...Reality Television Affecting Body Image Media of today has swallowed lives of the youth as it constantly portrays an image of perfection in which they must live up to. Individuals have seen through reality television and other sources what is categorized as this image. This is shown psychologically as it is not directly stated but represented. The Hills and The Real World, two MTV reality television shows, are provoking public interest showing these wrong images influencing the youth. This is changing the youth, as they are slowly becoming more and more degraded as the generations’ progress. Our next generation is constantly fighting a battle against reality television shows and their overall visual portraying what teens of today must live up to. Due to these programs today, the youth of today are constantly competing with “unrealistic self-expectations to be perfect; not just physical appearance, but more importantly, overall peer ranking” (dailytitan). Shows like The Real World and The Hills, both MTV programs, “sensationalize the physical attractiveness, sexual promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, co-dependent relationships and other negative connotations as to what is the norm” (dailytitan). For example, a young teen of today, could watch Real World or The Hills and see perfect body images, generating insecurity within them, leading to vulnerability around “popular kids” who induce self-doubting. This changes the teens overall impression of perfection. Magazines of...
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...Reality Television: Is it Helpful to Our Youth? Through decades of television, there has been a drastic change in the content shown on air. In past generations, family oriented television shows were expected to be shown around the clock. Shows that contained explicit content were not an option to be shown on television, but today there is not much of a filter that will not be shown on television. There are things shown on late night specials on cartoon channels that are not appropriate for anyone, let alone young children. Television programs have given children a false sense of what is expected in the real world and delays their chance to mature at a normal rate. Television stars are not helping to shape young minds, but instead they are making it difficult for children to learn what is right from what is wrong. This generation has a different view of what television should include, there should not be a limit on major issues; for example violence, sexuality, profanity, and drugs and alcohol. In past generations, those subjects were forbidden and were rarely even spoken about in the closest of friends groups. Now it is expected for it to be broadcast on television, in movies, and to be causally discussed in any scenario. Television and the media have given our generation the reigns to take control of what they think is inappropriate or appropriate. This now gives them the opportunity to talk about almost anything that could be thought of, there are no more filters...
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...Reality Shows In china In China, the reality talent television show Super Girl not only was an unprecedented hit in television history of the country and an economic miracle in the entertainment industry In 2005 up to 400 million viewers, nearly a third of the population of China sat to watch the grand finale of The Chinese version of American Idol Supergirl Idol. The winner Li Yuchan was chosen via text messages receiving 3.5 million votes. This was seen as a ground breaking moment in both the economic and cultural sectors of Chinese society. Reality TV can be defined as shows that film and follow ordinary people in artificial situations. They could either be at work or in a competition show. Reality shows only came to China in recent years but have since made its impact. With TV programs such as Super Girl and Boy, Dreams in China, Blind Dating shows, each one has attracted thousands of people to participate. Reality shows in China have generated a lot of revenue for not only companies but for the state. Reality TV is one of the fastest growing sectors. One example was Shanghai-based Dragon TV's four popular reality-style programmes, said to have a combined value of about $500m. These programmes had generated a further $1bn for other businesses in Shanghai, in a chain of value-adding that extended from the producer to advertising agents, telecom operators, mobile phone message service providers, entertainment industry design companies and broadband websites. Supergirl Idol...
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...When discussing reality television there is much debate over whether or not it has a positive or negative impact on society. Currently there are so many different types of reality television programming, that it is hard to determine which side to be on. Some reality programming has merit and it is understandable why it would be broadcasted, but other reality programming just produces garbage that should not be on television or even put on the internet for that matter. There is a major difference between the two though. Good reality TV should be able to keep broadcasting, but shows that are produced on MTV, VH1, and other networks should be banned from television because it promotes stereotypes in relation to race, gender, and ethnicity. In today’s infinitely expanding world of technology it is becoming easier and easier to influence the minds of viewers with TV, therefore reality TV poses a dangerous threat to society and the way are thoughts are molded. However not all reality TV is bad and should not be punished for the programming that is damaging our society’s future by changing our views and thoughts. When talking about reality TV that has a bad influence and is dangerous to society the first thing that should put into someone’s mind is any programming that is on MTV. MTV produces mind altering and numbing shoes that create stereotypes for gender, race, and class. There biggest success and the most dangerous show of all is their most popular show the “Jersey Shore”...
