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Media Impact On Criminal Behavior Essay

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Media Impact On Criminal Behavior Essay
Does the Media Impact Societal Behavior?
Jake Michajla
Cascadia Community College
English 102

Abstract
Eating disorders, criminal offenses, and much more, all have some connection with the media. There are so many magazines, television shows, etc., that portray an image of perfection. Several people in this world feel that they need to be just like the celebrities on the TV screen or in a magazine advertisement. This causes the people, who view it, to go on extreme diets and/or perform uncharacteristic acts, which can end up leading to harmful consequences.
Issues With the Media
The media surrounds society in so many different ways. Every significant story is immediately displayed through the media, no matter what the …show more content…
When a crime occurs, the media immediately surrounds the case in order to receive the most information possible. However, the media represents criminal cases very poorly. The media actually turns horrible criminals, into famous criminals. (Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 2013). Instead of giving the case privacy and letting a jury decide the suspect’s destiny, the media is right there. This then makes some of these worthless and horrible criminals, famous. Due to this, people who are contemplating committing a heinous crime would rather go down in history as a famous criminal, rather than an unknown human being. These people will be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody. It is very sickening to think about, but this is the reality of the media, and this is what it has done and continues to do in our society. There are psychotic and mental individuals in our world, and the media boosts their temptation to commit a terrible …show more content…
Curtis, A., & University of North Carolina at Pembroke (2012). Mass Media Influence on Society. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html
Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture (2013). Media Consumption and Public Attitudes Toward Crime and Justice: The Relationship Between Fear of Crime, Punitive Attitudes, and Perceived Police Effectiveness. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol10is2/dowler.html
Kearney, M. S., & Levine, P. B. (2014, January). Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV’s "16 and Pregnant" on Teen Childbearing | Brookings Institution. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/01/media-influences-impact-of-16-and-pregnant-kearney
Ross-Flanigan, N. (2004). Eating Disorders. In K. L. Lerner & B. W. Lerner (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1328-1331). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from
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