the relationship which is associated between the media and
participants in the construction of moral pain of youth crime.
It suitable for academic study: The article is suitable for the academic study because they have
reliable and validated point which is related with the media, moral panic and associated youth
crime that promote knowledge.
Article 2: MORAL PANIC OVER YOUTH VIOLENCE: Wilding and the Manufacture of
Menace in the Media
Bibliographic presentation of the article: Michael, Eric and Nana, 2002 “MORAL PANIC
OVER YOUTH VIOLENCE: Wilding and the Manufacture of Menace in the Media” Rutgers
university, Sage publication September 2002, pp. 3-30
News publication: Sage publication
Publication aim: The main of the publication to publish this article is to generate knowledge
regards with the reporting of well publicized attack which is happen on the female jogger in the
New York city, whereas the media usually invented the wilding which is newly used word that
appropriately elaborate the rationale of sexual violence committed by the group of urban teens.
In addition, the sociological perspective also considers various term which is related with the
wilding that become popular due the racial connotation that develop stereotype of the young
black male that they are belonged with the dangerous class. The finding used to contribute an
understanding which is related with the youth in the society by offering the interpretation of
wilding.
Group/thing represented in the article: The racial and social disparities is usually represented
within the article in repetitive way.
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Biasness of the article and their presentation itself: The article show bias with the young black
people who term as dangerous class. The article itself show the aspect of moral panic over youth
violence.
It suitable for academic study: It is appropriate for the study on academic because they develop
knowledge for the moral panic over the youth violence or persuade and access with disparities.
Article 3: Social media and moral panics: Assessing the effects of technological change on
societal reaction
Bibliographic presentation of the article: James, 2020 “Social media and moral panics:
Assessing the effects of technological change on societal reaction” International Journals of
Cultural Studies, March 18.
News publication: National centre for biotechnology information, U.S national library of
medicine
Publication aim: The article used to explore about the relationship which is related between the
moral panic and emergent media system. It also explores about the effect of social media which
is web based venues that is enable and encourage the production and also the behaviour which is
exchange the user generated content. In addition to this, the contra claims for the empowering
and deflationary consequence which is associated with recent technological transformation
which help to collect alarm.
Group/thing represented in the article: The role of media and their behaviour which show the
factor of moral panic due to the relationship.
Biasness of the article and their presentation itself: The article is biased and show the impact of
behaviour which is rationale for the empowerment and transformation. The presentation is
effective in order to present the relationship which is viable for the study that is based on moral
panic and emergent media system.
It suitable for academic study: The article is appropriate for the study on the academic level in
order to generate and explore the knowledge regards with moral panic and emergent media
system.
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DISCUSSION
Ownership and Control debate the development of mass media trends debate and theories.
Ownership is generally a process by which an enhancing small number of industries own
by various media outlets. From the chosen article, it is analysed that mass media generally
reinforced a conventional image of the youth people. From this, researcher Cohen argued that
young people have been labelled in a particular way that they are now called to be an issue
subculture among community. Some of them conducted an analysis of media generally
concentrating on Glasgow gang and they have found that the young people were increasingly
defined as a separate subculture that is generally detected to be involved in a type of abnormality.
And, from this, it is found that people comprehend the issues as more menacing than the past
issues. It is identified from the chosen article that the social media also reassemble the
surrounding environment where anxiety can occurs. And, supporting the connection as well as
clash with various others, over closer examination, digital platform can specifically employ a
centripetal force generally producing data silos and filter strategy that usually constricting the
social horizon as well as can enhances the chances of engaging with affectional content
(Stańczyk, 2019).
Groups and events are represented folk devils and moral panics news production.
In this, study of ethnic gangs, the framing of both media and moral panics generally
proved that social media such as newspaper are regularly report about gangs issues as a new
information, till now the fear of young people's gang crimes are specifically a timeless problems.
