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Discussion Questions
How do you define media violence? (What actions constitute violence?) Do you think there is too much, too little or just the right amount of violence in the media? How does media violence affect you? How do you think media violence affects others?
Cathartic effect
Causality is overstated
Conclusions are simplistic Much of the evidence is anecdotal Other factors could be involved Aggressive people may gravitate toward violent media
Catalytic theory
Media trigger violence only when certain non-media factors are also present Violence is rewarded Media exposure is heavy Violent person meets a certain profile
Contributing factors
Bottom line
Violence is far too complex to be explained by a single factor Effects of media violence vary from person to person
Desensitizing theory
People becoming hardened by media violence Societys tolerance for antisocial behavior is increasing Applies to news media also
Mean-world syndrome
George Gerbner
T.V. violence makes people think theyre in greater danger than they really are The more T.V. people watch, the more likely they are to give the T.V. answer Poses a threat to democracy
CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, AND THE MEDIA A Report for Parents and Policy Makers Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman Committee on the Judiciary
By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence.
Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence.
More than 1,000 studies on the effects of television and film violence have been done over the past 40 years.
The majority of these studies reach the same conclusion: television and film violence leads to real-world violence.
The existing research shows beyond a doubt that media violence is linked to youth violence.
Short-term changes after exposure Physical attacks on people & inanimate objects Media violence primes/cues aggression
Viewing habits of young children predicts subsequent aggression Exposure to violence leads to arousal, desensitization & acceptance
Side 2: Media violence DOES NOT promote violent behavior in young people
Freedman
For some children under some conditions, some television is harmful. For other children under the same conditions, or for the same children under other conditions, it may be beneficial. For most children, under most conditions, most television is neither particularly harmful nor particularly beneficial. Wilbur Schramm, Jack Lyle, Edwin Parker