Hey! Its me Sha again…

Blog post No.2 :

• What is wrong with “media effects” model?
• What are some questions I have in mind that would help shape the mass opinion on media effects?

What is “Media effects” model ?

• “Media effects” model is a theory that explains how media influences people and passively affects their attitude and perception.

One of the theories of “Media effects”:

• In the first half of the 1900s, the hypodermic needle theory was developed. This theory proved that any content on media would penetrate the minds of audiences with ease and also be accepted by them.
• (1)The media theory is of 3 different types                
  • Direct – Direct influences on audiences
  • Limited – People use media to satisfy their own needs, hence there is very little impact on the audiences even if so it would be direct.
  • Indirect – sees media effects as slow or cumulative rather than quick and direct.

Positive effects:

Media is not to be always blamed only for the negative impacts it has made in people. Media has brought many positive changes in the audiences. Mainly education through media has developed and hence many students have benefited from it.

Negative effects:

Before I talk about the negativity of Media effects, I would like to share with all of you an incident that happened in the year 2004. (2) A teenager from UK murdered his friend.”The murder took place in a way that could be traced back to be influenced by a video game that he had been playing” says his mother. The court decided that the game had no bearing to the case. The teenage boy had some money issues and decided to rob his friend. But, ended up in killing him when the situation got out of control. Apparently, at the court hearing, the victim’s mother said that the murderer was not triggered by the game but he got the ideas, the violence and the methods from the game.

This incident that I have explained clearly shows what I mean by negative effects. Media might not be the direct reason for crime. But, it is a passive influencer.

There has not been a proper experiment conducted to prove that “Media effects” theory is either right or wrong. I feel that the experiments conducted should be fair and unbiased in order to get an effective result. But, even if effective experiments are conducted the results lies half way between positive and negative.

Here are some hindering questions in my mind that might shape mass opinions.

1. How are the contents of media differing from country to country to suit its culture and its intended effect on its people? I believe that media in different country differs in its content. By that I mean, in various countries, there are different kinds of expectations on the common people. This is being brought to them passively through media. Eg: in certain countries, fairness products are largely advertised. People are made to believe that a certain skin colour is beauty and certain colour is not. This creates inferiority complex within an individual.
2. Are our diet and other food habits based on media?    People back in the days ate food for hunger, daily need, health, etc reasons. But today people eat all different kinds of cuisines and varieties they see on media, mainly social media. But, we often tend to forget that regular food habits are supposed to be based on our geographical location and varying climate . It is interesting to taste various types of food unless or until it is within healthy limits.
3. Are we being concerned about something that is not the real problem. Is media affecting us in a silent and subtle manner that we will never be able to realize? This is a nightmare if we think about it deeply. There is no definite answer to this question. But, thinking about this tortures my mind.       

Conclusion:

Wondering what “Media Effect” is, trying to find a solution to this question. These are done as part of our contribution to what we are studying but, taking personal actions is for self-wellness. The ultimate and desired use of media is to analyse and understand good and bad media content. Take in good media content. Leave behind the bad side of it. Thank you all for taking time to read my blog. See you guys again in my next post.

References:

1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12yJg7MyQw6SE-mkPLAASI9L-RmRL1qzaAWBXbxuw0OY/edit
2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1470929/Teenager-gets-13-years-for-video-game-murder.html (Teenager gets 13 years for “video game” murder)

Image credits:

1. http://cartoonsbytom.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_8650.html
2. https://studymasscommunication.com/category/theory/
3. http://drewmckissick.com/three-types-of-media/
4. https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/grieving-dad-wants-man-who-3770835
5. https://returntonow.net/2019/08/02/why-suntans-really-are-healthy-and-pale-skin-really-is-sickly/
6. https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/10-things-that-irk-us-most-about-dining-out-in-the-uae-1.664363
7. https://wsimag.com/science-and-technology/24461-the-negative-effects-of-social-media