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...graffiti-writing, has become so popular that it has entered mainstream fashion and modern language. It doesn't stop there. The culture permeates everything from TV commercials to toys to video games. Currently, there is even a hip-hop exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. You name it, and hip hop is there representing. However, hip hop's most potent form is its rap music--embraced by urban Blacks and suburban Whites alike. It is raw self-expression that sometimes features profane lyrics, misogyny and violence. The music, along with rap videos that often present a disturbing mix of rap, hip-hop dance styles, fashion and language, leave many people asking: Is hip-hop culture harming our youth" "The hip-hop culture is just like electricity," civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton told JET. "It can be used negatively or positively. The same electric current that lights up your house can also electrocute you. It is the misuse of hip-hop culture to attack our women and promote violence. We must encourage the proper use of hip-hop culture. We are all influenced by the hip-hop generation." Sharpton, who recently hosted a special summit on social responsibility in the hip-hop industry, labeled gangsta rappers "well-paid slaves." Advertisement "Don't let some record executive tell you that cursing out your mama is in style. Anytime you perpetuate a slave mentality that desecrates women and that desecrates our race in the name of ...
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...The United States has a developed a sinister trend that assaults the very foundation of America’s educational system. The growing number of mass shootings in the United States has begun to heavily impact American morale causing panic and fear to spread across the country. The upsurge of shootings in public places has captured media coverage and is generating the perception that public shootings are an irreversible consequence of freedom. However, how can America idly sit by and not enact drastic measures to battle against these atrocious actions? What is the true cause and purpose behind the enactment of violence through gunplay in a school atmosphere? These questions must be resolved in order to prevent unfortunate events such as the Red Lake...
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...Crime Programs On Pakistani TV Channels Introduction Background In the wake of recently interest in crime programs, this study seeks to explore the effects of these crime programs on people and to explore “people’s ‘’ perception of crime programs on Pakistani tv channels. The study demonstrates the effects of these crime programs on general public of the society. The study seeks to know either these crime programs promote awareness in the people about these crimes in the society or people’s perception changed psychologically after watching these crime programs. The study was carried out to find out the actual findings regarding the research questions. The media today controls our society completely. Information from across the world can be obtained instantly through radio, TV, newspapers, the internet, and many other forms of communication. An easy access to such powerful means of communication may have positive as well as negative effects on the general public. There is strong association between perceptions of media messages and its observed behavior. Television is responsible for the increase in childhood violence, alter personality development, stereotyping, language improvement and also somewhat generate many problems. Once upon a time TV was considered to be great educator especially for those who were economically underprivileged, but today television is teaching us that violence is accepted, anything shown attractive( apart from reality) is correct and ethical...
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...Technology and Society There is no escape from technology, it is everywhere around our environment.Technology has become a virus that millions of people are infected with mentally. The technological virus spreads through cell phones, laptops, iPods, etc. Just as someone with the flu has a weakened immune system, someone infected by technology has a weakened attention span. The people of today are constantly immersed in technology. Technological advancements are changing our lifestyles. The growth of technology has negatively influenced the social interactions of today's youth because it isolates individuals from reality, hinders communication, and perpetuates the concept of immediate satisfaction. Social media has had a major influence on society in the 21st century, enabling people to interact with each other in new and different ways. Many of the almost 1 billion users of Facebook and the millions who use Twitter, or blogs cannot imagine communicating without these tools. We have all seen teens freak out when their technology is taken away from them. Smartphones have became teens security blanket. That being so, there is a great impact of social media on relationships, among people. Traditionally, teenagers have learned how to build relationships with other people around their neighborhood or school, but because of social networking, real and hard-earned relationships are now replaced with online ones. Thus, teenagers are unable to develop crucial communication skills...
