22 October 2013
Introduction
The presence of social media has made life more
interactively interesting online yet addictive and physically unsocial. Writers
and researchers of various backgrounds have questioned and tried to understand
what social media really is. Social media is a broad term and does not have a
specific definition but can be explained by describing it. For instance,
blogger and online writer Daniel Nations explains social media as;
“The best way to define social media is to
break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a
radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication. In Web 2.0 terms,
this would be a website that doesn't just give you information, but interacts
with you while giving you that information. This interaction can be as simple
as asking for your comments or letting you vote on an article, or it can be as
complex as Flixster recommending
movies to you based on the ratings of other people with similar interests. Think
of regular media as a one-way street where you can read a newspaper or listen
to a report on television, but you have very limited ability to give your
thoughts on the matter. Social media, on the other hand, is a two-way street
that gives you the ability to communicate too” (2013, para. 1).
As part of the SMST102-13B Media Cultures course
project on blogging exercise to see how well students in this class can enhance
their research, reading, understanding and writing skills on issues such as the
media and its community, a hypothesis was expected to be developed from
concepts of what was taught throughout the semester. This blog looks at the hypothesis:
Exposure
to adult content on both traditional and social media has a negative effect on
children age twelve or younger, and teenagers below age of seventeen.
The following writing will look firstly at the pros of
this hypothesis and secondly, at the cons, reviewing literatures and
questioning the norms. Then finally, will highlight the commentary about this
whole premise.
Pro Argument: Children must be protected from being
exposed to adult content on traditional and social media as they grow up inorder
to avoid children making wrong choices with sexual life and violence.
The Social Media
Revolution
(http://web.efzg.hr/dok/MAR/vskare/kolegiji/im/materijali/The_social_media_revolution.pdf)
DOI: 10.2509/S1470785309200773
Tom Smith, the Founder and Managing Director of
Trendstream, a research company explains about the uprising of social media
throughout the world and ways it can be used or has been used for market
research on consumer products. Smith describes it as “user-driven technologies such as blogs and social networks and video
sharing platforms” (n.d, para. 1). Social media trend that is governing the
way internet is used and taking a lead in social platforms are Facebook,
MySpace, YouTube and now Twitter. By not only has it change human relationship
with content and information but also shows that people who are not actively
involved in social media are somehow affected by results from other users who
constantly use social media platforms. This also exposes users to other unknown
users online. This affects how people perceive their opinions of an agenda both
online and offline especially when they turn to traditional forms of media. An
example given is reading news about a plane crash first on a social medium such
as Twitter than later hearing it on television affects the way the person
acquired their information. In previous years before social network took over,
professional in fields of businesses pave the path for their customers by
deciding what was best for them. It was a one way communication route where the
customer’s needs and opinions were not taken into consideration. But now with
the presence of social media, there is a turn in the ways things were done.
Consumers now have the power to express their opinions on what they like and do
not like. Consumers give easy feedbacks through the social medium they use
making professionals, companies or brands change their traditional ways of
dealing with research and now pay attention by listening. To make their
customers happy, listening to the feedbacks given via social media and using
the feedback given, this is now a two way communication system. With this in
place, companies now have the global community online everyday using their
favourite social medium giving a rise to more research to carry out and more
information sharing via blogs, social network pages or video sharing. Therefore,
the more information is uploaded online, the more it makes research easy for
those conducting it and consumers are easy targets as they spend their time on
these social networks.
