the way the media influence our lives Essay -- essays research papers

Are we influenced by the media, if yes how much? Sociologist and Psychologist contemplate that question often. The media has been accused of causing violent behavior, negative racial stereotyping and negative body perceptions mostly among young girls. No one can deny that the media has an effect on society, but is the media just giving society what he or she wants? Has the media taken away our ability to think for ourselves critically? We are constantly feed information from the newspapers, television news and weekly news magazines most of us believing without question because we believe the source credible. â€Å"In 1989 while jogging in central park a women was brutally attacked raped and beaten.† I remember the incident well because it was all over the news, in papers and magazines for months. Five teens Hispanic and African American were accused of the crime. I remember the newspaper articles and reporters on television referring to the teens as an angry wolf pack. The word allegedly was absent form all conversation over the incident. The media convicted the teens before the trail began. I believe because of all the negative exposure from the media the teens didn’t have a snowballs chance in hell. All five of the boy were convicted and served time for the attack on the central park jogger. Thirteen years later, a man named Matias Reyes who was not related to the crime at all is now coming forward from behind bars and saying, â€Å"you know what, by the way, I’m the one who did it. And the five teenagers who served time, they didn’t do it.† And the DNA that was taken from the victim’s body at the time of the attack matches Reyes. Reyes also confessed to an identical crime two days earlier in the same area of the park. The lawyers who defended the teenagers are now saying â€Å"we were never told about a lone, Predatory rapist prowling that same area of the park just days before the jogger was attacked.† The police and the prosecutors may have withheld that information so that they could expedite the conviction of the teens as they sometimes do. I still believe that the media despite of the limited evidence help in the conviction of five youth. The media depicted the teens, as angry mobs and wolf packs constantly to the public this is n ot an isolated incident the media does all the time. In fact judges and attorneys are blaming the media for destroying a person’s righ... ...lated study of emotions. In this study, research assistants acted abusively toward some of the subjects. Later, when they were put in apposition to retaliate, both those who had been provoked and those who had been exposed to violent films (but not provoked) showed an increase in hostile behavior. Although men were more aggressive than women overall, exposure to violent films influenced the behavior of both sexes equally. (Miller, Michael Craig). Although some research can link violent behavior directly to the media our society crave violence in movies music and in newspapers. Should the media be more responsible when entertaining the public? As for the movies television and music the argument can always be if you don’t like it don’t go to see it or simply change the channel. That would set well with adult’s argument, but how about children. The media often states that parents should regulate what their children are watching on television and what music they are listening to. In and age where there are more single parent households and latchkey kids I believe the media also has to be more responsible as to what type of programming is assessable to children between certain hours.