In this, media is usually the most central and influential cultural text that is published as a
credible source of information of current events, so far it can create realities which it effectively
illustrates. The media can constructs moral panics by providing an original and different twist on
a specific issue. Moral panic is generally a dated term and it can be explained through a
perspective of social constructionist. It can be occurred with relative ease due to the fact that
good information stories have been expressed and are to be unattractive towards the outlets of
mass media (Corrado and Markwart, 2018). However, the forms of mass media or newspaper
should print the more shocking or negative stories just to sale broad amount of newspaper across
country. With help of mass media or newspaper, it can create a change character and community
are blaming, dislike as well as easily determine that media are producing a antagonistic aspects
of young people and by this innocent people are now become a public figure of anxiety, fear and
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anger. In context with folk devils, the youth are often labelled in media with destructive short
letters like yob, thug and lout. It is generally a newest label for a detected abnormal young people
trouble maker is mainly a 'hoodie'. And by utilising such labels, media share its power to change
“hoodie” into daily conversations (Pedersen and White, 2021).
Audiences can be shaped by media and can also shape the media definitions audience theories.
While talking about theories, media has various theories such as agenda setting,
cultivation, uses and gratifications, framing as well as social learnings. In this, the uses and
gratification theory is mainly an approach that is generally used to understand how and why
youth actively seek specific media to satisfy essential requirements. The theory is specifically
considered as an audience-centred way to effectively understand the mass communication. In
addition, the audience theory can offers an illustration of how the young people generally
encounter media, how they mainly utilize it as well as how it can influence them. Although,
concept of an audience can predates the mass media, many of them are concerned with
relationships of young people with various form of media (King and Maruna, 2020).
Suitability of sources for academic study bias influence persuasion burden of evidence.
In this, a critical discussion of the analytical approach, the concentrating groups are more
relevant as media can unwrap power disparities among people as well as can disclose how the
dominance can is enacted to manage the mind of other people. Conducting examination can
specifically give a elaborated information from the perspective of an individual, even so with
lack of interactions among people such informations can be more prone towards partiality as well
as extreme views. In this, young people displayed shared informations regarding what source of
media they actually sensed are more likely to be more authentic or reliable as well as involves
less ideological bias (Swanson, 2019).
CONCLUSION
The concept of moral anxiety can be defined as an degree of a feeling explicit among
population regarding various problems which specifically appears to threaten the social order of
community. From the above discussion, it is concluded that from an account of reactions and
construction of social issues, the moral fear theory has generally stressed the role of mass media
in shape the collective information, intermediate among real and represented as well as can
generating specific divergence among response and risk as well. In this, the mass media usually
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tends to symbolise the crime of young people as a moral panic among community in order to
create a flutter as well as to increase the attention of public. Moral fear can worsen the
differences of real as well as sensed and make divisions among group of young people. It is
generally a well known in sociology of abnormality as well as crime and it associated with
labelling hypothesis of abnormality.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Stańczyk, E., 2019. Moral Panic: The Child Soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising.
In Commemorating the Children of World War II in Poland (pp. 77-102). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.
Pedersen, C. and White, R., 2021. Discourses of discord: animal activism and moral
judgement. International Criminology, 1(3), pp.178-192.
King, A. and Maruna, S., 2020. “It Is the Sensual, Stupid”: Katz and the Futures of Criminology.
In Jack Katz. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Swanson, J.R., 2019. Where Are the Victims? A Study of Media, Law Enforcement, Sports, and
the Illicit Sex Trade (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University).
Corrado, R.R. and Markwart, A., 2018. Introduction: Successes and challenges in implementing
the YCJA: A decade later. In Implementing and working with the youth criminal justice
act across Canada (pp. 3-22). University of Toronto Press.
Ellis, B.H., Decker, S.H., Abdi, S.M., Miller, A.B., Barrett, C. and Lincoln, A.K., 2022. A
qualitative examination of how Somali young adults think about and understand
violence in their communities. Journal of interpersonal violence, 37(1-2), pp.NP803-
NP829.
Online
Deviant youth in the news: a critical discourse analysis of the media and participant’s social
construction of the contemporary moral panic, 2011 [Online] Available through:https://e-
space.mmu.ac.uk/576507/1/Miranda%20Cannon%20%28MMU%29%202011.pdf
MORAL PANIC OVER YOUTH VIOLENCE: Wilding and the Manufacture of Menace in the
Media, 2002 [Online] Available
through:https://troublesofyouth.pbworks.com/f/welch+at+al+
+moral+panic+over+youth+violence.pdf
Social media and moral panics: Assessing the effects of technological change on societal
reaction, 2020 [Online] Available through:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7201200/
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