Media Violence and Media Effects

With media exposing audiences to acts of violence through the news, film, social media and more, those consuming this content over time will become desensitised to the graphic nature of the material they are viewing and may develop barbarous tendencies. The apprehension that initially comes after exposure to violent content will lessen over time and create ideas for people to use for their own intemperate pursuals.

To my mind, we should limit the amount of violence in the media and showings of brutality, as younger audiences are easily influenced - especially by something so consequential. The risk of people acting more aggressively is increased, and they develop a fear themselves of being a target for violence. Repeatedly seeing this behaviour in the media is indoctrinating, especially to younger onlookers. Carers need to be alert on what content their child is consuming, and censorship could even be necessary to stop this continuously growing problem.

My claim is backed firstly with the ever-growing cases of school shootings, and the media that goes in hand with those influenced to commit these acts. To illustrate, the term ‘Columbine Effect’ came about after the Columbine shooting massacre in April of 1999. The event was broadcast over the news and one of the most significant stories of the year – a deadly shooting at the hands of teenagers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, killing 13 individuals before themselves. Some may look at how this introduced higher levels of school safety, such as gun control and metal detectors into many schools across America, but this act also influenced tens of hundreds of shootings. The Columbine shooters themselves were said to have been influenced specifically by the music of Marilyn Manson, whose music promoted suicide, drug use, and hate. Below shows just 11 of the mass shootings that followed Columbine, and their death toll.

For more insight on this topic, I can also recommend the film Zero Day, which follows the Columbine shooters and the build-up to this disastrous event, or the documentary Zero Hour which analyses their influences, and the way others were affected. It has detailed time and act recreations, and what was the cause of the incident.

Another example that also ties into school shootings is Stephen Kings ‘Rage.’ A book that he originally released under the alias name ‘Richard Bachman’ as a series of books, the story followed a troubled high school student who entered school, killing faculty members, and holding a class captive. The book inspired 4 known shootings, in which the students were all found with a copy of the book in either their school bag or locker. One of these incidents occurred in April 1988, when a Californian student held his class hostage, later telling police the book inspired him. This led to to King banning the book himself. Below is the cover and blurb.

Finally, I present an example that does not follow a school shooting, but a film inspired murder. The film ‘Scream’ (1997) inspired a series of copy-cat murders. The film follows two teenagers, Billy and Stu, as they kill their friends in a self-parodying manner. One of these copy-cat murders was the case of Casey Stoddart, who in September of 2006 was killed by her two friend’s Torey Adamcik and Brian Driper, who were attempting to recreate the film. They were only 16 years old, having attended Pocatello High with who would become the victim of this crime. Below is the cover of the film, alongside the two murderers.

To conclude, these three examples amongst many are evidence that violence in the media certainly influences others and inspires them to take their own course of action on the events they see in the media, whether through film, news, books, and more. Along with these examples, 58% of scholars, according to a survey provided by ‘Psychiatric Times’, agree that there is a relationship between exposure to violent media and aggression.

People may counter this argument in saying that this content can be helpful, giving people coping skills that allows them to have control of their emotions. Violent content also allows people to build stronger versions of themselves, hold out against pressure, and be able to openly discuss these viewings with others.

In response to these points, we could suggest there needs to be a balance. Some violent exposure can be good and something that people enjoy watching – it shows us the reality of the world we live in and can make content like films and books more exciting and dramatic. However, if this content is going to influence violence, we need to put boundaries somewhere and limit what people have access to. In doing so, it may be possible to prevent future violent acts.

Over time, this is an issue that will only worsen unless managed. Long-term effects of exposure to violence leave individuals with increased aggression and inspire violent acts. With screen time being higher than ever for young people, they will practically inhale this content, especially without the correct supervision. The topic is a debatable one, and a middle ground can be found in restricting this media, at least until the age where a person can form an intellectual morally sound opinion of the things they say and distinguish between right and wrong.