Media s Influence On The Youth Of America - 1454 Words

Media in the United States has a prominent role on the youth of America. A majority of children and young adults have access to internet, television, radio, newspapers, and video games practically any time they want. The violence in media, along with the availability of media are increasing, however the most predominant form of media for children is video games. Because of this, many are concerned with the effects on the youth. The violence in video games is a cause for aggressive emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the youth of America. Media is defined as the main means for mass communication. Video games, television, radios, newspapers, and the internet are included in this category. Video games, defined by Oxford Dictionaries, are†¦show more content†¦The virtual world can be an introduction to violence that might one day translate into the real world. One reason violence is easily translated to the real world is because of the social learning theory. The social learning theory claims â€Å"behavior is learned through imitation of attractive, rewarded models† (Sherry, p. 412). Video games have a powerful effect on players due to the high attention levels of players and the fact that players can actively identify with the characters on the screen. Players are also directly rewarded for the violence that is committed virtually. This reward mechanism could possibly transfer to violence committed in the outside world. Along with the social learning theory, researchers explain the effects of violent video games using the general arousal model. This model explains â€Å"arousal is a heightened, nonspecific drive state† (Sherry, p. 412). Because of this, the arousal from media will heighten the response of an individual. In terms of video games, the violence that is experienced in a game will provide the necessary arousal to heighten aggressive responses. Several studies have discussed the neo-associative networks or priming mechanism as an explanation for the effects of media on aggression. The priming effects theory of media influence claims that cues from violent content may lead to aggression or hostility because of the priming of semantically related informational nodes (Berkowitz Rogers, p. 80). The priming effects theory