29 November 2011
The Illusions of Romantic Comedies and its Effect on Marriage
It is no surprise that while the media is a source for news, education, and primarily entertainment, it has also been influencing society regarding our beliefs and values in a variety of ways. Consequently, media influence is often used in studies such as communication and sociology, to examine the affects it has on its audience. Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and creates the culture. Throughout our day, from the moment we get up, we are exposed to a multitude of messages from numerous forms of media. This includes everything from reading the newspaper or watching the news to be informed on current events, watching other television programs, listening to the radio, and reading magazines for entertainment, and using the internet and social networks to communicate with others. However, while most studies that have received awareness have been centralized on the media influence of violence, politics, and body image, the affects the media can impact on a marriage, has not been as publicized. While the media certainly influences our standards and expectations when it comes to status and body image, this paper will further that notion and highlight what is often overlooked—how our constantly transforming values due to media influence, specifically the films we see, will ultimately affect our idea of gender roles, which are thus activated in a marriage. The media has been to blame for several issues, such as eating disorders among young girls due to the images we see on television, in magazines, and on billboards, that create a false representation of what is considered normal and beautiful. These media images are often used in advertising that convinces us we need certain products in order to improve ourselves, and make ourselves more desirable to the opposite sex. Authors of the article, Expose the Illusions, Crack the Codes: