exposure to media

Exposure to Media The media often takes the blame when it comes to the various developments and changes that occur in a culture or group of people Despite the insistence of some that the media is just a part of the multi-factor development of people , it still cannot be ruled out given the big influence that it brings to people . Now more than ever , the media is even more powerful given the wider reach that it has and the more convenience that it now enjoys . It is therefore worth to ask - is

media accountable to the way that adolescent today are growing

Zanden , et . al (p . 388 ) asserts that development is not solely influenced by just one factor . He states that for one individual temperaments as well as its interplay with environment and the factors that surround it makes up the differing developments among people . By each person 's attitude , perception towards his environment , innate abilities for adapting to his environment as well as his self control and education , each person spells his own development

However , this is not entirely true . While many individuals can be level headed and decide as to which media messages should be taken and not there are adolescents who go astray and blindly follow what they see in the media hoping that it will make them better persons . Self image becomes a matter of importance and many young adults pose themselves in the shoes of their media icons thinking it will make them belong in their circles . The fame of pop singers like Cristina Aguilera and Britney Spears which transcended music interests and rather were imitated even in terms of dressing is an example . The way adolescents procure fashion senses from shows , like in the fame of the movie Legally Blonde , is another proof . In fact , 95 of adolescents exposed to smoking depicted in movies did smoke - majority of them with parents not smoking (Dalton , et . al , 2003 ) Behaviors by the famous and powerful seemed acceptable and should be imitated . Thus , the media should be more responsible in their activities as they obviously affect the behavior of their adolescent audiences

Reference

Dalton , et . al . 2003 . Effects of viewing smoking in movies on adolescent smoking initiation : a cohort study . Retrieved October 1 2007 , from http /www .smokefreemovies .ucsf .edu /pdf /Dalton-Lancet .pdf

Zanden , J . et .al . Human development . McGraw-Hill :New York . 1989

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