Essay by: Bryan Harrison
Subject:  Media, Influence of.

    I have never noticed a great change in my behavior because of a certain movie or television show. However, the fact that I don’t recall such an incident doesn’t mean that video entertainment has no effect on people. What I have seen on TV and what I witness in society every day drives me to think that a great correlation exists between what people watch and how they behave. People are influenced by many different types of media. They seem to observe the fads manifested by their particular activities of interest and imitate them in order to make known that they are part of a group.

    No question arises when you see a person walking down the street with their pants down to their ankles, walking with a fake limp (assuming they’re still able to walk with their pants down to their ankles), blurting out "jive", and looking suspicious, that they are into "Gangster Rap". I do not wish to imply in any way that all gangster rappers are criminals, I only use this example to point out how obvious the effects are on people who enjoy certain types of company. This type of behavior seems absurd to an observer who has a different taste of entertainment.

    Different types of media have different effects on viewers. For instance, comedy contains frequent sexual comments that could decrease morals and encourage what some grown-ups call "bad taste" to erupt in young viewers. Some groups think that young people are developing a "sick" sense of humor. On the other hand, laughing can develop a strong heart and lungs. Humor is also a great way to improve social conversation.

    Drama also has its pros and cons. Drama films often depict society to be something from someone’s imagination. People who watch these types of films may develop a false perception of reality. Those who are obsessed with soap opera type shows can start to act out what they see. We all know that soap operas are extremely exaggerated in terms of human relationships. Although they can be an effective form of entertainment, dramas can be damaging to the psyche and cause people to act abnormally.

    Action movies have proven to gain almost everyone’s interest. Suspense thrillers are very exciting, and at times, exceedingly violent. Some effects that action movies have had on people are increased hostility toward opposing forces, ruthless judgment when faced with quick decisions, an increased sense of adventure, and in some instances, paranoia. If you watch movies that contain various acts of betrayal and disloyalty, then you have subjected yourself with a fear of trusting others. In very odd cases, there have been reports of vigilantes imitating Batman or Spiderman. This degree of imitation is very rare, but usually inherent in mental cases.

    The only form of entertainment that is non-threatening to most of its viewers is educational programming. This type of diversion usually has good effects, if any, on the younger generation, and is encouraged in schools. Educational programming can abet intellectual stimuli. With an interest in education, one can actually become more in-tune with his surroundings. As always, every type of media has its bad side. For example, immature audiences with a rebellious nature can grow an aversion to obtaining knowledge of their history and modern traditional culture.

    Every form of media can cause us to do things we wouldn’t even consider doing. If we were not subjected to the strong influences of our environment, we might not have the confusion that has been caused by society’s passion to fit in. My focus on the downsides of society has not been aimed to completely obliterate the way we now live, but to make people realize the importance of self control and making your own decisions. If we are not careful, all decisions in the future may be based on what Bart Simpson does.