...we are exposed to countless forms of media from books, magazines, internet, and television. Thanks to the ever evolving and fast paced technology world, our society is not only exposed to an ever increasing amount of media but the mediums in which we interact with it are evolving. Throughout our exposure, we are subjected in media to countless forms of bias delivered both directly and indirectly. Before we can examine how this bias effects our society, we must first define what bias is. “Bias is a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly (bias, 2014).” Recently, I watched an episode of Modern Family on the ABC channel. Modern family is essentially centered on three families and their interactions with one another. Although the modern family name would lead you to believe this show represents a new frontier free from bias and stereotypes, this show draws is comedic nature from these very bias representations. A broad spectrum of families are represented from a mixed marriage, to a gay or homosexual couple, and a traditional family. Despite the vast portrayal, Modern Family promotes traditional gender roles and stereotypes of women. I believe that Modern Family has a moderate level of media bias represented in its episodes. Although they attempt in many storylines to break away from the traditional roles, definition of acceptable age differences, demonstrate equality and acceptance...
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...Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA IN SOCIALIZATION The Effects of Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The Effects of Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The media today are a powerful tool in modifying the behavior of children and young adults. This behavior can be seen as negative or positive depending on the situation. Children’s development is influenced by many factors but as Lund (2003) noted the significance of the mass media cannot be overstated: “The accumulated experience of media exposure contributes to the cultivation of a child’s values, beliefs, dreams, and expectations, which shape the adult identity a child will carry and modify through his or her life.” Studies investigating Social Learning Theory, done by Baker (2007, p.26) have consistently reported that children can model roles and behaviors seen on television. Media play a significant role in the socialization process, body image, and moral judgments in children and adolescents. Cartoons on television are some of the first factors of socialization in a child’s life. Although many adults feel that cartoons are obviously fantastical, unrealistic, and therefore harmless to children, the research evidence proves otherwise. “According to developmental literature, children before the age of ten years often have difficulty differentiating between reality and fantasy”(Baker...
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...masculinity norm that glorifies violence, especially among teens, adolescence, and children. Before we look at how masculinity can lead to violence in our culture, we must first unearth how masculinities are constructed, both by mainstream media and by societal norms. Perhaps the most crucial aspect of masculine and feminine studies is that gender is a perception that is socially constructed (Craig 2). Academics are cautious to separate sex—a purely biological difference—and gender—a label that is used to illustrate the essential qualities that society attributes to members of a particular sex. As a result, masculinity becomes a term that we must explain. It is widely recognized that American society and popular media are responsible for shaping masculinity, so it is only logical to that these two institutions be of primary focus when determining how men, their culture, and their relationships are represented (Craig 3) Perhaps the most crucial factor in influencing how masculinity in American is perceived, media contributes to the constructions of masculinity by systematically defining our culture’s gender norms through the effects that its numerous outlets have on our collective...
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...recognizable performances of roles and gendered and sexualized performances (Giltrow 276). According to Delph-Janiurek, voices are limited within the confines of certain societal hegemonic norms. He explains that the relationship between voices and bodies is not necessarily physiological; voices are vocal “performances”. There exists a pre-established gender duality within society, in which masculinity and the “male” voice is associated with the male body, and femininity and the “female” voice is associated with the female body. Thus, what is considered to be a “natural” voice is merely a choice made by an individual as to which of the two sides of duality they identify with more (Gamson). This choice is a representation of a gendered and sexualized identity that is influenced by discourse. Gender norms dictate that males identify with the more masculine voice, with a lower pitch and only slight increases in intonation. The stereotypical female voice, on the other hand, is more high pitched, with more variation in intonation (Bonds-Raacke). With this in consideration, Delph Janiurek’s thesis is that voices have a “geography”, and that they can be authored in a certain way within certain societal “spaces” (Giltrow 276). In other words, certain situations demand misperformance of hegemonic gender roles in the form of voice alteration. Delph-Janiurek’s argument is limited in the sense that it does not conduct enough research into different types of social roles in order to properly consider...
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...Gender, Class, and Race Stereotypes in American Television A Content Analysis Gender, class, and race stereotypes abound in contemporary society, much like they have done throughout human history. With the advent of television, however, stereotypical assumptions have become so pervasive, and so diffused, that some call for a serious and purposeful scrutiny of television's contents. On the following pages, various content analyses of television programs will be addressed, followed by discussions on the greater implications race, class, and gender stereotypes have on society. The research method most often used in studying media images is called content analysis. Content analysis is a descriptive method in which researchers analyze the actual content of documents and/or programs. By systematically counting items pertaining to a specific category, researchers are able to conceptualize a larger theoretical framework based on their observations of media content (Wiseman 1970). Content analyses of television programming show, that during prime time hours, men make up the vast majority of characters shown. Furthermore, women characters found during that same time frame are mainly in comedies, while men predominate in dramas. Thus, the implications are that men are to be taken serious, while women should not. (Tuchman 1978). Similarly, content analyses on soap operas reveal highly stereotypical representations of the genders. In soap operas, strong, willful women are predominantly...
