Introduction Communications technology is expanding throughout the global community (Dyson 2). Children everywhere are born into a world of images and messages, which are largely separate from their home, school, and spiritual life (Dyson 2). In today's society, narrators are rarely parents, grandparents, teachers, or clergy; instead they are a handful of distant forces with something to sell (Dyson 2). What makes the media industry unique is that, under global and corporate domination, they have become part of our culture and identity (Dyson 3). Social scientists and child advocates have been exploring media effects for decades, but it is only recently that the concern has generated public debate (Book 3). Historical disagreements regarding the effects of violence revealed in works of art and entertainment have resonated throughout the centuries (Book 41). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay We must ask ourselves whether or not our versions of entertainment show more violence than past forms of entertainment, such as gladiatorial games or public hangings (Book 23). Plato viewed human life as a pilgrimage from appearance to reality (Book 41). He also believed that a work of art should be strictly censored when it depicted any form of evil and cruelty (Book 41). When an artist imitates what was bad, he adds to the sum of bad things in the world (Book 41). Both Plato and Aristotle pointed out that we as humans find pleasure in representations of objects and emotions that we would consider different from real life; most of us agree with Aristotle in refusing to believe that they are corrupt (Book 41). The Romans remain the prototype of violent entertainment in its most extreme form (Book 17). It was a culture that enshrined tradition, foreign conquest was a domestic culture, and weapons were readily available (Book 17). The treatment of infants and slaves within the home extended to crucifixion and other brutal punishments (Book 17). While Romans on the whole did not criticize their choice of entertainment, one philosopher, Seneca, did. Exhibiting the slaughter of eighteen elephants in the Circus, pitting criminals against them in a simulated battle and believing it to be a noteworthy type of spectacle to kill human beings in a new way. Do they fight to the death? This is not enough! Are they torn to pieces? This is not enough! Let them be crushed by animals of monstrous mass! (Book 18) Such entertainment was so popular that most military camps had their own amphitheatres, and hundreds more were built for audiences throughout the Empire (Book 19). No people before or since were so focused on displays of mortal combat as the Romans did (Book 15). The only difference between today's society and that of the last two centuries BC, besides the degree of violence, is the openness of debates (Book 20). Our institutions allow for open discussion and debate that the Romans were unable to have (Book 20). People in all time periods have derived a kind of sensual, aesthetic, and sometimes even erotic thrill from watching violent acts (Book 28). It would be unfair to conclude that in today's society such viewers and media consumers are not driven by any other motive (Book 28). Extreme Acts in Recent History While there has always been crime and violence, there have never been acts as extreme as the few committed in recent years. A very well-known case was the brutal death of James Bulger, a British child. Themovie Child's Play 3 was in question when two ten-year-old boys tormented and killed the child (Book 38). The film was later criticized when Suzanne Capper was kidnapped, tortured and set on fire while the group of young acquaintances chanted: "I'm Chucky. Do you want to play?" (Book 38). Another even more recent and closer incident was the Columbine massacre. There is a striking similarity between the US incident and the actions that occurred in Kosovo at the time (Rosenblatt 1999). One tribe of haters is Serbia and one tribe of ad hoc haters in Colorado (Rosenblatt 1999). In both of these cases, individuals discover self-worth by hating an enemy (Rosenblatt 1999). Another similarity is the anger built up over such a long period of time and then the final explosion of murderous fury (Rosenblatt 1999). After such an event there is always an increase in certain emotions within the community. For example, fewer teenagers feel safe in schools today (33%) than shortly after the Columbine murders (42%) (Morse 2000). Nearly one-third of all adolescents say they have witnessed a violent act at school (Morse 2000). We Canadians live in a nation where almost every household has at least one television (Ledingham 1993). Not only is the amount of television programs watched a problem, but the content and lack of parental control also play an extreme role (Dyson 11). After finishing 12th grade, the average child will have spent 3,000 to 4,000 hours watching television alone rather than in class (Dyson 11). What is even more astonishing is that it is estimated that they will have witnessed 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence by the time they leave elementary school (Dyson 11). As technology improves and the number of violent shows increases, the images become more graphic and result in a more realistic depiction of violence (Book 25). Television viewing affects children of different ages in different ways (Ledingham 1993). Although children may spend many hours watching television at an early age, programming has little effect (Ledingham 1993). By the age of two a child will imitate the actions of the live model, for example a parent more than a television model (Ledingham 1993). However, already at the age of three the child will begin to imitate television characters (Ledingham 1993). Attitudes towards television change dramatically over the course of a child's life (Ledingham 1993). When studying the effects of television several points must be taken into consideration, some issues affect people in different ways, for example pornography (Dyson 3). However, most parents do not realize that whether aggression is presented realistically or cartoonishly makes no difference to a child who has difficulty distinguishing between the two (Ledingham 1993). Exposure to violence is not thought to increase aggression, but being aggressive increases preference for violent television (Ledingham 1993). Children observe what is considered new aggressive behavior and learn indirectly that aggressive acts are rewarded (Ledingham 1993). The more the child can relate to the characters in the program, the more likely he or she will emulate the characters' actions (Ledingham 1993). Not only do a child's actions reflect the programs they watch, but watching a violent program causes desensitization (Ledingham 1993). There is widespread consensus that television habits can be harmful (Book 54). Psychologically speaking the effects can be devastating. A 1993 report by the American Psychological Association states: - The vision of violence increases the fear of becoming a victim, with an increase inself-protective behavior and increased mistrust. - Viewing violence