Mass Media and Aggressive Behaviour

           Since their very birth, the mass media have had tremendous impact on humans’ lives. Some even might say life would be so hard without the company of mass media; they cannot live without TV, for instance. Some look up to the mass media for entertainment—for “hot” music, for exciting Hollywood blockbusters, for sad, fascinating romance dramas, for interesting TV shows, and for so much more. The mass media also plays very crucial roles in updating our lives with events that are happening around us, as well as in other the parts of the world. We tune in to BBC, CNN, Sky News, or Channel Newsasia for headlines and constant update of specific historical events such as the most recent US presidential election. Although in two very different parts of the earth, Cambodian people could see clearly the excitement and celebration of the Democrats when Obama was winning the majority of votes, beating McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, very badly.

            Despite the seemingly indispensable presence of the mass media, their critics have been very serious and determined about the negative side of them, stressing that violence prevalence in societies has one of its main root causes as what are shown and portrayed through the mass media. This paper will basically look at the relationship between the mass media and aggressive behaviour and whether some aspects shown on TV, radio, newspaper or other forms of media really give rise to hostility in modern societies.

            In certain types of media, physical violence can be explicitly viewed and easily absorbed by especially young audience. Some movies are very vicious in terms of contents. Take the broadcast of wrestling as an example. Though fake, people act as if they were enemies and wrestle each other with all their might. Kicking, punching, slapping, poking, and many other violent moves are performed like those of wild creatures, which are considered by its fan as “cool”. Children in Cambodia, for instance, are often seen imitating and practicing some wrestling routines, which they have seen on TV, with their friends. These habits may be simply done for fun; but accidents can happen, bring some physical harm to them. This is just one small example of how violence is depicted via media, which demonstrates that children can be especially vulnerable to this influence. As cited in a journal written by Murray (2008), according to the panel studies conducted by Leonard Eron and his colleagues, there showed the possibility that later aggressive behaviour was the traits determined by his/her childhood experience with TV violence.

            Moreover, the mass media can be the factor to encourage criminal acts and various illegal misconducts. Indeed, just as daily food to feed the public, the media relentlessly give to its audience the chance to get the full picture of such acts as elaborately-planned criminals’ action, as depicted in movies, documentaries, newspapers, books and so forth. Some did genuinely take place, especially ones shown in news reporting; some—ones in action movies or science fictions, in particular—are, on the other hand, completely invented. This presentation can lead exposed viewers towards various forms aggressiveness and violence. According to Gunter (2008), “[m]edia violence, it is claimed, can trigger interpersonal physical aggression and create a climate in which antisocial and criminal behaviors are increasingly likely to occur” (p. 1064). For example, Batman: the Dark Knight, one of the highest-grossing films of all-time, with about a billion US dollars in gross profit, is started with the scene of a bank robbery done by the group of the Joker. In the movie, a group of people with joker masks on break into a bank, shoot anyone in their way, and start to collect the money. The joker eventually make off with the robbed money unharmed. This implies success; such success shown in this Hollywood movie, although sounding kind of ridiculous, can be somehow inspirational to its audience, and a few might take it as a clue or a sample as to how such robbery can be done in case they wish to take the same route when in desperate situations. Indeed, it is possible that what is in the film is deemed as a lesson that viewers can use to hatch a better plan, making them feel more secured to move on with their criminal plots—if there is any. In short, although some may get discouraged seeing how criminals are punished, some may not; they may even get inspired.

             It has also been argued that some aspects of media inspire to sexual temptation and sexual acts. These days such things as pornography can be very accessible through TV and the World Wide Web, particularly. This factor greatly encourages sexual tendency, sexual desire, and sexual aggressiveness among, especially, young audience. Some might get the feeling of wanting to get to experience those acts themselves, having seen pornography. Besides, in the case of child pornography, those who are “sex-mad” or sexually aggressive may become even more aggressive and there is possibility that they lose their conscience and commit child abuse or rape to their own children, step children, or children of others—the immoral acts that are no longer rare in today’s societies. Furthermore, for those who have problems with their sexual behaviour but are very afraid and shy to do anything that may let out those problems, having watching pornography via some means of media may chase away all their shyness and worries and replace them with courage and outrageousness. Despite trying to control their temptation and stick to moral conducts, constant uptake of pornographic media can push them to no longer care. As in Media Violence: Is There a Case for Causality? by Gunter (2008),