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...Portrayal of Women in the Media In society today attractiveness can be the base of the empire that one builds. A certain look could be the entire reason someone gets a role in a movie or television show. Everything today is flashier, bigger, better, and more glamorous than before so why would women fall to any exception? These women on television can all play different roles, for example, the corporate climber, the supermom, the social butterfly, the ruthless villainess, but they all have one common denominator; their attractiveness. The women seen on television are beautiful, thin, and primarily white. These are the types of women the media wants us to strive to be like because it boosts their ratings. How many people would watch a television show about someone’s life that was less successful and less attractive? Many would agree that the last 30 years some progress has been made in how the media portray women in film, television, and magazines and there has also been a growth in the presence and influence of women in the media. Nevertheless, female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we view every day. The media’s portrayal of women plays a significant impact on the effects to body image and self-esteem to implications in sports and politics. One current popular show that many young adults watch on television is a show, Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl follows the lives of Manhattan’s Upper East Side socialites. Each show begins with a blog “Gossip Girl”, which delivers the latest...
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...study utilized a social cognitive theory framework in documenting gender portrayals in teen movies and investigating the influence of exposure to these images on gender-based beliefs about friendships, social aggression, and roles of women in society. First, a content analysis of gender portrayals in teen movies was conducted, revealing that female characters are more likely to be portrayed as socially aggressive than male characters. Second, college students were surveyed about their teen movie-viewing habits, gender-related beliefs, and attitudes. Findings suggest that viewing teen movies is associated with negative stereotypes about female friendships and gender roles. Research examining the effects of media exposure demonstrates that media consumption has a measurable influence on people's perceptions of the real world, and, regardless of the accuracy of these perceptions, they are used to help guide subsequent attitudes, judgments, and actions. For example, these results have been yielded for viewing media representations of race,1 the mentally ill,2 and the elderly.3 Past research additionally indicates that watching televised gender portrayals has an effect on individuals' real-world gender-based attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.4 Based on this research, and the tenets of social cognitive theory, it would be expected that consumption of teen movies would have an analogous influence on audience members' gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Despite the popularity of teen movies...
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...The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in “mass-mediated” interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems. As seen through its presentation of the three major variables of race, class, and gender, the mass media has actually served to contribute to the social problems it covers, reinforcing them, and creating an inter-related cycle in which these problems continue. TV has become perhaps the primary vehicle that society receives its information and presents its values and expectations. One of the most important roles television plays is its presentation of news and information. What a station chooses to present as newsworthy can play a strong role in how people view their society and the world around them. Often, television news sources have followed a philosophy of “if it bleeds, it leads”, focusing on violence in urban environments. This violence occurs more frequently in black neighborhoods, resulting in what amounts to essentially as a steady, nightly stream of reports on violence in the inner-city by and among African-Americans. In this way, the television media plays a strong role in formulating racial problems...
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...either from their company workers, news, TV, friends, family, financial reports, etc. We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and education. Advertising has three purposes: one, to create product awarness, two, to inform consumers about a pruduct or service, and three to motive customer demand for the product, thereby creating brand loyalty. Advertisements appear on television, in magazines, on the Internet, on billboards, store displays, buses, taxi, school bulletin boards, and even people’s clothing (Boss, 2010). However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that we should know how it really works. The media makes a lot of money with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to. We buy what we are told to be good, after seeing thousands of advertisings we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines to be a product we can trust and also based on what everyone else that we know is buying and their decision are also based on the media. These are the effects of mass media in teenagers, they buy what they see on TV, what their favorite celebrity advertise and what is acceptable by society based on the fashion that the media has imposed them. People in today’s society cannot live without the media. The help of technology has improved the way to send messages, and even the way we...
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...and Gender Identity Psy 340 Hormones, Behavior, and Gender Identity Often enough, parents of an unburned child are eagerly excited to find out the sex of the couple’s child to enable planning such as a fitted name, nursery décor, and every extra-curricular and career aspirations. It is from that point forward nature and nurture work together hand in hand to create the child into society’s ideal male or female. Different changes occur, such as biologically, psychologically, and emotionally, depending of the gender of the baby; however, social situations and upbringing will not only be exposed according to the sex, but also the individual child. Certain times, the gender and the sex of an individual do not coordinate with one another. This uncertainty has caused and is currently causing misunderstandings to numerous psychologists, neuroscientists and parents. The origin of the development of gender begins at conception, and the point creates a separation between the male and female gender roles. This paper will discuss interactions between hormones and behaviors, as well as, how the interactions affect the determination of gender identity. Biological psychology takes into consideration the gender from different perspectives of the functions coming from different sexual organs and the underlying physiology (Wickens, 2005). Biological and environmental factor will also be explored, as well as, the influence of nature versus nurture in an individual’s gender identity...