Research on Sex in the
Media
This article looks at means by which media has an
impact on young people through media messages that communicate unpleasant views
and conducts that may put children at risk to knowing these things. This has
raised concern among adults who voiced their opinions on the matter and this
brought about invention of technological devices to restrict certain explicit
sites on media which can assist parents controlling what their children are
exposed to. Also certain laws’ such as the “Communications Decency Act 1996”
was imposed in the US Supreme Court to protect children from being exposed to
images or sounds unintentionally. This article was done to study scientific
theory and research concerning impacts of sexual content in mass media on young
peoples’ approaches towards sex and sexual behaviour. It is being noted that
sexual media can be alienated into two categories; the first will be “Embedded
Sexual Content” in which little bit of sexual content will be placed in a
general viewing program such as soap operas not aiming to promote sexual
content but it can be classified as a degree to exposure of it. Second category
is known as “Sexual Explicit Media” as this is where full nudity and actual
sexual acts occur. However, the article focuses more on the ‘embedded sexual
content’. The research looks at public perception about television been the
main cause and source of information which young people get most of their
information about sexual contents but scientific research argues that it is not
quite true about this public opinion. The authors debated their research on
social learning theory which included observational learning and other media
related researches about how children can be impacted with what they see and
hear and perceived as real even if it is fictional. Malamuth and Impett (2001)
quoting Troseth and DeLoache (1998) stated that age can also be an essential
factor in observational learning via media and other causes. Toddlers who are
two and half years old obtain information through representative forms of media
such as television, however, children two years old and below will not be able
to process such information as they are still yet to identify the symbols
involved. Therefore, children can still be impacted with what they see as they
grow older.
Sexy
Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and
Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behaviour. (http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/117/4/1018.full)
This third article looks at research carried out by
number of academics in the United States of America with the objective to
investigate if exposure to sexual content in four mass media used by teenagers
at an early age to anticipate their sexual behaviour. The study was conducted
on 1017 black and white adolescents of 14 middle schools. It was noted that
mass media as essential bases of sexual information made it easier for both
black and white adolescents to spend more time as it is common, idealized and
significantly free. Eighty-three percent of 20 television shows watch in 2002
indicates that it was watched regularly and included sexual content. In spite
of various exposures graphics examples such as Janet Jacksons “wardrobe
malfunction” watched on super-bowl to have an impact on adolescents life,
studies still debate that it affects a few of about forty percent. Other
studies show that there is an impact of television on young people’s sexual
beliefs and these have found that prime-time programs and music videos
centering on sex outside marriage stimulate more consented sexual behaviours.
It is further debated that young people involved in sex were more attracted to
sexual content in media than the exposure to sexual media imposing on the young
to enact in sexual activity. Despite the assessment and debates on the
adolescence sexual life, the final results have shown that sexual content in
mass media exposes young people to the available information and risks of them
being involved in early sexual activity.
Con Argument:
Children’s exposure to
adult content on traditional and social media helps them to understand what to
expect as they grow older.
Social Media and Mobile
Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults (http://web.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Social_Media_and_Young_Adults_Report_Final_with_toplines.pdf)
In this publication from the Pew Research Centre
report looks at the growth of the young generation in the midst of today’s
technology. This group of American’s generation between the ages 18 – 29 are
termed as the Millennials. Contained in this report is the attitude and
behaviours of this stated age group towards their use of internet and social
media. The findings are compared with adolescents and adults above the age of
30. The authors state that internet is a main and obligatory component in the
lives of these young Americans as presented in the graph below.
The research shows that about seventy six percent of
family with children between the ages of 12 - 17 have broadband internet access
in their houses, thirty two percent of family owning cable modem, thirty
percent with DSL enabled phone line, eleven percent report having wireless
internet connection, ten percent with dial-up connection and three percent
having a fiber optic connection.
Having this access to internet services has resulted
in 63% of teens going online daily in which older teens visit internet often
then the younger teens. Internet users that go online most of the time are the
ones that use broadband and wireless internet. Internet usage is not conducted
on computers and laptops alone but now used on mobile cell phones, wireless
devices and game consoles such as PS3 and x-box. Despite the presence of new
devices, computers are still the popular approach teens use to search the web. Technology
is making things essential to use the internet, keep in touch with others and
find information online. Having ownership to one or two of the gadgets that has
access to internet has allowed teens to do activities such as getting current
news content, buying items such as books and music online, find information in
relation to health topics that teens are not comfortable discussing with others.
Not only do young people use internet for such but mostly to find pleasure
online by visiting social networking sites and online games.
