Impact of Media and Social media on youth Essay

1 Explore the impact of media and of social media present with today’s youth by providing thoroughly supported detail, and well-documented conclusions. Social media has become an essential part for today’s younger generation. Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, My space, Instagram has positive effect on youth but equally it has negative effects as well. Positive Effects The social media websites has effected youth in a way that it is considered to be a great source for professionals. They can be used as a source to start a new business or any profession. For example if a friend is looking to get hired for a job and he posted a status on his profile, so any other friend who know any job related to him, he can send him couple of messages on his profile and that’s how it benefit people. They are many other positive aspects of these social networking websites. It may help in strengthening the relationships between the young generations. There are lots of people who don’t see their friends for so long. These social websites are a way where they can be connected again. They can connect with the friends no matter they are how long away from them. It has reduced distances. Just by one click and there you go. Send friend request, on the other end your friend will accept it and start chatting. Social networking sites has helped people in connect ing people who are too far away and with whom it is impossible to meet personally, and keeping them informed about your life and the events happening in your life (Johnson et al, 2002). Read more:  Positive Aspects of Social Media Negative Effects There are negative impacts of social media on youth as well. One of the negative impacts is cyber bullying, which is very common now a days on internet. This is commonly occurs on the sites of social media. Cyber bulling is basically an electronic base communication to tyrant a person,  most often by sending threatening messages. There are also videos on social networking websites that shows violence, these videos could lead to affect the behavior of teens. By watching violence they became more aggressive, their behavior with their family changes and their minds become assertive, this could ultimately affect their living in the society. Another negative impact of social networking sites on younger generation is that these sites don’t have strict privacy, many of the personal information has been shared publically. Many of the youth don’t know about the privacy policy of any blog and they don’t actually know that this information will be disclosed to the other p ersons like advertisements. While as sharing of the personal information like photos and places, teenagers feels safe to share this stuff on social media site and they don’t worry while sharing this stuff on facebook publically. According to a questionnaire conducted on the privacy of social media websites, 21 percent of the teenagers believed that it is safe to share your personal information like photos on facebook to public. When people who use these websites for taking photos of teenagers and use them for illegal causes without knowing any disclaimers, so personal information of the teenagers seems to be exposed. This is considered to be a very serious matter because of the increasing rates of cyber crimes like theft of identity of a person. Once you have been a victim of this cyber crime, then there is nothing effective you can do. The best possible way for the avoidance of this theft is that never put your personal information publically on social networking websites. This is a very serious issue and many of the teenagers especially girls has been a victim. This has badly affected their image. Social networking websites can be very suspicious to your computer as well through a process used by hackers known as social engineering. What happen is, a hacker hacks one of your friend’s account or may make a fake account using the name of your friend send you a friend request, you accept the request knowing that he is your friend, after that they send you a link in a private chat. When you click on that link you are gone, either your account password has been emailed to that person or you system has been affected by many scams and viruses. Impact of Media In today’s world media has become stronger as ever. Television is the major source for the impact of media. It has positive effect, but on today’s  younger generation, their positive impacts have been minimized as compared to their negative impacts. Positive impacts The positive impact of the media is that it provides information to youth. Television can be act as a teacher for the youth. Watching programs that gives good lessons of kindness, racial harmony and cooperation has affected very positively on youth. Similarly some of the programs aired on television encourage libraries, zoo visits, visit to bookstores, visit to museum and many other refreshing places, and also videos that hold educational purpose can proved to be strong pro-social devices of teachings. Another positive effect is the good advertisements, which can affect the children’s behavior in a positive way. For example, any alcohol company launched their advertisement on television. They spend 10% of their total budget on the damages caused by the usage of alcohol, which includes danger in driving as well. The stage of development of child has played a vital role in effect of advertisements. According to a survey, average child watches almost 20 thousand advertisements per year. Over 60 percent advertisements promote candy, sugared cereals, toys and fatty foods. Programs based on cartoons toy products are very attractive for the children. Negative impacts Watching television can put negative impact on youth. The negative impacts are as follows Violence Nutrition Sexuality Alcohol and Smoking Violence Number