The possibility of a link between pornography and sex offending has derived from survey evidence that has indicated that most sex offenders display a history of exposure to pornography (Hazelwood, 1985; Pope, 1987).….. Self-attribution evidence was obtained in one study of young murderers and sex offenders who claimed that repeated exposure to violent and pornographic materials had played a part in facilitating the crimes they had committed (Bailey, 1993). (p. 1071)

            Another aspect of media that can be perceived as a contributory factor in humans’ aggressive behaviour is obscene and rude language that is found commonplace in music of our times, especially rap music. With its “rapidly and rhythmically” recited nature accompanied by an “instrumental backing”, rap music, originating from the Black American, is gaining millions of fans all around the world (Concise Oxford Dictionary). Rap music is also very infamous for their rude choices of words. Obscene and taboo languages, such as “fuck,” “ass”, “bitch” etc. are very common among the rap music. And below is part of the lyrics of the song entitled Fuck You done by 50 cent:

…Pain In Da Ass "Fuck You" [3x]
Styles "I don't give a fuck" [3x]
Styles "I don't give a fuck who you are"

Pain In The Ass " Fuck You"
Nas "Niggaz is this and that"….

… I told niggaz not to fuck with me they still push me
Figured they'd get away with it cause Tone and Poke pussy
I been gone through static, shot at with automatics… (www.absolutelyrics.com)

Rap music has brought a brand-new culture to the world. Violent and harsh word use has somehow transformed people culture into one that some young people are no longer held back and become tempted to choose the same word choices like what they frequently hear; they do not think what they hear are wrong or against the laws anymore. Some, who idolize their rap stars, tend to use the same words and speak the way they hear their idols speak or rap in their music. This is, of course, aggressive.

            However, those in opposition will, in all likelihood, claim their position more appropriate and rational, with the reason that it is extremely hard to prove the existing media aggression connection. As concluded by Savage and Yancey (2008) in their journal The Effects of Media Violence Exposure On Criminal Aggression: A Meta-Analysis, “the effects of exposure to media violence on criminally violent behavior have not been established” (p. 788). “The effect sizes examined [in their journal] are small and almost certainly biased in a positive direction” (p. 788-789). Although this is definitely a point to consider prior to regarding the media violence relation as true, I believe it is not logical to deny that violence, aggressiveness and other delinquency given both directly and indirectly by the mass media, in one way or another, affects us audience. Despite the lack of well-established scientific research, in reality, it does, psychologically.

            In summary, according to all the arguments and explanation, the mass media really is one of the factors that encourage aggressive behaviours among people. And those behaviours become aggressive in many forms—physical violence, crime, immoral sexual conducts and hostile language. Therefore, scopes of the media should be somewhat limited, which, to rationally put it, is almost beyond possibility in the era when capitalism prevails and, at the same time, many still do not admit these negative effects of the mass media. Nonetheless, what I am sure can be viably done to curb these implications is in the hand of us, the audience. That is, in my opinion, if we fully realize and understand such truth about the mass media, to prevent ourselves from being negatively affected, what we need is a willingness to use the habits of critical thinking as a filter to keep away bad inputs emitted by inescapable exposure to mass media. There is one thing to remember: such things as TV is just a tool, movies are just there to entertain us, and those things have no power in the slightest to manipulate or seduce us as long as we do not allow them to.

Bibliography

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Concise Oxford Dictionary (2001). (10^th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gunter, B. (2008). Media violence: Is there a case for causality? American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 1061-1123.

Hawkins, S. (2003). Gangsta rap and violence. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from http://www.freeessays.cc/25db/2533/25mxe204.shtml

Murray, J.P. (2008.) Media violence: The effects are both real and strong. American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 1212-1231.

Press, A. L. (1991). Women watching television: Gender, class, and generation in the American television experience. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Press.

Savage, J., & Yancey, C. (2008). The effects of media violence exposure on criminal aggression: A meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35 (6), 772-791.