Shaping Society: The Powerful Influence of Mass Media

In an era of technological advancement, a pressing question which has surfaced is whether the media which people are inevitably exposed to has an impact on their behavior. Mass media refers to the various media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication; behavior is the actions and mannerisms made by individuals, especially towards others.

There have been various studies carried out by researchers which suggest the messages delivered to individuals by the media have a negative or unhealthy influence on an individual’s behavior.  Taking children as examples: with action films, children tend to imitate the ‘heroic figure’. This makes them believe that violent actions and behaviors are acceptable in society as the heroes are often portrayed to have become successful in the end through aggressive actions. Although the focus of most actions’ films is not their violent behaviors and actions, the fact that these protagonists succeed through violence can subconsciously harm children’s development. In return for these protagonists being celebrated and cheered for, children begin to look up to them as their ‘role model’ and tend to copy their characters. It is not only children’s programs which contain these subtle acts of violence, with some containing elements of vulgarity. In fact, research shows that film violence contributes to both a short-term and long-term increase in aggression and violence in young viewers. For example, there was a case in 1995 where there was an arson attack, mimicking the then newly released movie ‘Money Train’, resulting in a subway token clerk in critical condition. Further examples of behavioral influence because of media consumption are video games. Many studies have shown that social media’s violent games resulted in an increase in aggressive behavior as well. As rated by the video game industry, 94% of games rated as ‘appropriate’ for teens contain violence. The American Psychological Association (APA) and other professional organisations have recognised the links between media violence and aggressive behaviour.  

Another issue is mass media’s link to increased rates of suicide. After the 2014 suicide of Robin Williams, a popular comedian and actor, researchers saw a nearly 10 percent increase in suicides. A clear reason or explanation to why there is this contagion effect has not been discovered yet. However, researchers think that hearing or reading about suicide could potentially “activate neurons that are correlated with suicide” and makes it more susceptible to those who are at risk. Another controversial case is of the show 13 Reasons Why which contained an episode which portrayed a character’s suicide. Researcher says, “In a person who is not at risk, it’s not a dangerous show […] But in a person who is at risk, it’s a very dangerous show.” For example, Katrina Sheffield, a Florida mom, said that the show had ‘inspired’ her daughter’s suicide attempt in May. During her attempt, her daughter had sent a text message saying that it was “taking longer” than on what had been show on the show, and that her method was like that of the characters. This shows the devastating impacts which mass media can have on those who are vulnerable and teens whose minds have not been fully developed yet, thus are easily influenced. 

Despite the many negative influences media consumption has on behaviour, there are also benefits. In a recent study, the effect of the popular show ‘16 and Pregnant’ on teen pregnancies in the United States was examined. The show depicted the difficult reality of daily life for pregnant teens and motherhood in its early stages. The study’s results concluded that the show increased awareness on birth control and abortion with the eventual decrease in teen pregnancies. The show’s significant impact could explain up to one third of all the decline. Thus, mass media consumption can be an extremely useful tool in raising awareness of issues. The media has also resulted in health promotion. For example, the World Health Organization reported that media campaigns for smoking cessation have been successful in reducing smoking rates, with some studies showing a 10-15% decrease in smoking prevalence following the campaigns. 

To conclude, mass media has a multifaceted influence on behaviour of all age groups. Although complex with many various factors, such as individual characteristics and social context, influencing how much and to what extent the consumer is affected by this exposure, it is crucial for individuals to develop media literacy and critical thinking skills. In an increasingly media-saturated world, being aware of the potential influence of media messages and encouraging a discerning approach to media consumption, the positive aspects of mass media can be harnessed whilst simultaneously mitigating the potential negative impacts on behaviour.