Preview

The Media and Its Role Today

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3356 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Media and Its Role Today
1.0 The Media and its Role Today

The media has always been playing the main role in providing information to us. Whether it covers on education, information or entertainment, gaining the latest news on these topics has been made easier nowadays with the help of the media. There are a number of the types of media that could be obtained nowadays. This includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines and internet. Although the main idea of the media is to educate people on the latest happenings, and connect the people from different parts of the world, there is also a downside of it. Sometimes, the media could have an impact towards a person’s personal lifestyle. One of the many impacts that could be influenced by an individual due to the media is their state of health. Exposure of the media could influence us either mentally, physically and socially as well.

2.0 So How Does the Media Influence a Person’s Health?

2.1 Parent Child Relationship

First of all, the media in a non obvious way is actually influencing its audience’s social relationship between parent and child. There is no doubt that when relating to the media, families are always getting together whenever they are watching a movie or enjoying their favourite sitcom aired daily. This is one of the healthy influences of the media as it helps to create closer bonds between parents and their children. A recent study estimated that 65 to 85 percent of young children’s viewing is with family members, where more than half viewing with their parents. (Van Evra 1998) But on the other hand, some people tend to misuse the media as a way to get out of family crisis. This could be seen normally among teenagers and young children where they turn to the media to avoid interaction between family members, especially their parents. It is indeed true that parents are the main contributors towards how their children behave. Nevertheless, it also could not be denied that the media is also one of the major influences of



References: Retrieved October 2, 2007 from http://family.jrank.org/pages/1681/Television-Family-Social-Uses-Influence-Television-on-Families.html Positive Choices ( Andrews University ) Retrieved October 2, 2007 from Exposure to Media Influence Retrieved September 25, 2007 from Retrieved September 25, 2007 from http://www.something-fishy.org/cultural/themedia.php The media doesn’t influence you except when it does Retrieved October 3, 2007 from Media and eating disorders Retrieved October 4, 2007 from The media’s influence on violence and aggression Retrieved October 4, 2007 from Research on the effects of media violence Retrieved October 4, 2007 from Race, Class, and Gender in American Media and Sports Retrieved October 4, 2007 from Perceptions of Race and Crime Retrieved October 5, 2007 from The White Screen: Absent Voices In The Media Retrieved October 5, 2007 from The Media: exploring the role society and media play in the development of an eating disorder and the media influence on eating disorder Retrieved October 5, 2007 The University Record, October 22, 1997 Media Influence Eating Disorder Retrieved October 5, 2007 http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/9798/Oct22_97/media.htm Retrieved October 5, 2007 http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Quick+Links/Publications/Magazine/Volume+86/Number+1/Articles/Building+an+Inclusive+Society.htm

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In this essay I will discuss how far sociologists would agree that the media causes eating disorders in women. Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the damage of an individual's physical and emotional health. Eating disorders include: bulimia, anorexia and obesity.…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Spattigue, W., & Henderson, K. A. (2004, February). Eating disorders and the role of the media. The Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13(1), 16-19. http://dx.doi.org/PMCID: PMC2533817…

    • 2432 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wendy Spettigue covers what role the media plays in eating disorders. How the media focuses on the importance of appearance for women, but also creates the epitome of beauty by portraying exaggerated features that beauty consists of. She also covers how media connects to the etiology (Medicine-the cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or condition) of eating disorders. And how it works to maintain eating disorders. She has also authored 2 book chapters on psychopharmacology for the treatment of eating disorders (Cambridge Univ Press and Guilford…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rudhra Mathiarasan MLA

    • 771 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cited: Alexander, Alison. “The effects on Media on Family Interaction.” Media, Children and the Family.…