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...The Influence of Violent Media on Teen Violence Back to over two thousand years ago, Socrates once wrote: “Our youth now love luxury, they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders, and love to chatter in place of exercise.” Truly teenage rebellion has been around for a long time. Teenage is one of the most dynamic period in our life. People change the most while they are teens, both physically and emotionally. Unlike adults, teenagers may not be aware the consequence of their rebellious acts. When it comes to extreme act of rebellion it becomes violence. Teen violence comes in many forms and vary degrees. For example, verbal abuse, bully, physical fight, gang violence, and assault with or without weapons are the most common violent behavior among teenagers. Teen violence is a growing concern in our society. People often hear teenagers bullying, teenagers involved in violent crimes on the news. According to Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, about 20% of high school students report being bullied on school property in the U.S. in 2009 (8). One third of students had been in a physical fight in the last twelve months (6). For many teenagers, violence is a way to release anger and express freedom. All parents want their teens away from violent behavior. Before we can find solutions for the youths, we need to figure out why is teen violence happening? What makes teenagers turn to violence? There’re always have different and more than one reason that...
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...us, from the shows on television to the books we read each day. However even with its perks, it has both positive and negative effects. Some people wonder if the negative effects dominate the positive effects. One might say it causes violent and harmful behaviour on our youth as many studies have attempted to show this link. Another might say, it leads to desensitization due to its gruesome effects on the teen brain. Some people are concerned with the negative connotations that media has, as they believe it might negatively shape one's perception of the world. Media violence can have disastrous effects on teens as this type of interaction can cause harmful behaviour, desensitize teens from other violent stimuli and lead them to perceive the world more negatively. The majority of youth retaining any form of violent stimuli via media can result in harmful behaviour shown and/or cultured in many forms. Many studies have proven that interaction with violent stimuli, especially in youth, can result in aggressive behaviour. Virginia Tech Research Division showed some students a number of non-violent movies preceded by an extremely violent one. The end result was an increase in the number of hostile behaviour among those who were exposed to the violent stimuli . This showcased that even with the majority of exposure being non-violent, the one that exhibited violence had a major impact as those students might have imitated that behaviour or might have been dramatically influenced...
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...a part of our daily lives, and sources of information, education and entertainment have been described as the primary functions of the media. Lasswell (1948) as cited in Folarin (2005, p.74) assigns three functions to the media: i. Surveillance of the Environment (the news function). ii. Correlation of the different parts of the Enviroment (the editorial function). iii. Transmission of the cultural heritage from one generation to the other (the cultural transmission function). The focus of the researcher in this study is not only on the entertainment function of the media, but the role the entertainment media especially television, plays in shaping social behaviour among teenagers in the society. Stephenson (1967) a British psychologist, as cited in Folarin (2005, p.170), divides man’s activities into work and play. The former involving reality and production, while the latter deals with entertainment, relaxation or self satisfaction. He further says that people use mass communication more as play than as work, more for pleasure and entertainment than for information and serious work. Folarin (ibid) corroborates this view by saying that one constant criticism of television in Nigeria is its focus on entertainment rather than on development purposes. There is no doubt that the impact of the media on young people’s lives is broadly considered within what is referred to as “media effects” debate which to a great extent focuses on the potentially negative impact of the media...
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...THE SNEAKY WORLD OF ADVERTISING: PREYING ON OUR YOUTH The Sneaky World of Advertising: Preying on our Youth Liberty University Abstract Advertisers spend billions of dollars annually to promote their products. They are constantly researching the best stratagies to make their marketing dollars as effective as possible. The latest strategies advertisers have begun to use include targeting children in various ways. The biggest group they are currently targeting are the grade school age kids. These tactics are not intended to be good for our children. The intention is for companies to make money. The Sneaky World of Advertising: Preying on our Youth In the past, marketers have targeted mothers to influence them to make purchases for their children. This trend has changed. With the increasing exposure children have to television, they have become marketer’s main targets. According to Dr. Victor C. Strasburger of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine: Children and adolescents spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleeping, and more time from age 2 to 18 in front of the television set (15 000 to 18 000 h) than in the classroom (12 000 h). By the time today's children reach age 70, they will have spent a total of 7 years of their lives watching television. Dr. Strasburger goes on to say that children will be exposed to over fourteen thousand sexually suggestive images, thousands of images portraying alcohol and...
