Media Violence Essay
Ryan Cox
November 28, 2014
English 101 068
Final Essay (Argumentative)
Media Violence
Does violence depicted in the media causes violence in the real world? This has been a topic of debate for a number of years. Today the argument seems to be common as different types of media are all around us every moment of the day, along with ever increasing reports of violence around the world, both abroad and at home.
Violence in the news, television and film, along with violence in video games are usually the main areas of focus when it comes to this debate. “Sociologists tend to lean towards the view that media reflects society, rather than producing behaviors that are not already established within society.” (Huesmann) However, it is also argued that exposure to violent media can cause violent behavior in the real world. Those who prefer a restricted media would support the view that media violence does produce violence in the real world, for obvious reasons.
When this topic is discussed in the mainstream, violent video games seem to be the focus of the debate, ignoring violence on television, especially news programs. This is seemingly because of the several cases of violence which have been blamed on violent video games. Since the late 1990s, acts of violence have been highly publicized because the perpetrators had a history of playing video games containing violent elements. Some research finds violent video game use correlates with a temporary increase in aggression and a decrease in caring about the welfare and rights of others but these results have not been reproduced (Sherry).
Even though the media does affect society in different ways it is not proven that violence in the media produces violence in the real world and seems unlikely due to the simple fact that many people who 'enjoy ' violent media are not violent themselves. Now that this is established, it is important to discuss why individuals do become violent. Is it because of a poor upbringing or
November 28, 2014
English 101 068
Final Essay (Argumentative)
Media Violence
Does violence depicted in the media causes violence in the real world? This has been a topic of debate for a number of years. Today the argument seems to be common as different types of media are all around us every moment of the day, along with ever increasing reports of violence around the world, both abroad and at home.
Violence in the news, television and film, along with violence in video games are usually the main areas of focus when it comes to this debate. “Sociologists tend to lean towards the view that media reflects society, rather than producing behaviors that are not already established within society.” (Huesmann) However, it is also argued that exposure to violent media can cause violent behavior in the real world. Those who prefer a restricted media would support the view that media violence does produce violence in the real world, for obvious reasons.
When this topic is discussed in the mainstream, violent video games seem to be the focus of the debate, ignoring violence on television, especially news programs. This is seemingly because of the several cases of violence which have been blamed on violent video games. Since the late 1990s, acts of violence have been highly publicized because the perpetrators had a history of playing video games containing violent elements. Some research finds violent video game use correlates with a temporary increase in aggression and a decrease in caring about the welfare and rights of others but these results have not been reproduced (Sherry).
Even though the media does affect society in different ways it is not proven that violence in the media produces violence in the real world and seems unlikely due to the simple fact that many people who 'enjoy ' violent media are not violent themselves. Now that this is established, it is important to discuss why individuals do become violent. Is it because of a poor upbringing or
Cited: Huesmann L. Rowell. Leonard D. Eron, Kirsti Lagerspetz, IntervenIng Variables in the TV Violence-Aggression Relation: Evidence From Two Countries, Developmental Psychology, Vol. 20, No.5, 1984, pg. 746-775 Sherry, John (2001). "The effects of violent video games on aggression: a meta-analysis". Human Communication Research 27: 4309–4319. Ferguson, Christopher J. (2007). "The Good, the bad and the ugly: a meta-analytical review of positive and negative effects of violent video games". Psychiatric Quarterly.