of programs that consist of violence has been increased in the recent time. According to an average a child watches round about 12,000 acts of violence in television programs annually, including many cases of extortion, rape and murder. Around 1000 articles based on this study confirm that display of increased doses in the violation of television made aggressive behavior especially in boys. Other studies show that publicity of suicides on newspaper and television has increased the risk of suicide by a huge factor. Nutrition Television is the reason for the lack of play and activities related to exercise which are essential for the growth of a child. Children who waste their time on watching excessive television programs are not fit physically and like to take junk food and snacks that gives high energy. Spending much time on watching television may lead to obesity. Watching advertisement that promotes junk food has affected nutritious died of a person. Advertisements based on healthy food consist of only 4 percent of the total advertisements shown when a child is watching television. Spending number of hours on watching television programs is directly proportional to the increased number of cholesterol in a child. It may also result in eating disorders especially in girls of teenage. Eating while, viewing television programs, may lead to meaningless communication and poor habits of eating. Sexuality The programs on televisions have become a top most educator regarding sex. Between the year 1976 to 1996, the interactions that has been sexual, increased by 270 percent. Television plays a big role in revealing the sexual behaviors in children by exhibiting that they are risk free and ordinary. Sex between the couple who are unmarried has been displayed 24 times greater than it has been shown between the married couples, while the infections caused by sex and the unwanted pregnancy have been mentioned rarely. Alcohol and smoking According to a survey, teenagers view 1000 to 2000 commercials promoting bears and depicting a message that real people drink it. This data shows that number of advertising beer is directly proportional to the increased number of beer consumption. Basically television is not the only way through which a child knows about drinking beer, the main point is that it doesn’t show the consequences it can produced. More than one half of the animated movies shows use of bear and tobacco normally, without showing the consequences it can produced if used excessively (Beresin and Eugene, 2009). 2. Compares and contrasts various ways of preventing a selected risk factor from developing into an issue that would require treatment or intervention, by providing thoroughly supported detail, and well-documented reasoning for conclusions. The risk factor that has been chosen for the analysis is ‘Effect of violence in media on children’. There are two approaches that  lead to the reduction of effects caused by violent media (Murray and John, 2008). Limiting the ways of accessing and use of violent media It has been found by the researchers that by limiting the use of media, which includes watching television and playing video games, can result in the reduction of aggressive behavior in children. As many of the children’s involved in the activities of media at their home, so parents plays a big role by limiting the boundaries of excessive watching television programs and playing of video games by keeping an eye on the watching habits of child and also by monitoring what kind of and up to which extent they consume media. Parents should give lessons to their children at their developing stages that they should not watch violent programs, and any content that ultimately leads to the violence. In the year 1996 an act of telecommunication has been passed, whose focus was to provide assistance to the parents or the caretakers of the child in decreasing the child’s focus onto violent media. There has been the introduction of the rating systems through which parents could rate any specific program. If the rating has not been good that program will ultimately lead to its end. It has also the option of restricting some channel that includes the violent content. So parents were able to filter the specific television channels that exhibit violence and also the filter of abusive language. This could ultimately provide a parental control on child consuming the media. Creating Media knowledge in Youth and Parents The second technique used for the reduction of violent media is the knowledge of media through proper training. Parents and the children should be taught to assess media and create techniques in a way that may result in the reduction of violence. They should be taught a lesson, so they may able to find out the difference between the imaginary and real world. By knowing the outcome of violence shown on media in real life, and appraise the thinking of producers in the creation of a media product, explaining the nonviolent behavior in place of violent behaviors. After getting the training lessons, still many of the people don’t know about the function of blocking channels and content and for those who knows, they don’t bother to use this function. The training of giving knowledge about the media consist of Foundation known  as Just think foundation, which emphasizes on children by conveying programs based on education and that can be adjusted after the school or even bet ween the school timings. The center for the knowledge of media offers training of knowledge related to media for parents, teachers and community through activities and exercising. 