Human beings are very creative and intelligent. They proved themselves with new inventions and technologies, which make life easier, more convenient, and happy. Mass media is one of them. It's a major agent of socialization. Mass media is the best way to reach an enormous amount of people, Mass media are used to convey information, entertainment, news, education, or promotional messages through television, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, websites, video games, film, and music. Mass media is a blessing or a curse. It's a highly debatable and burning issue in this information age. The main aim of carrying out this study is to find the impacts of accessing mass media on teenagers.
Research questions:-
Is the mass media a great platform for higher education?
Does social media affect the personal lives of individuals?
What are the impacts of mass media on teenagers' development?
Is mass media advertisements about smoking and alcohol drinking promote criminal activities?
Decades’ worth of research has shown several impacts of mass media on education. Mass media is not necessarily have a negative impact, but also has a positive value to them. Mass media brings to billions of homes not only entertainment and news but also cultural and educational programs. Mass media play an important role in grabbing new knowledge and information. For example, watching T.V. and listening to the radio is the best way to get new knowledge about history, biology, literature or even learning foreign languages through youtube videos and also by online classes. Moreover, Due to the advancement in technology, our teaching styles are also getting changed. Now mass media prove that education is, really comprehensive not confined within four walls of the classroom (Preeti, 2014). Now, the majority of students like to attend online classes instead of going to college or to school. Online Books, encyclopedias, and magazines provide a more in-depth look at a wide range of subjects, all these online sources are perfect steps for good academic grades (Preiss, 2007). For example, the Open BC campus is a free website for students to access free textbooks, etc.
Mass media is not only for education it is also for entertainment or also for enhancing specialization like spreading awareness and civic responsibilities. With the advanced technology, children can easily access the internet which is a major socialization tool and can also be used as a research tool that can be utilized positively by students (Oroles, 2014). But it could be negative with the over usage of mass media. Most students spend the majority of their time watching movies and playing games on T.V. instead of investing their time in studying and reading good books. This poses a negative effect on school performance as well as on learning problems. Lower academic grades and problems in learning are getting incline due to overindulgence in mass media (Oroles, 2014). The amount of time spent watching television and sitting in front of computers can affect a child’s postural development (Salter, 1983). Excessive amounts of time at a computer can contribute to obesity, undeveloped social skills, and a form of addictive behavior (Canadian, 2002).
Despite the negative effects of mass media on performance, there are a number of positive social effects of mass media on children. Mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive child development through movies. For example, mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive children's development through television carton movies that may serve to increase children’s knowledge and understanding of various life aspects. Positive role models portrayed in the mass media can also serve as a positive social development tool for children. Qualitative research studies have shown that one way in which television enhances development in children is by portraying positive role models of collaboration and development as a responsible manner of acting (Press, 2007). In addition, Playing motor video games is also beneficial for developing or polishing motor skills. There are lots of driving applications that teach us driving rules and regulations. However, “The amount of violence in video games and movies today is scary and children spend several hours every day watching these scenes of gore. Violence becomes their reality. Many children are unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy” (Harshit, 2017). In addition, they are at more risk of Cybercrime. Personal data and privacy can easily be hacked and shared on the Internet, which can lead to personal identity loss and financial loss (Harshit, 2017).
Apart from these criminal activities their health is also getting affected by over-usage, like obesity. Dietz and Gortmake (1985) reported that each additional hour of TV viewing per week increased the risk of obesity by 2%. because they prefer to play indoor games, video games, and watch T.V. instead of resting, playing outdoor games, or sleeping, which could lead to bad health also weak eyesight.
Mass media's effect on society and on health.
Research has demonstrated a strong association between exposure to certain mass media messages and smoking and drinking alcohol in adolescents. For instance, more than half of adolescent smoking initiation has been linked to watching smoking in movies(Sargent, Beach, Adachi-Mejia, Gibson, Titus-Ernstoff, and Carusi, 2005). In another study done by Grube and Waiters, 56% of students in grades 5 to 12 said that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink. In Sweden, the governing bodies banned alcohol advertising which led to a decline in alcohol consumption (Romelsjo, 1998).
In conclusion, Mass media addiction has led to many children spending a lot of their time in mass media instead of studying. Mass media can be used to promote social growth and thinking skills. Parents and teachers must be aware of them the effects of mass media. Families should be encouraged to explore media together and discuss their educational value. Children should be encouraged to criticize and analyze what they see in the media. Parents can help children differentiate between fantasy and reality, particularly when it comes to sex, violence, and advertising. Families should limit the use of television, computers, or video games as a diversion, which will be protection cover for their children’s health and Carrier.
References
Preiss, W.R. (2007). Mass Media Effects Research: Advances Through Meti-Analysis. 5th Edition Mahwah, Earlbaum.
Preeti, Education and Role of Media in Education System. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER), http://www.ijser.in/archives/v2i3/SjIwMTMxNTg=.pdf, Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014, 174 - 177
Lad, Harshit. (2017). The Positive and Negative Impact of Social Media on Education, Teenagers, Business, and Society. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering, and Technology, volume 6, issue 10, https://www.ijirset.com/upload/2017/october/73_Experimental.pdf
Florescu, Oroles. (2014). Positive and Negative Influences of the Mass Media upon Education. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 149. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.08.271.
Dietz WH Jr, Gortmaker SL. Do we fatten our children on the television set? Obesity and television viewing in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 1985; 75: 807-812.
Sargent JD, Beach ML, Adachi-Mejia AM, Gibson JJ, Titus-Ernstoff LT, Carusi CP, et al. Exposure to movie smoking: its relation to smoking initiation among US adolescents. Pediatrics 2005; 116: 1183-1191.
Grube JW, Waiters E. Alcohol in the media: content and effects on drinking beliefs and behaviors among youth. Adolesc Med Clin 2005; 16: 327-343.
Salter RB. Textbook of Disorders and Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System: An Introduction to Orthopaedics, Fractures and Joint Injuries, Rheumatology. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 1983.
Romelsjo A. Decline in alcohol-related problems in Sweden greatest among young people. Br J Addict. 1987;82:1111–24.
Canadian Paediatric Society, Healthy Active Living for Children and Youth Advisory Committee Healthy active living for children and youth. Paediatr Child Health. 2002;7:339–45.