The study also shows that gender, education and income
play a role in the use of wireless internet. In terms of children visiting
social network, most focus on sites that communicate at their level and
interact with their interests. It is also noted that teens using online often
could be encouraged by sites they visit. To conclude, the findings have shown
that despite the social networks having a policy for children below the age of
twelve not to register online, the site does not actively enforce those
policies.
The Contradictions of
Parenting in a Media Age
By Kay S. Hymowitz (Book:
Kids Stuff, Marketing Sex and Violence to American Children by Diane Ravitch
& Joseph P. Viteritti, pp. 214 – 239, 2003).
Parents in the
US are concerned about the popular culture and its impacts on their young
children. They fear that violence and sexual fixations found on television, rap
music, video games and the internet may spoil their children. A report by FTC
highlighted that entertainment companies regularly sell their vicious products
to kids even if they’re not concern with the children’ welfare. Study shows
parents control their child’s television viewing but in spite of this heavy
metal music and internet remains a high concern. Children with television sets
in their bedrooms are more likely to be at risk as parents do not fully monitor
what their children watch behind closed doors and what the kids are capable of
mimicking in school. Annenberg researches noted a downward style in which 24%
of pre-school age kids who own television sets in their rooms. The survey
further explains that parents concern on media use may not be statistically
equivalent to the time children have with their TV sets. Other media to take
into account are mediums such as video and computer games and CD’s in which
parents may lack control over. Evidence suggests that parent really lack in
monitoring what contents their children watch. This also includes the type of
music that their children listen to and the lyrics of the songs whether it
contains explicit languages in it. Hymowitz concludes that parents to revisit
their own roles and see how they can guide their children with a meaningful
counter-culture and see how to combat proportions in the media that are
difficult to deal with. This would mean that parent will need to pay closer
attention to children’s vulnerability and find ways to differentiate
intellectual censorships that endeavours to help young people’s imagination of
the real world. This may include switching television off and filtering the
music children listen to.
The Effects of Cutting
Back on Media Exposure
By Thomas N. Robinson
(Book: Kids Stuff, Marketing Sex and Violence to American Children by Diane
Ravitch & Joseph P. Viteritti, pp. 193 – 213, 2003).
Robinson in his
writing looks at what would occur if children learn to reduce their television,
videotape and video game use. He looks at ways to have an effect of reducing
exposure instead of the effects of the exposure itself. Children spend endless
hours infront of television sets, DVDs and playing video games and most of this
American adolescents find themselves waking up infront their sets. There are
possible risks associated when it comes to studying how to reduce media
exposure. Results found may be difficult to prove that exposure to media is the
cause of suggested outcomes in the real world because it is hard to demonstrate
it to the public. The rest of the article describes results of controlled trial
of reducing children’s media use. The study was based on third and fourth level
students of two public schools in California. During the research it was found
that television uses about 16% frequent advertising to get messages across to
children who are watching. For instance, advertisements containing toys are
aimed at children while they are watching their kids program on television and
after that children persuade their parents about purchasing toys that they have
seen on TV. After completion of research, Robinson has stated that individual
exposures to media usually connect with the individual-level behaviours, and
can be limited by errors of measuring exposure. As media technologies have
increased and advanced and multiplied it is difficult to get a precise
measurement meaning that sometimes people turn to overestimate or underestimate
the amount of time on their actual media use and this can result in one-sided
decisions or false interactions between media exposure and behaviour that
really do not happen. The author prefers natural experiments in which a natural
event occurs in reality that permits a researcher to monitor the pattern to
determine their findings. Despite not coming up with a desired result of the
research, Robinson concluded that “instead of just learning that media exposure
has a certain conclusion, it also verifies that it is open to more researches
to figure out a solution to effects of children’s exposure to media.