    • 771 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In her article “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder; Body Image; Skinny on a Weighty Issue”, Meredith Baker points out that almost ten million Americans, mostly teenage and college-aged girls, are currently dealing with anorexia or bulimia. She blames the fashion and entertainment industries for contributing to the problem by showcasing celebrities and models that are unusually skinny. Baker then goes on to share her own experience with an eating disorder and how she overcame it. She believes the United States should follow France’s example and ban stick-thin models from all advertisements. She cites the fact that cultures that value full-figured women have fewer eating disorders and hopes that media outlets in the United States will also begin to provide more realistic role models in advertising. In Walter Vandereyckens article, “Media Influences and Body Dissatisfaction in Young Women”, he states that, “the influence of society and culture is putting young female adolescents at risk for developing an eating disorder”(Vandereycken 5). He discusses the cause-effect relationship between the idolization of celebrities with slim figures and low self-esteem and poor body images in teens. He emphasizes that with such unhealthy behavior, it is inevitable that adolescents would take necessary steps to achieve slim figures. Vandereycken argues that the mass media affects young adults differently based on sociocultural backgrounds and predisposed…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Instead, they argue that the media talks about valuable information on health and people’s well being. They also discuss awareness of eating disorders, through magazines, articles, and television programs. Through the media, they educate people about the danger of abusing food and help them be aware that they are not alone in their journey. The media shows a variety of body shapes and sizes; it influences young people about accepting their weight, provides positive plus size role models. What actually affects the self-esteem of these girls’ stems from many causes that have nothing to do with the media’s influence. For example, internal issues, family pressure, and peer pressure can provoke an eating disorder. Not only do women feel pressure from the media to control their weight but also receive peer pressure from, their boyfriends, husbands, parents, family and from stores that carry clothes that only carry sizes that fit small petite girls. Also, if a girl is already lacks the necessary self-confidence that she needs, it would make it easier for these outside influences to make matters…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    One common consequence of the media’s representation of the body is that the audience (more particularly women) may turn to an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa. This eating disorder involves fasting; self-starvation; vomiting; fear of being overweight; an obsession with calories, nutrition and fat grams; and dieting, despite being thin. This is merely one of the ways in which the media impacts social ideologies of women and influence women’s perception of what constitutes the “perfect” physical body. Malson (1998)…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    The mass media plays a key role in today’s society. From the young to the old, most everyone relies upon some form of popular media for entertainment, information, communication and education. Additionally, a large part of our beliefs, values and knowledge are gained through some type of popular media. The numerous sources of media in use today make it close to impossible to avoid being exposed to its content. Whether it be newspapers, television, radio, magazines, video games, Internet or one of the many other sources, there is no doubt that the media is everywhere. Furthermore, when something is everywhere, it is certain to have influential effects. If these conditions are accepted as true, then, concluding that the popular media must have influential effects on society, must also be accepted as true. Indeed, society is greatly influenced by the media, specifically, by the values that are being portrayed. Moreover, children/adolescent teens (youth), ages 8 – 17, are the group in society most significantly influenced by media content. It is in this age range that finding individuality and a sense of belonging, or fitting in, is of utmost importance. A youth’s development is effected by what they see and hear, as well as, peer pressure. From eating disorders, behavior issues and self-doubt to teen pregnancy (sex), drugs, alcohol, smoking, and even death, the media’s portrayal of values through TV, magazines, music, and video games can have potentially devastating effects, both physically and mentally on a child. Even though the media can be a positive influence on society, for instance, by keeping society informed in a crisis situation, such as natural disasters, action needs to be taken to protect our youth by reducing the negative influences resulting from immoral and unethical media content.…

    • 2201 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    8 Sources A

    • 283 Words
    • 1 Page

    "Don 't Blame Body Image on Media." Dominion Post, The 01 Nov. 2014: C4. Points of…

    • 283 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is proven that more than half of a million American teenagers have an eating disorder. Is the media to blame for this large number of eating disorders? These eating disorders have been documented in medical history since the 1800s. The media contributes to what teenagers believe is “thin and beautiful”. Having an eating disorder can cause many negative physical effects to the body. Not only are there many negative physical effects from eating disorders, there are mental and emotional effects too. One opposing argument may be that many people may have is the fact that the media could have a positive affect on eating disorders. Thus, eating disorders can be attributed to the media because the portrayal of thin and beautiful models puts pressure on the average teen.…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Media Eating Disorders

    • 1935 Words
    • 8 Pages

    We are constantly surrounded and influenced by the media no matter where we go. With all of the great improvements the media has provided to our lives, it is hard to recognize how much the media has negatively impacted us as well. Media advertises body images that are deemed to be “perfect” which pressures individuals to change their appearance to meet the standards of society’s view of “perfection.” Not everyone can achieve self-satisfaction with his or her appearance. Body image is the mental image of one’s own body based on self-esteem. Since the media does not provide a realistic standard of beauty, it does not help self-esteem and can even worsen one’s body image. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), in the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. Out of those men and women, low confidence and self-esteem are already a problem especially since research has shown that those individuals are the most influenced by the media and society. Exposure to the media can strongly contribute to the development of an eating disorder.…

    • 1935 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Society Affects Woman

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Eating Disorders and Media Influence - Body Image from Anorexia Celebrities to Athletes - Rader Programs." Eating Disorder Treatment - Anorexia Treatment, Food Addiction, Bulimia Treatment, Compulsive Overeating. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Gymnasts Research Paper

    • 1514 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cultural and psychological factors are what can trigger the development of an eating disorder by any person and with current cultural values the issue is far from being solved. Facts show that the number of cases of eating disorders increases with the passing years. As the book “Abnormal Psychology: an Integrative Approach” reports: “A growing number of studies in different countries indicate that eating disorders are widespread and increased dramatically in Western countries from about 1960 to 1995”. (p.261) Fashion and media are the elements of today’s culture that contribute most to the emergences of eating disorders. The age group in which eating disorders are particularly prone to appear includes teenagers and people in their young twenties. The reason for that lies in the fact that in this social layer of people such factors, as low self-esteem and certain disposition towards following the trends that are dictated by the media, are especially likely to appear. Models that appear on TV and on the covers of magazines are always thin and some of them even seem to be unhealthily thin. Teenage girls who normally have poor life experience and are too young to have their own opinions of what is beautiful desperately want to be as thin as the models they see in adverts. They start to try diets in the age when the organism is still growing and developing which results in the various health…

    • 1514 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The media now a day is very important and has great control when it comes to influencing the public to do, buy, or make something. While it could be of great use and a great tool, sometimes it’s the total opposite. While advertisers could use the media to make healthy communication campaigns, images in the media do influence the rates of anorexia and bulimia, lower self esteem, and show that an "ideal body" is to be skinny.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Derenne, Jennifer L., and Eugene V. Beresin. "Body Image, Media,and Eating Disorders." Academic Psychiatry. N.p., 2006. Web. 11 Mar 2012. .…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays