"Folk Devils": Violence and Sex in the Media

There is no denying the fact that our media has become saturated with violence and sex. It seems that movies these days can get away with a lot more violence and nudity in pg-13 movies. The question is what does this say about our society? And what effect does this have on society?

I believe one of the main reasons we find sex and violence in the media is because sex and violence sells and the media industry is all about profit. But why is that this is what audiences want to see? Maybe it is because it seems thrilling and takes us away from what seems like our mundane everyday lives. Maybe it is an easy way for us to escape. In the news media the shock and awe aspect of violent news draws many viewers. Maybe it is that phenomena not wanting to look at something so horrible, but at the same time you can't seem to look away. Whatever the case it seems that the huge amount of images of sex and violence in the media has become a scapegoat for larger social issues, that may have some correlation, but are not fully to blame. Many try to claim that violence in the media is making children more violent. However, I believe this view completely disregards the agency of the audience. Even though people may enjoy watching violence in a movie or playing a violent video game most children are taught from a young age how to discern from right and wrong. I believe that most people are very aware of the implication in video game versus in the real world. In fact, video games and other media may be an outlet for feeling of anger that would otherwise be expressed in the real world. I think perhaps an issue that might be of more relevance, is not that we are becoming a more violent society, but that we are becoming more desensitized to the violence. Even by just watching the news we are exposed to so much violence, and the question that many people have asked is how can you people watch something so terrible on the news and then sit down to eat their dinner like any other night? We see so much death and destruction on the news and we begin to feel so helpless in the midst of it all. We have to cut off our emotions when we see the violence and suffering that is happening around the world.

Sex in the the media also gets blamed for teenagers being more sexually active and for more teen pregnancies and so on an so forth. Although, there is a lot of sex in the media and children and teenagers often to have misconception about the realities of sex because of how it is portrayed in the media, I think that they are more influenced by their peers and the environment they grow up in. I think peer pressure factors in a lot and teenagers will listen more to what their friends have to say or the people they look up to then what they see on the media. Thus, although it is hard to escape sex and violence in the media, people should be wary of placing too much blame on the media to avoid addressing the real problems in our society.

On a side note, I recently read an article in The New Yorker about Mr. Skin and his popular website at skin.com. It just shows you how much nudity really is a part of movies and what does the popularity of this website tell you about our society? Especially its portrayal of women as sex icons in the media? Anyways, here is a little more information on the website:

Globalization?

Two important questions to consider in today's world are, does globalization really exist? And if so, does it have a positive or negative effect? I think it is pretty difficult to deny that globalization is a very real thing that is happening and will continue to expand, thanks in large part to advancements in technology. Speaking specifically in terms of the globalization of the media, some argue that globalization isn't all that it's cracked up to be because there are many people in the world that do not have access to all the technology that allows them to view what the media has to offer. While this is true I believe that as time goes on more and more people will gain access to the necessary technology. It is true that we have not become a fully globalized world, but I believe we will continue to move in that direction. Where it will lead in the end, I am not sure. In some ways the globalization has a positive effect because it makes it easier to communicate more easily with other nations and share and exchange ideas. However, one major concern and downside of globalization is that, currently it seems to be more of a westernization. Because some countries are more wealthy and powerful then other nations it is inevitable that they have more influence on the media and where and how it is relayed to the rest of the world. The United States has the money to make all their products and media look really appealing and flashy. So, many people from other countries are attracted to it and want to be able to attain it also. The American media is so saturated with American ideals and advertisements that have started to have an effect on other cultures. The concern is that in the pursuit of the American ideals, other cultures will lose sight of their own ideals that could contribute so much to the world. Other countries that do not have the technology or the money are not able to put as much influential media out for the rest of the world to see. This world could use more diversity and openness, as opposed to more homogenization and closed-mindedness. I was really intrigued by this phenomenon of Korean women getting plastic surgery on their eye-lids so that they can have bigger eyes. Here's an interesting segment from CNN on the topic:

So I think that globalization has both benefits and disadvantages. Ideally globalization could be geared towards more exchanging and sharing of ideas. If different nations could learn from each other and incorporate new ideas into their culture, so that they can preserve their culture as well as evolve.

Earlier today I was thinking about by personal experience in Egypt as far as globalization is concerned and something that came to mind is Melody Tunes. Many small restaurants and shisha places in Maadi will several televisions that are all playing Melody Tunes which plays music videos of popular music. Melody Tunes has these commercials for many mainstream American songs, but with a very Arab twist to them. I think it is interesting how some cultures can take something from the western media, and poke fun at it and themselves, in order to put their own spin on it. Here are couple of examples for your viewing pleasure...



And....

Facebook

Many interesting phenomena of have arisen from the popular use of facebook, such as, the idea of "click-through activism". It might seem as though it's a good thing that it is so easy to join a worthy cause because there are always staggering numbers of people who claim they support the cause. But it also means that most of them are not as dedicate to the cause as those people who would have actually made the effort to join the group even if it wasn't so readily available on facebook. In these cases the number of people who are actually in the group does not equal the effectiveness of the group. People are able to join with just the click of a mouse, but then they don't actively participate in the group. This raises many interesting questions about why people join these groups and causes on facebook. Do they join out of some form of guilt? Do they not even think about and just accept any request that comes their way on facebook? Do they think it will make them seem "culturally sensitive"? Because we all know that once you join a group it's going to show up on every body's news feed.

This brings me to what I find most fascinating about facebook and other such websites where you create an online profile of yourself. This gives people a chance to pick and choose what parts of themselves they want the world to see. What profile pictures do people choose to put up? What status update do they choose to put up? What are they going to put as their activities and interests? Is it even a true representation of reality? Is there a disconnect between a person's physical self and their online self? I think that people to become very good at sort of subconsciously censoring what they are putting up online for people to see. People try and fit the complex person that they really are into this certain format that isn't really a fair representation of who they are. And maybe a lot of times their profile ends up being more of an image of who they want to be.

And then there are those times that having everybody see what you're up to on facebook, gets you in trouble...



Don't let facebook ruin your life. Real life is hard enough as it is.

What kind of tech user am I?

A Media Mover

If you are a Media Mover, you have a wide range of online and mobile habits, and you are bound to find or create an information nugget, such as a digital photo, and pass it on. These social exchanges are central to your use of information and communication technology. Cyberspace, as a path to personal productivity or an outlet for creativity, is less important to you.

More on this later...