Media Proliferation and Violence in Youths?

Question

How has the proliferation of the media (ie. television, the internet, pop culture) influenced the thinking of youths?

Do you think it has had any impact on violence in youths, as manifested in those violent campus shootings that have occured in recent times?

If you do think it has indeed had some impact, then in what ways have it contributed to violence in youths?

Answer 1

First of all, violence in media has been made the simple & believable target for creating havoc & chaos in society.  Question is, does violence create society, or does society create violence?  Violence in media is the creative and carefully crafted production of film directors.

About the impact on children.  People are more greatly influenced by interactive human beings than a passive TV set that emits only radio waves.  Instead of making media a scapegoat of increased shootings & crimes--look at ourselves and how we educate our kids.

Violence in media is set to satsify the taste of the majority, thus it puts the responsibility in parents' hand to educate their kids properly.  Violent programs do have the disclaimer:  the following program contains violence, viewer discretion is advised.  Parents & kids can choose to respect that.

Rather from the media, it's the things kids see in real life that "motivate" them to committ crimes.  Growing up in a dysfunctional family, a trouble childhood, and abusive parents--these are the real tumor of the cancer.

Violence in media may have 1% contribution to all the crimes in reality, but I don't feel strong about it at all.  People are used to blame their own faults on others; it's just the human nature, like violence exist in nature too.

Answer 2

yes,

This is a very violent and barbaric generation.

Answer 3

You've asked two completely different questions.

I have yet to see any study that makes any attempt to rule out any other environmental factors than the media with regards to violence in youths.  So much has changed in American society in the past 20 years that it's impossible to pin any one factor on an increase in violence.  Blaming the media for it is as narrow-minded as blaming skin color for gang violence.  

That said, it'd be naive to think that the media hasn't influenced us at all.  It's just impossible to isolate exactly how.