Mini Paper 7

Alexandra Heim
27 November 2017
Media presents itself in a variety of ways, within these however, it is given to its viewers
in a way that its creators want it to be seen. Media portrays itself so that we are only available to
see what they want us to see. Our thoughts and reactions are not only molded by the culture that
we were brought up under, but also by the images that we grow up to better understand. These
images leave a mental impact on us as a person, giving us the ability to differentiate what is right
or wrong based solely on what the media believes is just so. What we see through these images
gives us the false identity of what it is to relate to the rest of society. From this, we learn to look
upon our own lives and reinvent them to match the media “norm” that we see in society.
The media creates the idea that the world around us is a dangerous place. The constant
show of violence and desolation in news presents the idea to us that the world is a place of lost
hope. The creators of media such as news broadcasts and magazines tend to lean towards news
that show violence, crime, or scandalous behavior. This is because as professor Barran referred
to it as “if it bleeds, it leads” meaning that the more horrific the story is, the more likely it will
receive a wide coverage on the news channels. We also discussed the “mean world syndrome” a
marketing tactic that is used to project the image of violence to a large audience. This formula of
marketing is mainly focused on imagery, using visuals to get their message across. By telling
about the violence around the world rather than all things that happen around the world, we learn
to only view the bad parts of society, believing that the place we live in is dangerous.
The media has also evolved in more ways than just violence in the news. Social media
and the internet has allowed the viewers to be the cause of changes on a national level. People
now have the ability to post their own thoughts and opinions on social media. This allows all
aspects of life, good or bad, to be recorded and posted online for the world to see. However,
allowing yourself to post your own content on social media leaves room for unwanted comments
or unwarranted attention from negative minds. Cyberbullying is a major effect of this new age of
technology. Our behaviors toward a person’s post or comments online can directly affect a
person both positively and negatively. As a person living in a generation that was raised on the
creation of social media sites, we grew to believe that the opinion of others, even those who we
only know behind a screen, matters to us. Prejudice and bullying through means of social media
remain a prominent problem with the eyes of young teens glued to the comments posted about
them. The idea of fitting in and being “aesthetically pleasing” among the generation of Instagram
models and other social media stars is a goal many young kids strive for, and will go the
ridiculous lengths to achieve said goal, however the mental strain it causes on the children is
overbearing.
Drug use and alcohol consumption are also two factors we see more prominently as a
direct cause of the output of social media. When seeing videos of kids blowing smoke or famous
rappers smoking marijuana are posted online, the people viewing it learn to believe that it is okay
to be doing illegal activity. They normalize the use of drugs to the point where they no longer
learn about the negative effects it leaves on their bodies. Media continues to blow up with videos
of young teens smoking, however television commercials are now trying to stop the major crisis
of cigarette smoking through means of fear appeals found in commercials. But the more these
commercials are played the less likely kids will continue to listen to them. The same idea of
negativity goes for illegal alcohol consumption. Young teens believe through not only social
media but also through television and movies that in college it is a necessity to party on the
weekends and hook up with everyone you find attractive. These shows and movies desensitize
students to the dangers that underage drinking and partying may ensue. It also puts pressure on
teens and young adults to engage in sexual contact, as it is shown as a normal activity in high
school and college. Social media also portrays the commonness that it seems many people have
when discussing their own sex life, or brag about what they have done. The idea of fitting in by
throwing your life away to partying, sexual activity, and drugs has been one key importance
found on social media to be seen as experienced and belong with the “It” crowd.
The Social Cognitive Theory directly affects the behaviors of a person and how they
respond in all social situations. The system of stimulus-response-reinforcement shows the
analysis of reactions caused by a specific even and how a person carries out their actions to
prepare for the next time a similar event may occur. If we see someone react a certain way to a
situation, we then imitate their reaction as well, until it is ingrained into our memories and
creates our own reactions for later use. When we see someone react a way in which we want to
react as well, we copy their direct response and make it our own. However, the thought of our
actions creating our reality by copying the “TV reality” as stated in the Cultivation Analysis
Theory. It states that our own world is directly impacted and created into our own world, but in
many cases this is not true. Our world is directly affected by media and advertisements that much
is true, although our worlds are not created only by television, but also by the people around us.
Our ideas and beliefs stem not only from what the media presents the world to be but from how
we perceive the world through other people and their interactions.

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Alexandra Heim

respond in all social situations. The system of stimulus-response-reinforcement shows the

we perceive the world through other people and their interactions.

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