Introduction
Showing scenes of cruelty and violence in the media is an important topic that has long been discussed. There are a large number of people who believe that violence on the screens can cause violent behavior in people. This can especially affect children who perceive all information overly sensitively and cannot fully distinguish films from reality. However, many also tend to believe that the impact of violence in the media is greatly exaggerated and cannot influence people’s behavior. After a detailed study of both sides’ facts and arguments, it can be argued that violence in the media can cause aggressive behavior.
Presenting the Sides of the Debate
The issue of depicting violence in the media is complex, and for its thoughtful consideration, it is necessary to consider all points of view. The debate on this issue usually involves people who argue that violent behavior cannot be caused by media depictions of violence and those who tend to believe that this factor can influence behavior. This category of people can often refer to the many studies being done to prove the connection between violent behavior and watching violence on the screen. For example, a study by Allen & Whitt (2020) shows that children who watch violent scenes in films are more likely to be convicted of criminal acts in the future.
At the same time, the other side of the debate can present arguments that the relation between these two phenomena is not completely clear since violent behavior does not appear in all people. The correlation may be a mere coincidence, and it is impossible to draw precise conclusions about how much media violence influences behavior. Thus, each side of the debate has specific evidence in favor of its arguments and opposition to the counteropinion.
Evidence of Media Violence Impact
Desensitization and the Decline of Moral Sensitivity
Despite numerous claims that media violence does not affect people’s violent behavior, this is a false statement. Constantly seeing cruelty and violence on screen can make a person less sensitive to it, which in turn can lead to a neutral or positive attitude towards violence. When people constantly see scenes of violence in movies, TV series, or the news, they gradually begin to lose sensitivity to it and cease to realize that such behavior is not normal. Because of these changes in perception and psyche, they become less sensitive and may not find it wrong to inflict violence on themselves.
The violence depicted in the media can lead to numerous consequences, such as desensitization, leading to the re-enactment of violent behavior in real life (Zulfiqar, 2020). Thus, a decrease in sensitivity affects a person’s moral system, leading to the fact that an adverse reaction may be absent to a demonstration of violence. This is a negative factor as it contributes to the emergence of violent behavior.
Media Violence and the Distortion of Reality
Exposure to violence in the media can also lead to a distorted perception of reality. Often in films or TV shows, cruelty is portrayed as unrealistic, which can affect how people imagine such acts. For example, in many works of fiction, the main character can win unequal battles with numerous opponents and remain unharmed. Such scenes can create a misrepresentation of reality where numerous injuries can be sustained or even lead to death.
In addition, media violence is often displayed on its own without the consequences it may cause in the future (Feldman, 2012). Thus, the distortion effect is amplified more as people may not realize that their actions are capable of causing significant negative consequences. This can harm society, as people will not realize the harm they can cause with their cruel actions.
Imitative Behavior and the Copycat Effect
Frequent viewing of violence can lead to imitative behavior and the re-creation of scenes of violence in real life. When people often see violence in films and on television, they may begin to repeat what they saw due to some mental disorder. This process is called the copycat effect and can induce aggressive behavior based on what the person has seen previously in the media (Rıos & Ferguson, 2020).
An example of this behavior is the 1999 Columbine School shooting, reportedly based on the film Natural Born Killers (Vitz & Faria, 2022). Thus, the impact of violence in the media has profound consequences for people’s psyches. This is especially relevant for adolescents whose psyche is not fully formed and may be more susceptible to negative influence than others. Thus, the representation of violent acts in the media can negatively influence behavior, as some individuals become imitators and begin to exhibit aggressive behavior.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth saying that even though the two sides of the debate provide arguments, violence in the media can have an impact on the formation of aggressive behavior. Exposure to scenes of violence displayed in the media can seriously desensitize one to it, leading to the re-creation of such actions in real life in the future. In addition, the mimetic effect also has an extreme degree of improbability since such cases have already been observed in the history of school shootings. A distorted perception of reality and a lack of awareness of the consequences that violence can cause are the main reasons for the negative impact of the media. Society needs to recognize the side effects that may arise from the display of violence in the media to deal with this problem effectively.
References
Allen, T. T., & Whitt, A. (2020). An examination of the relationship between media exposure and fear of victimization: Implications of the superpredator narrative on juvenile justice policies. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 71(4), 23-34. Web.
Feldman, R. (2012). Psychology and your life, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Education.
Rıos, V., & Ferguson, C. J. (2020). News Media Coverage of Crime and Violent Drug Crime: A Case for Cause or Catalyst?. Justice Quarterly, 37(6), 1012-1039. Web.
Vitz, P. C., & Faria, A. A. (2022). The absence of positive psychosocial characteristics in the lives of mass school shooters. Journal of police and criminal psychology, 1-21. Web.
Zulfiqar, S. H. (2020). Does Media Violence Cause Violence? Can exposure to Violent TV Shows, Movies and Video Games turn people Aggressive and Desensitized to Violence?. Can exposure to Violent TV Shows, Movies and Video Games turn people Aggressive and Desensitized to Violence. Web.