So basically the term Media violence is violent behaviour transmitted through the media. The types of media that can portray , influence or decide upon what types and quantity of media violence to use are:
Newspapers/Magazines: Newspapers normally show the reality of violence and in the Uk they tend to be very closely monitored by agencies and watchdogs as to what they can show also governed by the watershed. But in other countries the newspapers have been used as political tools to shape peoples opinions. This can associated with media violence.
Magazines tend to be geared towards more specialist subjects like boxing, fighting etc. They to can portrait images of violence.
Music/Radio: With the emergence of such genres like gangster rap there is a link to violence.
And now the public don’t seem to care when large record companies sell music to children that encourages violence, including the murder of police, gang rape, and sexual perversity a perfect example of this is U.S rapper eminem who clearly states he is trying to mess up kids views.
‘Many parents do not know what lyrics are contained in the popular music their children listen to’ (Recording Industry Association of America)
‘This music, reinforced by television through MTV and other music channels that present the gangster life as the high life, has spawned its own subculture, setting standards for how to dress, how to treat women, and how to resolve conflict cleanly with a bullet.’(The social impact of music violence by Senator Joeseph I Liebermann)
Television: ‘by age 18, the average American child will have viewed about 200,000 acts of violence on television alone.’ (American Academy of Paediatrics)
‘Violent programs on television lead to aggressive behaviour by children and teenagers who watch those programs’ (1982 report by the National Institute of Mental Health)
Television to the majority of theorists, is the most heavily swamped with violence most of the theorys I have read have shown that they are most concerned with children as these are there formative years and they can easily pick up certain attitudes or even a tolerance towards violence very easily.
Video games: Ever since their conception, video games have contained violence, violence being to cause pain or death onto other beings. In the modern popular game Goldeneye 007 bad guys no longer disappear in a cloud of smoke when killed, instead they perform an elaborate manoeuvre when killed. Since Goldeneye 007 is a shooting game, manoeuvres performed by dying enemy solders varies depending on where they get shot. Those shot in the foot hop around holding there feet while those shot in the neck fall to their knees and then face while clutching at their throats thus adding to the realism of the game. Lacking in this game is gore but this is more then covered in other popular games such as Unreal Tournament and Half-Life. In these games when characters get shot there is a large spray of blood that covers the walls and floor near the character, also on the occasions in which explosives are used characters burst into small but recognizable body parts.
Internet: The Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web, have grown dramatically since its creation, and this growth shows no sign of stopping. As increasing numbers of people come online, more are potentially exposed to the growing mass of violence easily available there, their attitudes and behaviour influenced by its presence and appeal. Also you can download anything you want over the internet e.g music with swearing that wouldn’t be sold to you in a shop with relative ease.
