Sociological impact of movies and music videos on youth

Social Impact of Music

Social Impact of Movies and Music Video on Youth

Over the last several decades, there has been a continuous debate about the effect that movies and music videos are having on young adults. What has been happening is a variety of studies have been released that are highlighting how this has been leading to an increase in the use of: illegal drugs, alcohol consumption, sexual activity and violence.

Evidence of this can be seen by looking no further than a study that was conducted by the University of Pittsburg Medical School. They found, that all of the different genres of music contained some kind of reference to these activities. As, the majority of young people, who are exposed to these sounds and images, were continually: receiving 591 references per week that were related to these activities. Over the course of one year, this meant that they would see this kind of content over 30 thousand times. Given the fact that 9 out of 10 young people owns an: I Pod or an MP3 player. (Pope, 2008) This increases the odds, that they will be influenced based upon what they are listening to and seeing on the big screen. To fully understand the effects that movies and music videos are having on this demographic requires: providing background research on the subject, studying both sides of the debate, analyzing all relevant data and discussing the long-term impact of these findings. Once this occurs, it will provide the greatest insights as to how both movies and music videos are influencing the behavior of young people. This is the point that we can see how this is shaping their actions and thoughts based on what they are hearing or watching.

A Statement Surrounding the Social Effects of the Media on Young Adults

The impact that the movies and music videos are having on young people is a major influence in their lives. This is problematic, because it means that the images they are seeing and listening to, will influence the way they are perceiving the world around them. A good example of this can be seen with comments from the authors of the University of Pittsburg study who said, "Music is well-known to connect deeply with adolescents and to influence identity development, perhaps more so than any other entertainment medium." (Pope, 2008) This is significant, because it is showing how this is having a major impact upon the thoughts and ideas of young adults.

Background

One of the biggest debates is the overall amounts of influence that movies and music videos are having on teenagers. This is because of the prevalence of different genres and changes in technology are giving young people access to questionable content. In a study that was conducted by Emory University. They found that this can have an effect on the behavior of teenagers. What happened was researchers studied 522 girls who were exposed to at least 14 hours of Gangster Rap videos. They found that those individuals who were seeing these images and ideas were more susceptible to anti-social behavior including:

They were three times more likely to hit their teachers.

There was a 2.5 times greater chance of them being arrested.

They were 1.5 times more likely to become infected by: sexually transmitted diseases, consume alcoholic beverages and use illegal drugs.

They were also twice as likely to have multiple sex partners.

This is significant, because it is showing how those teenagers who are exposed to the images of violence, sex and the use of alcohol / drugs have higher chances of engaging in some form of anti-social behavior. (Kirchheimer, 2008)

Description of Each Side of the Debate

Despite the overwhelming evidence showing, that music videos and movies are having an impact on the activities of teenagers. Many in the entertainment industry will claim that they are meeting the demands of the general public by: offering them various forms of content they want to see. As, executives believe that they are not responsible for these images. The reason why, is because they have a ratings system to guide parents in: limiting the amounts of questionable images and lyrics that they are exposed. This is designed to provide a way of informing them of the kinds of content available, so that they can restrict the activities of teenagers. As a result, they believe it is the responsibility of parents to limit the kinds of content that their teenagers are exposed. Two of the most notable include: movies and music. This, (they argue) are the root causes of the problem. (Nichols, 2004, pp. 27-49)

At the same time, many critics will claim that the entertainment industry is having a major impact on the content that is included in the movies and music videos. As, they will state how over the years, this genre is only becoming worse. A good example of this can be seen with a report that that was released by the Clinton Administration in 1998. They found that in 1996 and 1997, 98% of the top 20 movie rentals had references to individuals using illegal substance or consuming alcohol and drugs. In the music industry, they determined that 27% of the top 1000 songs during that time had similar issues. (Holland, 1999, pp. 73 -- 76)

As a result, the critics will claim that when you compare these past trends with the current ones, the influence of the media on the views of teenagers is having a major impact on their behavior. Evidence of this can be seen with comments from American Academy of Pediatrics. They found that movies and music are playing a major role in determining the underlying amount of aggression that teenagers are exhibiting. Commenting about these conclusions they said, "The evidence is now clear and convincing: media violence is one of the causal factors of real-life violence and aggression." (Neale, 2009) This is important, because it is showing how there is a divergence between the views of the entertainment industry and numerous studies that have been conducted on this subject.

Analysis of the data and information you collected

To determine what viewpoints are correct we have collected a number of different pieces of data. The results are that various images of violence, the use of illegal substances / alcohol consumption and sexual activity are affecting the behavior of teenagers. A good example of this can be seen with data that was compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice. They found that in nearly every category, young adults are seeing higher than average amounts of: rapes, sexually transmitted diseases, violence, the use of illegal drugs and the consumption of alcohol. This is in comparison with: the time they are spending watching television. The below table illustrates how this impacting their views.

Number of Teen Antisocial Behavior Reported

Category

Percentage

Rapes

50%

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

25%

Violence

8.3%

The use of Illegal Drugs

18.8%

The Consumption of Alcohol

40%

Hours Spent Watching Television Daily

7 hours and 12 minutes

("Statistics on Teens," 2011)

These statistics are significant, because the total amount of time watching television is having an effect on the kinds of behavior that many teenagers are becoming involved in.

As a result, we can use the information that was compiled from previous studies. To determine how the images that teenagers are seeing in: movies and television programs are having an impact on the way they are reacting to a variety of situations. At the same time, there is information from sources such as Kirchheimer (2008), which are indicating that the lyrics of the music are affecting their behavior. This is significant, because it is showing how these ideas are impacting the thoughts and views of young adults. Over the course of time, this has resulted in an increase in the overall amounts of anti-social activity that is being reported.

Results

Obviously, the results from our findings are indicating that both movies and music are having an impact on the behavior of those teenagers (who are regularly exposed to these forms of media). In the case of movies, we have taken this one step further by: looking at how television is impacting this demographic. The reason why, is because of shifts that have been occurring with the changes in technology. This means that more movies can be seen on: cable / satellite TV and they can also be downloaded. While, the statistics of music are indicating every genre has questionable lyrics that are contributing to the problem. When a person is constantly exposed to these different ideas it will have an impact on the way they are reacting to various situations. These different elements are important, because they are showing how the both forms of media are influencing the behavior of teenagers. Over the course of time, this means that there will be an increase in the amounts of anti-social behavior that is being reported.