In this modern age people are exposed to so many different forms of media that may influence our identity. Growing up kids watch cartoons about super heroes or maybe are exposed to a lot of sports teams. As a child you are being formed into whatever you are exposed to. For example when I was a child I enjoyed watching action movies and war movies, people fighting to save the day and always defeating the enemy in victory. I believe that as I have grown up I still have a vision of myself having a bigger purpose in life, which I am supposed to serve the greater good of my country and family. The values that I hold now have been inspired by media as well as actions by my older siblings and relatives. Media affects what people want to do with their lives, and affects the type of person they want to be. That’s where trends come from and certain stereotypes are made. Movies have a big affect on people. Girls are influenced by celebrities and actresses. Every child who watches sports and parents are big sports fans are influenced to want to become professional athletes. When I was an athlete in high school I would watch motivational football videos on YouTube and aspire to be a professional football player. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it, but I would have wanted to. Commercials on television only made the desire greater. Media affects everyone’s thoughts and adds to peoples values.
So, do you think that media might be largely responsible for particular values like women's desire to be thin (advertisements) or children's aggressive behavior (video games)? I don't know that there's a definite answer to this question, but it's interesting to consider to what extent media influences behavior and values.
ReplyDeleteI believe that what we observe as a child greatly impacts our future because those are our formative years. It would be interesting to following a person from when they were a child to an adult and note what they watched during their formative years and see if that has affected them in their adulthood.
ReplyDelete