3. Evaluates the various system supports that will be involved in preventing the selected risk factor, by providing thoroughly supported detail, and well-documented reasoning for conclusions Youth have been affected badly by the violence on media. The age ranges from 12 to 17 years, there is more probability of them to be a victim of violence as compared to the adults, and three times more chance of getting into the victim of attack. There is another cause that leads to the death of people who have ages between 15 to 24 years. According to a survey the rate of people who have been a rape victim, sexual attack and robbery are below the age of 25 than any of other groups of age (Bushman et al, 2001). Violence has many types which includes emotional, sexual, verbal or physical violence. In each of its form, it has been committed mostly by the person who is a relative of the victim that includes its family member and friends. Following are the support systems for the prevention of violen ce media on youth. Promotion of a helping and safe atmosphere at home By increasing the number of parents or caretakers who have nonviolent children, confirming the restriction of promoting alcohol or any other drug by parents or caretakers. Proper training lessons should be conducted and help desk should be created for the facilitation of families who has been a victim of violence and also about the advantages of different ways that restrict media violation. Work with the training centers that works for the prevention of violence There should be awareness campaign for the prevention of programs that promote violent. Parents should work with the schools and helped with for this cause, in this way they will learn and on the same time teach this education to others as well. Forbid students for watching the violent programs at their early age and tell them the risks that possibly could occur as a result of watching these violent programs. Manage the society in a way that it will minimize risks and maximize protection Technically connect with the programs that work on the development of youth. There should be availability of every opportunity that supports in making  healthy relationships. Proper campaigns should be launched which describes the awareness among the youth about the damages caused the use of alcohol. Manage the best practices systems in order to reduce violence and to address civil condition Introduction of new policies should made that should meet the initial needs of a family like residence, income, nutrition, food and childcare. Training of the individuals so that they may able to find and give response to the violence on media. One thing must be checked that are your surroundings which includes your neighbors are safe. Promotion of an attractive package of the preventive services regarding health for younger generation age ranges from 11 to 21. Provide food and shelter for the people who don’t have their own homes. These are the ways through which violence on media can be prevented. If a person wants society free from this violation, he should follow these steps in order to develop a better society (Robinson et al, 2001). 4. Categorizes the roles of each system in preventing the selected risk factor, by providing thoroughly supported detail, and well-documented conclusions. Roles of each system Promotion of a helping and safe atmosphere at home This system for preventing the risk of violence shown on media helps in guiding the parents about treating their children related to violence that is shown on media and social media. This system encourages the secure atmosphere at homes of children so that they cannot learn bad things from media. Work with the training centers that works for the prevention of violence The role of this system is to tell about the importance of different centers of training through which people can learn about preventing violence. People can learn about the advantage of these training centers related to violence and can prevent this is future. Manage the society in a way that it will minimize risks and maximize protection The main role of this system for preventing violence is to manage the society in a way that can reduce the level of risks and increase the level of protection. Media channels and social media should be given lessons through which they can learn that what to show on media and what to not. Manage the best practices systems in order to reduce violence and to address civil condition The role of this  system is to manage the practices that are best for the system for reducing violence in society and for addressing the condition in civil. References Johnson Jeffrey G., Patricia Cohen, Elizabeth M. Smailes, Stephanie Kasen, and Judith S. Brook. (2002). â€Å"Television viewing and aggressive behavior during adolescence and adulthood.† Science295(5564):2468-2471 Beresin, Eugene V. (2009). â€Å"The Impact of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents: Opportunities for Clinical Interventions.† American Academy of Child Adolescents Psychiatry. [Available Online] http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/developmentor/the_impact_of_media_violence_on_chi ldren_and_adolescents_opportunities_for_clinical_interventions (Retrieved on 29 Oct 2014) Murray, John P. (2008). â€Å"Media Violence: The Effects Are Both Real and Strong.† American Behavioral Scientist 51(8):1212-1230 Bushman, Brad J., and L. Rowell Huesmann. (2001). Effects of Televised Violence on Aggression. In: Singer DG, Singer JL, eds. Handbook of Children and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Robinson, Thomas N., Marta L. Wilde, Lisa C. Navracruz, K. Farish Haydel, and Ann Varady. (2001). â€Å"Effects of reducing children’s television and video game use on aggressive behavior: a randomized controlled trial.† Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 155:17-23 Federal Communications Commission. In the matter of violent television programming and its impact on children: statement of Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate. MB docket No. 04-261 [Available online] http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-50A5.pdf [Retrieved on 29 Oct 2014]