Audience And Viewers Of Media

Introduction

The politicians and the general public often express inequalities of power, moral panics, and vulnerabilities of a particular section of viewers who are exposed to the new media forms. However, the effects of the media are not often expressed. According to Thompson (1995), the state interventions and public fears voiced by the public and politicians via the media are far much greater than the objective threat. The society is subjected to fear by a group or individual who are/is termed to bear responsibility for initiating the anxiety (Hasinoff, 2013, pp 450). The new media forms have swept the entire globe and created a whole new phenomenon (Fox, 2013, pp 170). Most of the sentiments expressed in the media platforms do not focus much on the press effects. Instead, inequalities of power and moral panics are created which often lead to suicide terrorism, and other dreadful crimes (Shelton, Poorthuis, and Zook, 2015, 203). This essay will seek to discuss some of the well-known fears passed by the media to the audience and the eventual repercussions.

Background

The report by Elizabeth Newton indicates that the actions of another person have enormous effects on some people. If this were not the case, however, the industries would not find it worth spending a fortune on advertising. This is significant proof that the media must have tremendous effects. Then, if this is the case, it is likely that the people would also be driven on to the street to commit real life crimes (Barker and Petley, 2002, pp 36). This is what the anti-violence campaigners seek to prevent. In 1984, the fight against video nasties was predominant. Research and Education, The evangelical Christian Action noted that: Industries spend fortunes advertising each year. They believe that the media does an excellent job in persuading and influencing the behaviors of the consumers. Likewise, the politicians often appear on the media platforms seeking for support from their voters. They must also hold the opinion that the press persuades.  This argument can be stretched to derive the conclusion that individuals will be convinced to commit a crime after viewing an episode of crime and violence.

 Point 1:

• The media has created a culture that entertains and fails to critique, that draws all attention without engaging, and that provides gratification without forming the basis of such gratification (Thompson, 1995, pp 14). In the above real cases, for instance, the media was the prime cause of the incidents. However, nobody judges or points a finger to them.
• In his work, Thompson affirms the above sentiments and gives a clear illustration of the negative effects created by mass communication in the current social life.

Point 2: How the media works to impact viewers’ behaviors

• The concept used by the media to impact the viewers uses an unusual approach.
• The materials tend to make the viewers as harmful as them. Aggressive materials will make the viewers aggressive, violent materials will make the viewers violent, and so on (Barker and Petley, 2002, pp 38).
• In other words, the aggressive materials will not impact a feeling of aggression to a viewer, but will make a person aggressive in nature. The same applies to violent materials. This concept so odd and it may be hard to get the appropriate remedy.

Point 3: The real cases that support the argument

• And, there are real cases that support this argument according to Barker.
• The first case involves a man who, after watching the news, shot his entire family. After his arrest, he stated that the happenings around the world were so horrible and there was no point of living.
• In the second case, a paedophile is arrested on the basis of assaulting a young boy. After conducting a thorough search in his house, the police found numerous cuttings from newspapers regarding paedophiles who had been tried in courts.
• The third case alludes to an elderly woman who takes her life after viewing the Schindler’s List. In her suicide note, she expressed her guilt being one of the Nazi camps survivors.

Conclusion

The evidence from the different thinkers mentioned in this essay affirms that the politicians and the public often expose the viewers to inequalities of power and moral panics, but fail to address the effects of the media. Therefore, it is wise for the viewers to realize the situation and take control of their viewing experiences. Moreover, the viewers should be vigilant and aware of the effects of media.

Bibliography

Barker, M. and Petley, J. eds., 2002. Ill effects: The media violence debate. Routledge.

Fox, K.J., 2013. Incurable sex offenders, lousy judges & the media: Moral panic sustenance in the age of new media. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(1), pp.160-181.

Hasinoff, A.A., 2013. Sexting as media production: Rethinking social media and sexuality. New Media & Society, 15(4), pp.449-465.

Lessig, L., 2009. Code: And other laws of cyberspace. ReadHowYouWant. com.

Shelton, T., Poorthuis, A. and Zook, M., 2015. Social media and the city: Rethinking urban socio-spatial inequality using user-generated geographic information. Landscape and Urban Planning, 142, pp.198-211.

Thompson, J.B., 1995. The media and modernity: A social theory of the media. Stanford University Press.