1. Violence and Pornography Mohammad Monir Hossain Carmen Neghina Alina Oprea Media Ethics – Summer 2008
2. How many murders have you so far experienced (TV)? … a short question Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 255 836 600 $ 313,364,114 $ 210,592,590 $216,540,909 2,807 theaters 3,381 theaters 3,280 theaters 2
3. …wanna play? Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 3 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Parents Producers Lawyers Teleological view Personal view Deontological view
5. “ Mass communication are best understood as mirrors of society” … the beginnings: … what we’ve been told … Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 5 Excitation transfer Desensitization Social learning and imitation Aristotle Plato Catharsis Inhibition Gerbner “mean world syndrome”
6. … challenging the theories Media Ethics – Summer 2008 6 Violence is present in society … What comes first? The chicken or the egg? “The mass media cannot create a culture or project an image that does not reflect something already existing in some form in society” Less than 4% of all deaths 1/25 of 1% of the total US population
7. … what if? Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 7 51 acts of violence 5 scenes in which violence resulted in one or more fatalities 5 h 10 scenes involving gunplay 19 depictions of punching, pushing, slapping, dragging …
8. …are there effects? 8 Do you believe that violence portrayed in the media has an effect on the audience? After she committed suicide, there was a 12% increase in the suicide rate in the United States for a month. Bergenfield Four Leader 47 suicides 4 other 4 other Sept. 1986 March 1987 April 1987
9. Ethical principles should guide the media! …what about ethics? Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 9
10. …television and kids Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 10 + Antinomian Ethics - Utilitarian Ethics ? Ethical Subjectivism
11. Saddam Hussein …ethics in the news Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 11 + Ethical Egoism - Ethical Absolutism ? Situational Ethics
12. …and the movies Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 12 + Machiavellian Ethics - Religious Morality ? Existentialist Ethical Theory
13. 1. Should entertainment media be putting forth material that demonstrates different methods of violence or promotes teen suicide ? 2. Should there be some restrictions placed on TV gatekeepers to keep some of the violence off the airways ? 3. Where should the line drawn regarding how much violence is too much? Who should do it? …debates? Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence 13
15. Media Ethics – Summer 2008 Media Violence Mohammad Monir Hossain, Carmen Neghina, Alina Oprea Thank you for you attention !
Editor's Notes
More about violence, as we believe its effects are more serious. Moreover, pornography is already being regulated, whereas violence is not…Today we shall address the topic of media violence and its effects and debate on whether there are effects … can media be blamed for the violence in the world?And if yes…should it be regulated… and who should do that … how do you decide what is too much violence … how draw these lines … and if we do end up regulating the media .. What are the consequences for democracy?
Video link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uMlNKozwegDIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLYThe income is only based on US statistics … derived from movie cinemas, not TV rights.
As we already know, mass communication is often understood as mirrors of society.Of course violence is not a new phenomenon, and thus debates about the possible media effects have existed since Ancient times. Media Psychology taught us that Ancient Greece was home to two great theorists. Christina, do you still remember their names?Which side do you want to take?According to one of the many studies conducted on the topic, 80% of prisoners reported daily heavy childhood viewing of violent TV and in home domestic violence – the comparable figure in the non-imprisoned population was of approximately 30%.Desensitization : people are more likely to accept violence in their daily life; however, we also believe that violent parental role models and weak attachment to family and schooling are as important as exposure to violent content. It is not possible to predict violent behavior just by relating it to violent media exposure, but the combination of such factors might influence an individual.Catharsis – we constantly accumulate negative impulses, which according to Plato, can be discharged by watching violent media content. It can be argued that TV shows, movies and sports have a therapeutical effect and reduce societal violence.Aristotle Violence might have a negative effect on its viewers, especially on childrenExcitation transfer, desensitization, social learning and imitationPlatoViolence might have a positive effect: purging of negative feelingsCatharsis and inhibitionCultivation theoryMean world syndrome
Now we will try to broaden this view a bit and challenge the theories we were introduced to … .. So now an age old question for you … what comes first … the chicken or the egg?Were there murders before television?Was there children abuse before the daily newspaper?Were there sexual deviations known before the movies?Do violence and sexual relations exist in the world today?Crime rate: However, if we ad the no. of gunshot deaths + automobile deaths > less than 1/25 of the 1% of the total US population = less than 4 % of all deaths
What if you were at home now?
Do you believe that violence portrays in the media has an effect on the audience? copycat exampleThe copycat effect refers to the tendency of sensational publicity about violent murders or suicides to result in more of the same through imitation. It is also the name of a book on the subject by Loren Coleman.Research hasn’t been able to prove a direct connection
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tuJjs8TE_sM1991-1992 : children’s programs have far higher rates of violence than prime-time programs: 32 – 4 (per hour)Antinomian Ethics:what comes naturally is the ethical thing to dono scientific verification of moral standards possible: therefore, no objective validity and only expressions of feelingViolence exists in the world and children will encounter it sooner or later .. So it is better to present it, so that they get an inside view into the harm violence can cause.Utilitarian Ethics:altruisticimportance of means and endsGreatest Happiness Principlecertain liberties with the facts in the name ofjustice-productionDo we have an ethical duty to try to reduce the destructive cycle of violence to prevent it from developing? If all media adopt the same moral standards, than nobody has an unfair advantage. Possible result: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWbHtmouDIEthical Subjectivism:no objective right or wrongpersonal approval or disapproval > the same standard should apply to parents as well … who also need to make a choice for their childrenEthics would depend on the person making the choice to broadcast the show, but also on the person watching it … and how it is being interpreted … as you might know… upbringing influences the way we interpret media messages.