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...decaying age of youths. We live in a world where nowadays, youths are no longer respecting their families, parents, jobs and especially themselves. It could be said that the levels of deviance in the modern day are relative to those in the past but due to web 2.0 (more known as the ‘new internet’) and the new digital revolution it has become easier – and faster – for those to report and share deviance. Maybe now in the 20th century the levels of deviance seem amplified in relation to the past. It’s surprising, that even though there has been a drop in recorded crime over the years, the concerns about deviance in young people still remain high. This shows us, as a society, that we don’t necessarily believe in the regular statistical updates about crime. This means, in reality, these stories of youths committing crimes are now fuelled by media backing. Stories involving children, teenagers and gangs (usually committing petty theft or bullying) are made out far worse than it was in the first place. Unfortunately due to the media, youths are made out to seem far worse than they are, by identifying a groups of youths such as “gangs, knives and hoodies” they can create some sense of moral panic. This behaviour can then create a threat to the stability of society and make people re-evaluate their opinions. Most of the time, youths are depicted negatively in the media, and over time this stigmatism has stuck. The media are able to get lots of stories out of youth knife crime, gang...
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...The Onset of Consumerism on our Youth through Massive Advertising By June 16, 2014 ENGL 101 – B17 LUO Professor Sholes Associates of Arts – Religion Turabian Format Philippians 4:19 reads “but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. Twenty different translations of this text and not once does it mention God supplying wants. Yet, advertisements teach the youth of America today that they should have all of their wants, not just needs. Advertising agencies, through massive and expensive efforts, have infused the idea of ultra-consumerism into the lives of American youth as evidenced by the priorities and ideals exemplified by children at young ages and as adults. Companies have recognized the deep influence of advertising on young Americans as evidenced by their massive amounts of money and effort spent on targeting children. It is not hard to imagine that companies would see children as a true market for their products. In fact, children under eighteen years old being considered consumers is a widely accepted viewpoint. Even as far back as 1958, an American youth, a teenager in particular, was being referred to as a “merchandising frontier.” In 1998, advertising agencies spent $2 billion specifically towards children in order to promote their products. This formidable amount of funding translates to a significant amount of influential ad time. The astounding 40,000 commercials a child views in a year make up approximately...
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...Daniel Holland April 13, 2014 Why We Love TV’s Anti-Heroes Is it possible today’s generation gradually evolved into an era in which selfishness and evil overpowers good? Over the past years society perceives the idea of a hero differently than it was perceived in the 21st century, nevertheless impacts our society hugely. It is no surprise why youth of today enjoy T.V. shows that are driven by torture, killing, drugs and drama. In fact these are among the T.V. shows with higher ratings. Hero is characterized as a person of good character who performs beneficial acts towards a community and influence an individual self-concept in a good manner. Today, the new hero is the anti-hero and his morally reprehensible conduct is excused by a good cause turning evil into good and at many times it is praised. In “Why We Love TV’s Anti-Heroes” Stephen Garrett describes this world as one with a strong desire and acceptance for anti-heroes. Garret uses ethos appeal by appealing to society’s moral and values. Garret states, “The moral compass is spinning on his axis” (320). Garret believes the audiences easily sympathize and identify with these despicable TV personalities because they reflect society’s own moral ambiguity. As a result it reflects the actions and behavior in today’s culture. Anti-heroes of today are embraced by society because they are more relatable to today’s cultural morality because being extremely good feels unattainable, therefore this culture opts for the middle...
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