increases desensitization to violence, resulting in insensitive attitudes toward violence. - Violent programming increases viewers' desire to get involved or expose themselves to violence. Not only is the mentality of the child affected, but also the physical condition of the spectator (Book 54). Children's basic physical needs, such as the development of healthy hearts and lungs, are directly jeopardized by the number of hours spent in front of the television (Bok 54). The more time a child spends watching television, the more likely he is to be overweight and in poor physical condition (Book 54). Because television is often used by parents as a babysitting tool, there is a lack of interaction between child and parent (Ledingham 1993). On average, between 1960 and 1992, children lost ten to twelve hours of parenting time per week (Book 54). Children who identify more closely with one parent are less aggressive, when a child is given the opportunity to spend quality time with their parents their level of aggression is reduced (Leo p.41). A clear answer would be to eliminate violent programs from television, but violence sells (Leo 26). From a business point of view, violence sells and more viewers mean higher ratings (Leo 26). This is especially true in the early evening, within an hour you can witness 8 to 12 acts of violence (Leo 26). This isn't just the case with adult programming. The Annenberg School of Communications found that violence in children's programming is at an all-time high, with 32 acts of violence per hour (Leo 26). A clear causal relationship goes beyond the scope of the social sciences; there are too many factors to arrive at a definitive answer (Leo 54). Although an abundance of circumstantial evidence points to a harmful relationship (Leo 54). Professor Center Wall of the University of Washington predicted that if television had never been invented there would be 10,000 fewer murders, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer assaults in the United States (Leo 54). Video Games In the years before adolescence, changes in cognitive functioning modify a child's ability to understand and decipher situations in the media (Herr 292). Before the age of eight a child is more likely to interpret situations based on obvious face value (Herr 292). For younger children, contextual variables appear important in determining the impact of exposure to violence (Herr 292). When violent actions are rewarded or not punished, as in the case of electronic games, the likelihood of imitating the behavior increases (Herr 293). Electronic games differ from other forms of media in that they are interactive, repetitive, and involve reward (Herr 293). Especially in recent years computer games and other similar electronic games have become very popular (Smith 56). Many concerns have been raised about the influence of these games and whether or not they should be censored. To help parents determine whether or not a specific program was right for their child, a rating system was developed (Herr 296). Two important theories have been formulated in relation to the effects of violence. The “catharsis hypothesis” was developed by Feshbach and Singer (Singer 367). This theory says that by observing violent programming the individual is able to release previously accumulated tension and anger (Singer 367). This theory explains why people take pleasure in seeing brutal and violent acts, even if they would never commit such actions, considering them as testing their reaction to mortal danger without real risks(Book 28). Another widely accepted theory is the one developed by Percy Tannenbaum and Leonard Berkowitz. The “Stimulatory Effect,” states that exaggerated violence and increased emotional arousal causes aggressive behavior, and the presence of weapons will increase arousal (Singer 367). Although both theories are widely recognized, researchers tend to agree with the latter of the two (Singer 367). Conclusion Throughout the world, patterns of cultural, social, and economic transformation are now driven by communication technology (Dyson 142). Never before have children been targeted as a lucrative market for entertainment violence (Book 25). Turn on the TV at virtually any time of day and you can bring a carnival of murder, mayhem and bloodshed into your living room (Leo 25). The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were characterized by murder and chaos, but also by violence, involving people against people, challenging people's ideas on the topic of violence (Russell 103). Regarding the effects of media violence on children and young adults, such works challenge our instinctive denial of our most primitive layers of fear and aggression (Book 28). Original Research In addition to gathering information from others, I also conducted a survey to better understand the relationship between media and violence. The survey, consisting of 11 questions, was completed by 33 people, although only 32 survey results were used as one was invalid. The survey group consisted of people aged between 12 and 18, 18 females and 14 males. Most of the people interviewed were from St. Anne's Elementary School and Eastwood Collegiate Institute. The following information is taken from surveys and presented in such a way that you can compare and understand the data. Graph 1.0 Hours spent watching television (per week). The survey showed that the majority of the group interviewed (32%) watched television for 4-6 hours a week. In graph 1.0 we see that only 6% watch TV for more than 14 hours. The results of this survey are slightly lower than previously found, according to which children watch approximately 6.4-8.5 hours per week (Dyson p.11). Many parents hope that by watching television their children will gain a broader perspective of the world and then in turn learn from its programming. This may be true if your child focuses exclusively on educational television such as Sesame Street or Blue's Clues. However, as the child grows, educational programming decreases and adapts to a more mature audience. The research conducted showed that 50 percent of people's favorite television genres were sitcoms. The second highest result. Graph 1.1 Cartoons make up 38 percent. The data is shown in Graph 1.1. Although they spend many hours in front of the television, it was promising to learn that if they do not watch television, their time is spent participating in extracurricular activities or doing hobbies such as reading. However, as time passes and your child enters the workforce, their extra time is more likely to be spent on a part-time job. Of the group interviewed, 18 people read the newspaper regularly (at least 3 times a week). Of the 18 people, 15 said they would read articles about murders, violent crimes, or criminal trials. Newspaper is different from other forms of media such as television and electronic games where the information presented is real and considered truthful. Unlike electronic games, the newspaper does not give the feeling that violent acts are a reward, but sees them as negative events. While this may be the case, there is still the question of whether.