Violence: The Causes Of Violence In The Media

From school shootings to the most prolific serial killers, there is no doubt violence is a national issue. While many theories exist on why people kill, commit a crime, and hurt others, many have turned their focus to the media. After all, studies show that all types of media directly influence the actions of their audience, especially children, and adolescents; it is logical to assume that violence in the media is causing a rise in violence. A plethora of factors come together when someone commits a violent act including genetics, upbringing, and the environment. Analyzing how the media fuels the fire of someone already at a predisposition to distress is crucial to solving this issue. There is no doubt that the media can do more harm than
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One survey discovered that fifty percent of teens played video games the day before taking the survey, and frequent exposure to such violent games cause an increase in aggressiveness, a decrease in empathy, and a loss of moral values (American Psychological Association 2). Especially right now, with popularity surrounding first person shooter games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty, adolescents spend a chunk of their time influenced by violence. In order to win, most games will require killing at some point; those who are competitive will finesse their killing skills on screen. It may not be intentional, but these players are also finessing their killing skills off screen, too. Commiting continual acts of violence has an effect on players: “Exposure to violent video games was significantly related to higher levels of aggressive behavior” (Rosenblum 2). Aggression is often necessary to win in sports or in video games. There is undoubtedly a correlation between violent entertainment and violent behavior; these games teach aggression and how to have few weaknesses. With a lack of empathy comes a rise in aggression and less children knowing how to resolve fights appropriately. With technology ever advancing, virtual reality video games will increase in popularity allowing players to literally watch as they kill someone (1). Virtual reality games immerse players
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The world of rap and hip-hop is full of gun references and threats of violence (Nordlinger 1). Music has a more influence on adolescents that most think. Once children begin turning into adolescents, they develop their own taste in music. Minors are extremely impressionable; something as innocent as music can have influence. When rappers threaten to kill police, there is uproar, but once they threaten to kill fellow rappers, there is disregard (1). Children are taught to respect their elders; uproar at threats to authority reaffirm this. Still, children need to be taught to show kindness to their peers. They need to know that violence is not acceptable, like entertainment and music makes it out to be. In one study, participants listened to violent music, then added hot sauce to water for another person to drink: “Those who were exposed to heavy metal music with violent lyrics added more hot sauce to the cup of water than members of control groups” (“Violence in Video Games” 2). Perhaps the violent lyrics put the subjects in an aggressive move. They most likely did not realize they were adding more hot sauce than they would have before listening. This proves that even one song has an affect on its