Are media evils?

The mixture – that mixture of visual and aural information so ubiquitous in modern society – has been blamed for a myriad of problems. These problems range from social ills such as moral degradation in society, to more individual-specific maladies, such as introverted-ness and violence amongst teenagers. However, proponents of the evils of the media at times overstate the facts, blowing minor maladies out of proportion. The extent to which this occurs is still up for debate; the media may yet be fully culpable for that which it has been blamed for.
Firstly, the media has been blamed for causing violence, or aggressive behavior amongst youths, ostensibly because of the rampant images of celebratory violence and wanton aggression shown to the general public through various mediums such as television and cinema. In James P. Steyer’s book, “The Other
Parent”, he blames commercialized violence for the rising crime rate in America, basing his assertions on interviews with children and trends in violence over the years. However, such assertions cannot explain the results of a comparison between the United States and Canada. In a heavily publicised example in the movie
“Bowling for Columbine”, a comparison between the two countries showed that even though violence on television in Canada was just as graphic and rampant as in the United States, the violent crime rate in Canada – even amongst youths – was still lower. Furthermore, there are other factors which might cause an increase in violent activity amongst youths such as the rise in the number of dual-income families, a proven contributor to childhood delinquency as the child is not cared for as much as in past times. Therefore, although there is some truth in the allegations that the media is responsible for violence in society, to say that it is solely responsible for violence amongst youths while eschewing the other factors as well would be an exaggeration, but not a gross one, as there is