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...will focus on the socialization of gender roles and the expectations which constitute gender roles, including methods and agents of socialization, as well as some of the effects it has on certain individuals. By being conscious of these details, one will be better equipped to understand societal expectations, and be versed to make informed decisions of how to rear your children, especially if your child or children self-identify as being homosexual because the socialization of gender roles in the United States causes confusion amongst or conflict within homosexuals as a result of gender role expectations and the gender roles they assume and find to be natural. Defining Gender To begin with, gender is defined as a social structure that is culturally or socially engineered and was devised in the early hunter-gatherer age (Connell). It emphasizes the distinctions between “females and males found in the meanings, beliefs, and practices associated with ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’” (Kendall 2012). Informally, says the World English Dictionary, “it is the state of being male, female, or neuter” or “any of the categories, such as masculine, feminine, neuter, or common, within such a set.” Gender Roles More importantly, a gender role “refers to the attitudes, behavior, and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for each sex and are learned through the socialization process” (Kendall 2012). A sample of several expected gender roles, for males, would include being...
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...According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United States ranks 91st in Women in National Legislature Positions (Lawless & Fox). I became fascinated on the depiction of women in our society as a whole and wanted to focus on how the media contributes. I wanted to observe the cycle that results with the media’s portrayal of women and how that affects the number of women in office, therefore only reinforcing the stereotype. In order to understand where the United States stands on this matter, I am going to analyze the nation of Sweden’s gender depiction in media and other realms and how that correlates to women in office. Observing Sweden’s approach to these societal aspects will help understand how they have a more egalitarian government than most. The nation of Sweden constantly ranks in the top five nations when it comes to presence of women in high governmental positions. In 2002, women occupied over 45 % of their seats in their national parliament (Hepburn & Simon, 100). Even though Sweden surpasses the United with their strong presence of women in politics, they continuously face challenge that they must address to inflict a positive portrayal of women in their nation. Just like the United States, Sweden has various sources of media outlets that could affect the amount of...
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...When I Grow Up: An Analytical Study of the Interpretations of Children on Pop Culture Elements found in Selected TV Commercials “TV takes our children across the globe before parents give them permission to cross the streets.” - Joshua Meyrowitz BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Advertising is a form of mass communication strategy created to promote the purchase of a certain product, message, or service in the market. It carries the messages that come to you from the people who pay for the media (Biagi, 2001, p. 227). It is also an act of popularizing something through mass media to attract the attention of the consumers, audiences, or mainly the public for higher sales and marketability. Tracing through the history, evidences of advertising is said to have started thousands of years before when people started trading things for survival. Thus, the rise of technology, industrialization, and capitalism triggered the success of advertising in the heightening state of competition worldwide and in every aspect; from commodities, to people and politics. The industrial revolution, according to some historians, is the root of commercial advertising (Campbell, 2002, p. 387). Because of the continuous occurrence of new products in the market and there is a need to sell them off instantly, businessmen tried the concept of large scale advertising to sell more. Over the time, manufacturers realized that if their products were distinctive and became associated with quality, customers...
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...The influence of media on gender roles Over the last forty years, the gender roles for male and female have changed quite a bit. In the past, women were often viewed as having to assume the duties of the housewife, while the men are the breadwinner in the family. However, these stereotypical views of men and women alike have changed over time to shape the present. Firstly, in attempt to define the meaning of a stereotype Wikipedia (2009) notes that: “Stereotype is a preconceived, oversimplified, exaggerated, and often demeaning assumption of the characteristics possessed by an individual due to his or her membership in a specific group. [It] usually functions to deny individuals respect or legitimacy based on their membership in that group. They are the hardest to dislodge in situations where a dominant group desires to keep another group subordinate”. The purpose of this essay is to generate an understanding of how gender roles are shaped and defined in society due to an overwhelming amount of stereotyping and the influence of the mass media that has left an undeniable impact on our everyday life. When talking about gender, we are referring to “culturally learned notions of masculinity and femininity” (Tepperman et al., 2007, p. 187). As noted by Tepperman (2007), “From a social standpoint, gender is the social enactment of a biological difference.” The result of this is males are treated as men because they play masculine roles, and females are treated as women because...
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...Carter, C. (2011) “Sex/Gender and the Media: From Sex Roles to Social Construction and Beyond,” in Ross, K. (ed) The Handbook of Gender, Sex and Media, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN-10: 1444338544; 365-82. ISBN-13: 978-1444338546 Sex/Gender and the Media From Sex Roles to Social Construction and Beyond Cynthia Carter Introduction In the early years of second-wave western feminism, many gender researchers and feminist scholars distinguished between the notion of sex, defined as biological differences between male and female, and ‘sex roles,’ referring to certain behaviors and characteristics attributed to each sex that was a social construction. The resulting media research centered on images of women in the media (much less emphasis was placed on men) in order to draw attention to inequities in their portrayal in relation to men (in quantitative terms as well as in terms of the use of stereotypes). Since the 1970s, however, the scope of social constructionism has greatly expanded in feminist theory. Some suggest that the distinction between the biological and the social has, as a result, eroded to such an extent that it is no longer possible to understand the difference, while others question the need for this distinction. For instance, in queer and transgender theory and feminist cultural studies, theorists have sought to make strange the ‘sex/gender’ distinction. The key argument made is that biology is no less a cultural construct than gender socialization into masculinity...
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