Commentary:
The revolution of social media just added onto what
traditional media had already infused in human beings lifestyle. It is a
similar trend of attacking the younger generation but on a different platform
that makes interactivity more pleasurable and exciting. Looking at the first
article on the social media revolution, it can be clearly noted that younger
generations are always attracted to new innovations that brings enjoyment to
their life, not only that but children are usually tempted to try things out especially
anything that is new and common among their peer groups. This is good but can
also pose a threat to the young children because when trying out anything new,
it can either be good or bad and since children are still learning to
differentiate between good and bad they can mistake bad for good while using
social media networks. Using examples
from the first article, when blogging was first introduced most of the
teenagers and young adults where using it then when social network sites such
as MySpace and Facebook got introduced, everyone started diverting their
attention towards it that the young people rate in blog use dropped. The thing
to consider is that other websites are using this social network sites as their
path to advertise their products and also carry out research and this could be
a risk given that some of this sites may contain adult content.
The second article highlighted areas of research on
sex in the media. It indicates that not all media content that comes out is one
hundred percent pure. This shows that whether young children watch television,
listen to the radio, read newspapers and magazines, see billboards and go
online to social networks to catch up with friends or just for pleasure they
are exposed to forms of adult content. Adult content can not only mean nudity,
foul language, sex or sexual behaviour. Adult content can refer to things such
as product brandings, financial crisis, environmental issues, wars, political
issues, famine and disaster. All this issues that can cause a negative response
to children either it be emotional, mental or physical. Hearing and seeing all
this can take away their innocent mindset and give them opinions to question
those in authority of them.
The third article looked at four mass media and how it
aided to the black and white adolescents sexual behaviour. It highlighted that
television played a huge role in the adolescent’s cognitive decisions. Young
people are more interested in what content is on the media so that they can
gain more information about it incase they need it in future and may not merely
intend for them to be actually involved in sexual activity. From observation,
certain young people find it difficult to openly talk about personal and
private issues and the only way to feel safer and confident is by searching for
answers online or through newspapers and mainly magazines. Trust is an issue
and the next is other people been judgemental about their views on what they
need to know. Children are worried about what their parents may think and judge
them on if they talk to them about something sex related and the more safer
place is the internet or otherwise the magazines that content information they
are after.
The fourth article looks at the attitude and behaviour
of the millennial towards their use of internet and social media. This suggests
that when in the midst of a particular
Form of media, it can influence the character and ways
of how a person conducts themselves around it. The next article looks at how
parents look their children usage of social media and the contents it has that
can have an impact on the child’s life. And the final article looks at the
effects to reduce exposure to social and traditional media and how to work their
way around it without being influenced by the whole media. Also a person must
be open to accept that not all results turn out to be positive and there is a
no one solution to the whole system.
Reference:
Brown, J. D, L’Engle, K. L, Pardun, C. J, Guo
G, Kenneavy, K and Jackson, C. (2005). Official Journal of the American Academy of
Paediatrics: Sexy media matter: exposure
to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines predicts black
and white adolescents' sexual behaviour. Retrieved from (http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/117/4/1018.full)
Greenfield, P. M. (2004). Applied
Development Psychology 25 (2004) 741 – 750: Inadvertent exposure to pornography
on the Internet: Implications of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks for child
development and families. Retrieved from http://forums.newspeakdictionary.com/img/Inadvertent_exposure_to_porn.pdf
Hymowitz, K. S. (2003). In D. Ravitch &
J. P. Viteritti (ed.), Kids Stuff, Marketing Sex and Violence to American Children:
The contradictions of parenting in a
media age. Baltimore, ML: The John Hopskins University Press.
Lenhart, A, Purcell, K, Smith, A and
Zickuhr, K. (2010). Pew Internet & American Life Project: Social media and
young adults report. Retrieved from http://web.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Social_Media_and_Young_Adults_Report_Final_with_toplines.pdf.
Malamuth, N. M. and Impett, E. A. (2001).
In Singer, D. G. and Singer, J. L. (Eds.) Handbook of Children and the Media:
Research on sex in the media. Retrieved from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/malamuth/pdf/01HcmC13.pdf
Nations, D. (2013) What is Social Media? Retrieved
from http://webtrends.about.com/od/web20/a/social-media.htm
Smith, T. (2010). The social media revolution.
Retrieved from
Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content
in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts Black and White
Adolescents' Sexual Behaviour. Retrieved from http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/117/4/1018.full
